Sir, – It beggars belief that the Government, after all the fanfare of announcing a Minister of State for the Diaspora, and after all the commitments to take seriously and act on the views of the Convention on the Constitution in a timely manner, should be contemplating drawing up a diaspora strategy that has no provision for votes for Irish citizens abroad ("Referendum on emigrant vote 'unlikely' this year, says Deenihan", January 15th).
A total of 78 per cent of the Convention on the Constitution members voted for enabling citizens abroad to vote for the president. Most polls on other issues considered by the convention have demonstrated that its members have been broadly in line with public opinion in Ireland.
Despite prodding from an Oireachtas committee and the European Commission, the Government continues to baulk at a move most countries embrace. – Yours, etc,
MARY HICKMAN,
Professorial Research
Fellow,
Centre for Irish Studies,
School of Arts
and Humanities,
St Mary’s University,
Waldegrave Road,
Twickenham, London.