Referendum - Yes campaign: The Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice yesterday welcomed the strong support for the Government's citizenship referendum proposal shown in weekend opinion polls.
Mr Ahern told reporters yesterday that he was glad that the Government's message on the issue was getting through to the public.
"I have been pressing canvassers to explain the issue more ... I am happy that people are beginning to focus on the fact that citizenship laws are very important to us. We have a very, very liberal system and we will continue, even if the referendum is passed, to have a liberal system."
In a statement, Mr McDowell said that as the debate had gone on, "the number of voters supporting the Government's balanced and sensible proposal has increased".
He was speaking after an Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll showed 57 per cent in favour of the proposal to remove the automatic constitutional right to citizenship from all children born on the island of Ireland.
"The Government's proposal will allow the elected representatives of the people to legislate our citizenship matters and bring Ireland's citizenship law into line with the other 24 countries in the EU," Mr McDowell said yesterday.
