Sir, - I see that establishment politicians have begun to whinge about the requirement for absolute balance in constitutional debates imposed as a result of the McKenna judgement. I'm sure no one could disagree that a much broader range of issues was raised both by the Referendum Commission and in the TV and radio coverage of the two recent referenda than could have been expected if balance had not been required. Given that the political establishment wanted a double Yes vote and given that this was the outcome, are the politicians not forced to interpret the results as an indication of the maturity of the electorate?
The whole point of our having a written constitution is that power over the issues covered in it is taken out of the hands of elected representatives and returned directly to the hands of the people. It seems to me, then, that to allocate media time and campaign funding for referendum debates on the basis of party strength in the Dail is to go against the whole idea of the written constitution. - Yours, etc., Frank Barry,
Wilton Place,
Dublin 2.