Greens condemn `vacuous' referendum0

THE BAIL amendment displayed a "thought-police" mentality and would result in innocent people being detained for lengthy periods…

THE BAIL amendment displayed a "thought-police" mentality and would result in innocent people being detained for lengthy periods, the Green Party MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, has claimed.

"We should be extremely cautious about introducing anything that will allow people to be locked up for something that someone thinks they may do," she told a press conference in Dublin yesterday.

The Dublin city councillor and former Lord Mayor, Mr John Gormley, said the referendum was "a vacuous exercise which will do little to reduce the crime rate" but it was also "a profound danger to the rights of Irish citizens".

The Green Party, which has two MEPs, one TD and 19 local councillors, had been refused a party political broadcast which, according to Mr Gormley, was "totally undemocratic and unfair". The party was considering legal action.

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The Green TD for Dublin North, Mr Trevor Sargent, said the amendment would be "counter-productive" and was an example of stunt politics".

Temporary release was given to 3,500 convicted persons in 1993. Those granted temporary or early release were what were known as the "well-behaved criminals", most of whom were sex offenders.

The prison regime would be desperate to find spaces to put remand prisoners if the bail laws were changed and this would increase the chances of "the rapists and the paedophiles and the people who are doing the mugging getting back on the street, Mr Sargent said.

The Cork Right to Bail Campaign has circulated a letter of opposition to the amendment signed by more than 80 prominent people from the business, arts, legal and medical fields, religious and community organisations. Among the signatories is the Labour Party county councillor, Ms Paula Desmond.

The National Youth Federation said in a statement the referendum "may be unnecessary and would seem to be pandering to those that measure the success of our criminal justice system in terms of numbers in prison".

The Socialist Workers' Party said that "according to canvassing reports" the Government could be defeated in the referendum. They are holding a "Vote No" rally at the GPO in Dublin at 3 p.m. today where speakers will include Mr Eamonn McCann and a representative of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The Irish executive council of the National Union of Journalists has called on RTE and independent broadcasting operators to provide equal airtime to both sides in the referendum. The NUJ expressed "serious concern" at RTE's decision to apply normal general election criteria in the allocation of airtime for party political broadcasts on the referendum.

. Support for the amendment has come from a group of women members of the Oireachtas, comprising IS TDs and four Senators, who said bail reform was important to counter violence against women.

The group included Cabinet Ministers Mrs Nora Owen and Ms Niamh Bhreathnach and Ministers of State Ms Joan Burton, Ms Avril Doyle and Ms Eithne Fitzgerald and the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, but nobody from Fianna Fail.

The statement said it was "entirely reasonable" to give the courts power to refuse bail to accused persons if there was a probability they would commit a serious offence "such as a rape or other sexual attack".