Sir, – Why are the political classes of Ireland are failing to discuss the referendum on giving the Dáil more power?
Within the text of the document it clearly states that the Dáil shall now have new powers to set up inquiries into anyone in the State as long as it believes it is acting in the “public good”. It will also decide on the “balance” between the rights of the individual and the common good.
Our government will be judge jury and executioner now and perhaps this is one of the reasons for the judges’ pay referendum. Are our Garda Síochána and judicial system not reliable enough to allow them protect the greater good from criminal elements of society? Or are we taking the first step on the road to tyranny? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I view with great concern the lack of coverage and debate in our media, including in The Irish Times, on the referendums on which we are asked to vote on the October 27th.
I, for one, will vote against the proposed 30th Amendment, which seeks to give far-ranging powers to the Oireachtas to hold inquiries. While the sometimes hysterical coverage given to the presidential election borders on the ludicrous, the apparent conspiracy of media coverage, and lack of reporting on the 30th Amendment, a matter of far greater importance, is inexplicable.
In seeking to fundamentally expand their power, the members of the Houses of the Oireachtas were unlikely to identify and expose any arguments against such a proposal: hence their decision to cut short the debate on the proposal.
I will vote against the proposal on a number of grounds. First, a clear conflict of interest will arise when members of the Houses, their friends and associates, may be the subject of such investigations. Second, the members of the Houses lack professional and moral competence to carry out such inquiries. We have been badly served by the ineptitude, incompetence and irresponsibility of the members for too long to tolerate this expansion of their power at this time. Third, I do not trust the members, nor will I trust them until they earn my trust. And that appears to be still a long way away.
In the meantime, Sir, may I ask why you, and the Irish media, are so reserved in your coverage of this issue? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I will be voting No to the referendum on giving more powers to the Oireachtas for the following reasons. 1. Our TDs have too much power and not enough accountability as it is. 2. They failed to use their powers to preventcorruption, how can we trust them to clean it up afterwards? 3. Of all the people who we might need to seriously scrutinise, most of them are politicians and recently retired politicians. 4. There are more than two options; long and expensive tribunals, or political "kangaroo courts" are not the only things we could come up with.
Ignore the red herring arguments on this one, and imagine a politician in a few years using this power to “inquire” into dodgy dealings. Every tree in North Dublin might be dragged into the Dáil, but somehow, the well-connected culprits would avoid such a summons. I would urge people to use common sense on this and vote No. – Is mise,