Madam, - This referendum raises the question of whether we are going to honour or row back from the commitments Ireland made under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which we ratified "without any reservation whatsoever" on September 28th, 1992.
Its underlying principle is that the best interests of the child will always be the main consideration. It recognises the child as an individual with rights of his or her own, irrespective of the status of the parents. Ireland's first national report under the Convention was submitted to the UN committee on the rights of the child in 1996. The report stated that Ireland was "committed to achieving the maximum protection possible for the rights of all children".
If we are serious about honouring this commitment then we will uphold the existing entitlement granted to every child born on the island of Ireland to be part of the Irish nation. In the Belfast Agreement we voted in favour of "the promotion of a culture of tolerance at every level of society" and "the protection and vindication of the human rights of all". The only way to honour and safeguard these commitments is to vote No. - Yours, etc.,
TOMÁS MAHER,
Grange Lawn,
Waterford.
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Madam, - As Church of Ireland priests, we have pastoral experience of working alongside immigrants. And we do this work inspired by the words of St Matthew 25.35: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me".
In relation to Friday's referendum on citizenship, we remain unconvinced that this referendum is the best mechanism for moving forward the whole social issue of immigrants and the question of citizenship.
We feel that more debate, research and engagement are required and that some fresh initiative for the better integration of immigrants in to our own society is needed - e.g., a commission on integration.
We believe there is a lack of a creative and positive vision as to how our society, which has undergone considerable social changes because of immigration, can be enabled to develop in a wholesome and harmonious manner in the future.
We question whether the referendum reflects that positive vision of what our nation can be and we ourselves shall therefore be voting No. - Yours, etc.,
Rev KATHARINE POULTON,
Canon DESMOND
SINNAMON,
Rev DECLAN SMITH,
Canon JOHN CLARKE,
Rev PATRICK COMERFORD,
Canon HORACE McKINLEY,
Rev ROBERT WHITESIDE,
Belgrave Road,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
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Madam, - I have four children, two of them born here in Ireland before we left for Canada. My youngest two children are Canadian by virtue of being born on Canadian soil. This is both a right and a privilege afforded to all born in Canada. To become Canadian citizens, my husband, my two eldest and myself went through a separate rigorous immigration process that culminated in a declaration of an oath of allegiance. We now hold dual citizenship.
It should be possible, as shown by my experience, to separate the right of the child from the rights and responsibilities of the parents. I will be voting No in next Friday's referendum. - Yours, etc.,
J. O'NEILL,
Castlebar,
Co Mayo.
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Madam, - In a letter published last Friday eminent artists wrote lyrically about the "beautiful concept" of the right of citizenship through birthplace.
Ireland is unique among the 25 EU states in giving effect to this "beautiful concept". If we allow this situation to continue the practical results are likely to be less than poetic.
If life imitated art your correspondents would have a better point. - Yours etc.,
JOHN PAUL FEELEY,
Stranamorth,
Blacklion,
Co Cavan.
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Madam, - I am one of Mr McDowell's statistics. I am a non-national who, together with my family, made Ireland our home and had a baby born here. Our youngest daughter is an Irish citizen. If the referendum amendment passes on Friday, this will not be the case for other Irish-born children like her.
I am delighted that my daughter is an Irish citizen. Citizenship is providing her with a sense of belonging to the country she was born in. Her link to Ireland is already stronger than her link to the birthplaces of her parents. I find the attempt to limit this sense of belonging, especially in a country with such a strong history of immigration, very sad. I find the racial arguments that have been stirred up in this curiously fact-free campaign extremely depressing.
For the record, I, like the vast majority of non-nationals living in this country, am here legally, contribute to this society and pay my taxes. I would urge Irish citizens to ignore the scaremongering and vote No to this amendment. - Yours, etc.,
Dr CHRYSSA DISLIS,
York Terrace,
Cork.
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Madam, - Those leading the No campaign have produced a range of arguments to support their case. They can all be straightforwardly refuted.
Is the referendum about the rights of the child? No, it is about abuses of our citizenship laws and giving the Oireachtas the means to uphold the integrity of Irish citizenship now and in the future.
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.
Is the referendum racist or anti-immigrant? No, it is not. All legal immigrants and refugees, irrespective of nationality, religion, race, or gender, who come to this country to build a new life for themselves and their families will continue to be able to become Irish citizens.
Is the referendum on citizenship contrary to the practices in other countries? No, it is not. Every other member of the EU and much of the rest of the world has laws which protect the integrity of their country's citizenship. The US and Canada provide citizenship based on being born there.
However, both of these huge countries have been populated by a policy of immigration over centuries. Ireland is a tiny country by comparison and has had a very different history. Also, we are member of the EU and not a member of the North Atlantic Free Trade Association.
Is being out of step with every other member of the EU in relation to our citizenship laws important? It is not only important for this country but potentially also for our EU partners. We would surely be failing our EU partners if we allowed abuses of Irish citizenship laws potentially to undermine our partners' immigration policies.
Does the referendum undermine the Good Friday Agreement? No, it does not, and this has been confirmed by the UK authorities. It simply seeks to address the unintended consequences of a loophole which has enabled our citizenship laws to be abused.
Is the referendum encouraging the growth of racism in Ireland? On the contrary: the failure to address the indisputable abuses of our citizenship laws is far more likely to encourage the growth of racism here. The perceived failure of the UK government adequately to address abuses of the UK immigration system has lead to a glaring lack of public confidence in the functioning of that country's immigration system, as well as the rise of extremist groups.
The arguments of the No campaign are just plain wrong. The proposed constitutional amendment is a reasoned and reasonable proposal to safeguard Irish citizenship from abuse. It is a simple and as straightforward as that. - Yours, etc.,
Dr L.F. LACEY,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.
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Madam, - May I propose three important reasons for voting No?
1. We are asked to support stated measures to deal with an alleged crisis. Both the allegation and the proposed solution need widespread and careful scrutiny and debate, which they have not had so far.
2. Such debate should include the views of people in Northern Ireland. After all, the present constitutional provision has its roots in the Belfast Agreement. The exclusion of Northern opinion from the debate would appear to treat that agreement with contempt.
3. To vote No is not to ignore the issues involved but to insist that they be considered widely and carefully, and then that we take such action as may be necessary. - Yours, etc.,
SEÁN MAC RÉAMOINN,
Slí Pháirc Éadain,
Baile Átha Cliath 14.
• No letters about the referendum or the elctions will be published on Friday, which is polling day.