The Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, has criticised the Government for "railroading" the electorate into voting on the citizenship referendum next month. Lorna Siggins reports.
This was being carried out for Fianna Fáil's "parochial, partisan, political advantage", and the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, was a "willing patsy" in raising the issue, Mr Rabbitte said in Galway yesterday when he launched his party's national campaign opposing the referendum.
The Labour Party leader was particularly critical of the referendum's timing, and said that people were far more concerned about issues like health, crime, and traffic management than about the subject of the citizenship referendum.
"Any time we seek to change the Constitution, we should do so with great care, but we're being railroaded into this referendum for no other reason than it coincides with the local elections," he warned.
The Labour Party president and Galway West TD, Mr Michael D. Higgins,who accompanied Mr Rabbitte at the campaign launch, also warned that the referendum concerned a fundamental change to the Constitution, and one which had not been debated in the Dáil.
It would create a situation where two children born in the same place at the same time could be treated differently, and hold different legal and constitutional rights in this State. This was in conflict with international instruments which Ireland had signed up to, he pointed out.
Mr Higgins said that he was also appealing for a No vote because of the "underhand and dishonest manner" in which the proposed change had been initiated.
Mr Rabbitte said that the Amendment had been rushed through the Dáil and Seanad, and the Bill being introduced would result in a legal quagmire, by making a distinction between citizenship and nationality.
The Government had failed to make the case for a change and had, by selecting June 11th for the referendum vote, facilitated those who might want to play the race card in the local elections, he added.
In a separate development,Galway Refugee Support Group asked Galway City Council this week to remove racist graffiti which appeared in the Salthill area over the last few days.