Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

That is what this referendum is all about. If changing the Constitution and altering the Good Friday Agreement, which was carried overwhelmingly by the people, was not a gimmick, what would be the normal course of action? The problem would have been clearly spelled out at the beginning and the full facts and figures would have been made available. The matter would then have been referred to the All-Party Committee on the Constitution where all-party discussions could have been initiated, as provided for in the programme for Government. All the parties in the North would have been fully informed and properly consulted. In this way appropriate consideration could have been given to the key question of the constitutional provisions on citizenship to establish if any change in the Constitution was required to prevent any abuse of Irish citizenship by anyone, whoever that might be.

As was correctly stated recently, the Constitution should only be amended when the need to do so is clearly and unambiguously established. It should be the last resort of legislators, yet in this case it is the Government's first port of call. The real abuse of the provisions of our Constitution is not being done through the scapegoating of asylum seekers, but through the cynical unprincipled elements of this Government. I hope the people see through this attempt to fuel prejudice because it will achieve little else.

If passed, what will the amendment achieve? Even if we accept the Minister's vague statistics, all that will happen is that a few hundred babies will be refused Irish passports. I remember when I was in school in the 1950s and this country was impoverished, we put our pennies into the boxes to save the black babies. Now that we are among the world's most affluent nations, our Government is seeking to scapegoat babies for political effect. This country and Fianna Fáil in particular have come a long way.

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