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IMC Eire Exclusive - Constitutional Referendum Change Working Group being set up national |
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news report
 Friday April 11, 2003 00:31 by IMC investigative reporter - IMC Ireland
 Hot off the press A normally reliable source has informed me that a working group of a couple of left-wing Labour TDs, a Green Councillor and a couple of independents is currently being set up. The aim of the working group is to put together a new constitutional referendum that would put to the people a choice on the issue of neutrality. The wording is obviously a long way off, but the general idea is that it would read something like "Ireland will not engage in any military activities, or provide use of its military facilites to foreign militaries, unless the soverign borders of the nation are explicitly threatened by another." Sinn Fein have yet to be consulted but there may be issues with the British Army being in the North, the 26 counties vs. 32 etc. The working group is expected to examine the Swiss model of neutrality. Other legal stumbling blocks to the referendum going ahead are Ireland's partiticpation in the rapid reaction force, and also our acceptance of the second Nice Treaty last year. With the war in Iraq supposedly winding down, the working group aims to get the referendum details sorted out quickly so the people can decide whether we are truly neutral or not. No word about whether Fine Gael are going to be asked for support or not yet. My source also said that the working group plans to work with people from the PANA, and also IAWM for advice. Christ. Maybe they'll get SWP'ers to shout advice to voters queueing at the poll booths over megaphones. So there you go. You heard it here first. And now I should really go to bed.
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Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 6 5 4 3 2 1Brilliant, for the first time in weeks some group is doing something real rather that a yet another stupid Saturday march. Its well time we had Neutrality fully copperfastened in the constitution of this country, well done to Finian McGrath and the other independent lefties and Greens involved in this, watch out for the so called Labour party to sabotage it,
why not include:
a) Ireland will not be allowed to be used for the transport of military personel nor armaments.
b) Weapons of war will not be manufactured or assembled within the republic
To have a referendum it must pass through the Dáil therfore it must have support of the FF/PD government. I don't think there is a snowball's chance in hell of getting it past them.
There was a similar amendment put down by SP GP SF and independents in the last Dáil session but was voted down in the Dáil
"Ireland will not engage in any military activities, or provide use of its military facilites to foreign militaries, unless the soverign borders of the nation are explicitly threatened by another."
That definition, saving collective military action authorised by the UN under Article 7 of the Charter, is what we've already got. There's nothing radical about it. Israel and the USA are bound to the same principle of non-aggression too. Like Bush though, Bertie doesn't seem to care really what it says in the constitution.
Our constitution is not the problem. Article 29 begins with three statements which should all restrict us from participating in any aggression:
Article 29
1. Ireland affirms its devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly co-operation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality.
2. Ireland affirms its adherence to the principle of the pacific settlement of disputes by international arbitration or judicial determination.
3. Ireland accepts the generally recognised principles of international law as its rule of conduct in its relations with other States.
Read Article 29 of the Irish Constitution, as amended, and see if Ireland is neutral. Not only is it not neutral: it is not even independent. How can a country be neutral if it is not independent?
"Ireland will not engage in any military activities, or provide use of its military facilites to foreign militaries, unless the soverign borders of the nation are explicitly threatened by another."
That would mean that we could only come in on the side of Iraq during the invasion...
It would also prevent us from peacekeeping duties completely.
Why don't they set up a constitutional reform body to allow for a national referendum to be called if 5% of the population petition the government to call one on a specific topic? We could have avoided all this mess of the last few weeks if that was on the books.
And if this constitutional body goes ahead, why wouldn't its recommendations be treated with the same response as Sinn Fein's proposal to add a neutrality clause to the constitution some weeks ago?