Sir, - "The people have spoken," the politicians tell us. Well, what did the people say? Unfortunately, nobody knows - neither the politicians nor the people; and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, also tells us No voters had entirely different views, ranging from Dana to the Alliance.
But so we cannot blame the result on any one sector; the fault lays in the voting system itself. It is a system which asked voters to give a simple Yes or No to a very complex set of proposals. Indeed, the wording of the proposal was so confusing that few could agree on its actual content.
Would not a multi-option ballot have been more sensible? Multi-option referendums have been used in Finland, Mexico and New Zealand, to name just three examples. There is no reason why Ireland should not enjoy a similar degree of pluralism. - Yours, etc.,
PETER EMERSON,
Director,
The de Borda Institute,
Belfast 14.
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Sir, - How can we be sure the Government will not put the same abortion referendum to us in the future, as we have apparently given the wrong answer yet again? The Taoiseach promised a referendum on the Partnership for Peace and failed to deliver. He is pushing another Nice Treaty referendum on the electorate even though it democratically rejected the treaty first time round.
How can we trust him when he says that he accepts the will of the people? - Yours, etc.,
LOUISE CURTIN,
St Jarlath Road,
Cabra,
Dublin 7.