Madam, - On Easter Monday 1916, Padraig Pearse proclaimed the Irish Republic on the steps of the GPO. In that proclamation, he also outlined the type of caring and equal society that the republic should become. In particular the proclamation declares the need to "cherish all of the children of the Nation equally."
It is ironic, therefore, that in the week before the 88th anniversary of that momentous event, the Government announced it was to hold a referendum to deny Irish citizenship to Irish children born in this country to non-national parents. This is a complete abandonment of the principles within the Proclamation and is a clear signal that this Government does not want to "cherish all of the children of the nation equally" but would rather discriminate against those children whose parents do not fulfil certain criteria.
People should remember that this referendum is not about denying citizenship, asylum or residency rights to immigrants but is solely about denying citizenship to newly born Irish babies whose parents just happen to be non-national. The children whom Mr McDowell and his cronies want to target will not have chosen to be born here or anywhere else, just as none of us had a say in where we were born.
Mr McDowell and his Government colleagues would be better off fulfilling promises to eliminate waiting lists and increase medical cards and taking action to stop the ever increasing levels of crime rather than targeting defenceless babies. - Yours, etc.,
GERRY CASEY, Maugheraboy, Sligo.