The Government remains determined to hold a citizenship referendum on the same day as the local government and European Parliament elections in June despite opposition claims that this will feed racism, writes Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, warned yesterday that holding the referendum in June meant that during the election campaign "there is a distinct probability that inflammatory comments could be made about this sensitive situation". Such a timing would be "wrong and politically cynical".
Opposition parties yesterday condemned the surprise manner of the referendum announcement and demanded consultation before agreeing to any proposed change.
They said the Taoiseach had told the Dáil just three weeks ago that there were no plans for a constitutional referendum this year. Mr Kenny said the Taoiseach had listed three possible issues on which a referendum might be held, but that the citizenship issue was not among them.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, wrote to the Taoiseach yesterday saying that, while his party would consider the Government's proposals in as non-partisan way as possible, "the acid test for us will be the Government's willingness to decouple the referendum matter from the impending elections".
However, he said, the Government's actions so far had lent credence to the growing conviction "that someone thinks it would be clever to hold this debate in what Peter O'Mahony described today as 'the frenzied environment of an election'".
He pointed out that the Taoiseach had had to rebuke some of his own candidates for exploiting the race issue in the general election, and that this would happen even more if the referendum took place on June 11th.
The Green Party chairman, Mr John Gormley, said the move was a cynical playing of "the race card" to affect the election campaign. There should be proper consultations and hearings rather than this "rush job".
Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin of Sinn Féin said a June poll would be "a distraction from the issues in both elections and will only provide a platform for the worst excesses of Irish political life, which I roundly reject".
However, Government sources said yesterday that current thinking among senior Ministers was that the referendum to remove the automatic right to citizenship of Irish-born children of non-nationals should be held as soon as possible, most likely on June 11th. A final decision has not been made.
Mr Kenny said the issue should first be discussed in a non-inflammatory way at the All Party Committee on the Constitution, in line with the commitment to all-party consultations contained in the Programme for Government.
He said he recognised that there was a problem to which a solution was needed, but he complained that the Government had handled the matter in a secretive way.
Just three weeks ago, he said, the Taoiseach told him in the Dáil that he had no plans to hold a referendum this year to change the Constitution.
However, on Wednesday afternoon his party had been given just 30 minutes notice of a 4.30 p.m. briefing at which it was told of the Government's plans, and that a press conference and statement for the 6 p.m. news had been arranged.
Labour's deputy leader, Ms Liz McManus, quoted a statement by the Taoiseach in 1998: "I can assure you that, in the event of Article 2 and 3 taking effect, no legislation will be proposed by this Government to the Oireachtas, which imposes restrictions on the entitlement to Irish nationality and citizenship of persons born in Ireland." The Government was now adopting a different approach, she said.
Everybody agreed there was a problem, but a constitutional referendum was not necessarily the best approach.