Madam, - The forthcoming constitutional referendum is nothing other than a necessary measure to protect the integrity of Irish citizenship. It is as simple and as straightforward as that. It is not a racist measure, nor is it in any way anti-immigrant.
All our EU partners have laws which protect the integrity of their countries' citizenship. They understand that if their laws can be abused, they will be abused. Currently, our citizenship laws are wide open to abuse and it should be a top priority duty of any Irish Government to prevent this abuse, now and in the future.
The forthcoming referendum is a straightforward measure to sort out an unintended loophole, which arose from the Good Friday Agreement. I believe that the Government is simply doing its duty to the Irish people.
It would be helpful to the electorate if all political parties could focus on the facts, desist from smearing each other, and try to generate more rational light and less irrational heat on this important matter. - Yours, etc.,
Dr L.F. LACEY, Skerries, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Cecilia Keaveney, TD (May 15th) suggests, in effect, that the proposed xenophobic vandalism of the Constitution should be endorsed in order to bring Ireland's law "into line with that in other European states".
Should it not be a higher priority that Ireland - and every nation - should strive to be just, to be fair, and to respect equally the fundamental rights, dignity and freedoms of every human being? - Yours, etc.,
BEN WALSH, San Francisco, USA.