Call for referendum on presidential voting rights

A local councillor wants Ireland to extend the franchise of voting for the next President of Ireland to those living north of the border.

Sinn Fein's Stiofán Conaty wants the government to set out a timeframe for holding a referendum, making good the commitments promised by the 2013 constitutional convention, recommending that voting rights be extended to citizens living outside of the Republic of Ireland. The position was supported by all the largest political parties in the State at the time but, to date, any decision on when a referendum on Article 12 might take place to decide has been a moot point.

Sinn Féin is the largest party in Northern Ireland in terms of seats in the Stormont assembly, councils, and in the House of Commons.

It remains the largest opposition party in the Republic of Ireland also.

“I am calling for an end to the denial of voting rights in presidential elections for Irish citizens in the North of Ireland. This is a denial of democratic rights, it is unacceptable and it must end,” said Cllr Conaty, who tabled a motion to discuss the matter at the April monthly meeting of Cavan County Council.

He also suggested to the meeting of elected members that the “first-generation diaspora” also deserve the right to vote in Presidential elections.

“The droves of young people who have been forced to leave this country in the last number of years deserve a vote. I was contacted just last week by a young lady from Cootehill who was absolutely gutted to inform me she was upping sticks and emigrating. Despite her best efforts, she has been forced to seek a decent standard of living half-way across the world. She simply cannot get ahead in Ireland, despite having a good job and working hard her entire adult life. Stuck in a rent trap, with no prospect of getting a home of her own or putting together any sort of savings, she simply has no choice.

“When politicians turn around and talk about emigration from our shores as a lifestyle choice, they misrepresent the reality that, by and large, these young people would remain in Ireland if they could. Believe me, I know. I have a sister in the Middle East, and my partner has two sisters in Australia. Half the cousins and friends I grew up with are gone, some for good.”

Accepting that there will “always be emigration and young people will want to travel”, the current level of people departing these shores is “not normal” suggested Cllr Conaty.

“These people want to contribute to our economy and they want to participate in our democratic process. That they can’t is not their own decision, but a failure of the current economic model, which puts profits before people and uses emigration as a safety-valve to cover up these failures.”

He went on to state that after members of Government returned “from last month’s world tour” of engaging with Ireland's diaspora, it's “now time to show our citizens overseas that they are valued and have a stake in the life of Ireland. We should be doing all we can to encourage their participation, not just using them as a means to export Brand Ireland over the course of St Patrick’s weekend.”

Ending the “disenfranchisement” of Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland, Cllr Conaty said is an “unfulfilled commitment” from the previous Programme for Government. A “long-standing policy commitment” of successive governments, he accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of “repeatedly” delaying the action.

“With a Presidential Election scheduled for later this year, we are running out of time. It’s long past time to deliver on this important democratic right for all Irish citizens at home. In particular, it is crucial that citizens in the six counties are no longer left behind when it comes to votes electing our President, a role with a proud and fierce tradition of representing all the people of Ireland, north, south and abroad.”

The motion was supported by Cllr Conaty's party colleague Damien Brady.