(Bloomberg) -- Irish referendums held to change outdated language on women and the family in the constitution were defeated Saturday in a surprise setback for the government, which admitted that it had failed to convince citizens the vote was necessary for social progress.
“It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Dublin as it became clear the votes would fail. “I think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or need for the referendums at all, let alone detail on the wording.”
“That’s something we’re going to have to reflect on in the weeks ahead,” he added.
The votes centered around changing two parts of the charter, written in 1937 under the influence of the Catholic church. The first referendum proposed that the definition of “family” should be widened beyond marriage to include other “durable” relationships like cohabitation, while the second sought to remove language referring to womens’ care duties in the home and replace it with gender-neutral wording.
A majority of people, 68%, opted against broadening the definition of family. The second vote to recognize the role of all kinds of caregivers in the home, meanwhile, fell as 74% of citizens chose “no,” according to the returning officer’s website, due to confusion over the vague outcomes it would produce.
The vague wording, combined with low turnout and some civil society groups saying the care referendum in particular didn’t go far enough, contributed to the loss. It’s despite polling from last month suggesting both measures would pass, albeit not resoundingly.
Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement that a majority of voters “were not persuaded by the arguments for changing the Constitution in this way.”
The results are a blow to the government that held the referendums on International Women’s Day, plugging them as an important next step for progress in Ireland.
The country has undergone rapid social change in recent decades, thanks to a burst of economic growth known as the Celtic Tiger in the early 21st century that boosted incomes, and the declining influence of the Catholic church, which was once intrinsic to Irish life. Abortion was legalized in Ireland in 2018, half a century after the UK.
Civil society groups had complained the vote on caregiving didn’t do enough to recognize care as a public good outside the home, while some law organizations suggested changing the constitution wouldn’t necessarily enshrine rights for all kinds of carers.
Many “no” campaigners, meanwhile, claimed it ignored how women are still more likely to be responsible for domestic work. Some said it made it harder for future governments to support mothers who would rather stay at home as caregivers than join the labor force.
Opposition party Sinn Fein were critical of the government’s handling of the referendum. “The government went on a solo run. They wouldn’t listen,” Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said in a statement. “Their interventions in the final week of the campaign were disastrous and caused even more confusion and anger.”
You are correct. Reading the article shows only that the government was trying to push an agenda, not that the agenda was actually something for the people to want.
Looks to me like the vote was exactly right.
(Bloomberg) -- Irish referendums held to change outdated language on women and the family in the constitution were defeated Saturday in a surprise setback for the government, which admitted that it had failed to convince citizens the vote was necessary for social progress.
“It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Dublin as it became clear the votes would fail. “I think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or need for the referendums at all, let alone detail on the wording.”
“That’s something we’re going to have to reflect on in the weeks ahead,” he added.
The votes centered around changing two parts of the charter, written in 1937 under the influence of the Catholic church. The first referendum proposed that the definition of “family” should be widened beyond marriage to include other “durable” relationships like cohabitation, while the second sought to remove language referring to womens’ care duties in the home and replace it with gender-neutral wording. A majority of people, 68%, opted against broadening the definition of family. The second vote to recognize the role of all kinds of caregivers in the home, meanwhile, fell as 74% of citizens chose “no,” according to the returning officer’s website, due to confusion over the vague outcomes it would produce.
The vague wording, combined with low turnout and some civil society groups saying the care referendum in particular didn’t go far enough, contributed to the loss. It’s despite polling from last month suggesting both measures would pass, albeit not resoundingly.
Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement that a majority of voters “were not persuaded by the arguments for changing the Constitution in this way.”
The results are a blow to the government that held the referendums on International Women’s Day, plugging them as an important next step for progress in Ireland.
The country has undergone rapid social change in recent decades, thanks to a burst of economic growth known as the Celtic Tiger in the early 21st century that boosted incomes, and the declining influence of the Catholic church, which was once intrinsic to Irish life. Abortion was legalized in Ireland in 2018, half a century after the UK.
Civil society groups had complained the vote on caregiving didn’t do enough to recognize care as a public good outside the home, while some law organizations suggested changing the constitution wouldn’t necessarily enshrine rights for all kinds of carers.
Many “no” campaigners, meanwhile, claimed it ignored how women are still more likely to be responsible for domestic work. Some said it made it harder for future governments to support mothers who would rather stay at home as caregivers than join the labor force.
Opposition party Sinn Fein were critical of the government’s handling of the referendum. “The government went on a solo run. They wouldn’t listen,” Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said in a statement. “Their interventions in the final week of the campaign were disastrous and caused even more confusion and anger.”
“It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes,”
Notice how there's nothing about doing right by the citizens or working for them. It's only about "convincing" people to vote/do what they want.
You are correct. Reading the article shows only that the government was trying to push an agenda, not that the agenda was actually something for the people to want.
It will also be like the vote for/against the EU.
When you vote "incorrectly", you will be forced to vote again. Until you vote correctly.