Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

It is reminiscent of the trees that a certain Fianna Fáil Minister planted for the 1983 by-election and had uprooted and removed after his party lost the election. Election promises may be removed but a constitutional amendment is far more permanent. It is wrong and immoral for any Government to be cavalier and reckless with the Constitution. It is a crime against the people and the democratic institutions of the State, and an insult to the Republic. Already, responsible and respectable voices have been raised against this referendum. All the Opposition parties are opposing the amendment presented today, Labour, Fine Gael and the Greens have tabled an amendment at the outset of the debate urging the Government to go back to the drawing board and adhere to agreed procedures for holding referenda on constitutional amendments as outlined in the recommendations of the report of the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Constitution.

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