A Yes vote to the Government’s Power-Grab, is a vote to:
- Remove from our Constitution all parliamentary checks and balances,
- Remove from our President power to refer legislation to the vote of the people under Article 27,
- Amend Article 29 to give power to the Dail alone without any referendum to surrender our EU veto on corporate tax and other matters, over-ride constitutional protections, introduce EU criminal law and cross border policing, and allow the Dail over-ride our Constitution under the guise of “enhanced EU cooperation”
- Give Governments with a majority like this one power to remove independent judges by a vote of a single chamber
- Repeal Article 28.7 which enables non-TD outside experts to be Ministers
- Prevent anyone in Northern Ireland like Gordon Wilson, Seamus Mallon and Brid Rogers from being a member of our parliament
- Prevent emigrants having any voice in our parliament
- Concentrate all power in the hands of Government which controls the Dail through the draconian whip system, including speaking rights of TDs
- Give Dail whips absolute power to decide what Bills will be debated, and what Bills will be guillotined through with little or no debate
- Prevent for ever reform of the Seanad to give every citizen, wherever they live, an equal, single vote for a gender-balanced chamber as proposed in the Seanad Reform Bill which can be enacted now without any referendum if we vote No
- Delete 7 entire articles and leave the rest of our Constitution a disfigured wreck
Why on earth would we do this? Two bogus “reasons” are on the glossy posters that cost €5 a throw.
First, “Save €20 million”. Second, have “fewer politicians”. The “Save €20 million” claim is exposed as a con job. We need better politicians, not “fewer politicians”. They’re welshing on their pledge to cut TDs by twenty.
This referendum is costing us €14 million now. Absolutely nothing will be “saved” in 2013, 2014 and 2015, if we vote Yes. The Seanad will be kept for the duration of the “austerity period”.
In that period, Dail parties will pocket €40 million and unelected special political advisors will pocket €10 million.
In three years, after austerity, the only “savings” would be €1.60 per person in Ireland per year (the price of a container of milk)!
If we give them absolute power we know what to expect – absolute power corrupts absolutely. Vote no.