Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

Tairigim:

Go gceadófar go dtabharfar isteach Bille Acht chun an Bunreacht a leasú.

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Constitution.

I am delighted to introduce this Bill. The purpose of this Aontú Bill is to ensure that all adult citizens living in Ireland, North and South, will be entitled to vote in presidential elections. This is a really important Bill. It is a great opportunity for the House to be able to make this change. I encourage all the political parties to get behind it in a cross-party manner.

The Bill is also important because we have a presidential election coming up very shortly, namely in October. It is not likely that we will be able to get a referendum done and dusted before that happens, but it could be possible to hold a referendum on the day of the presidential election in order to make sure that all subsequent presidential elections will be reflective of the views all citizens in Ireland, North and South. Incredibly and shockingly, Irish citizens in the North of Ireland can stand in and win a presidential election and they can be President of Ireland, but they still cannot vote in presidential elections. Mary McAleese was a very strong example of that contradiction that lies at the heart of our political system in this regard.

Imagine the sheer joy that would exist among Northern nationalists if they could share equally in the democratic process of this country for the very first time since 1918. It would be a phenomenal opportunity for the people of the North of Ireland to be able to do that.

This is not a zero-sum Bill. Sometimes, when we talk about constitutional issues, it feels like we are giving rights to one person and taking them away from another. This Bill would take no rights at all away from our unionist brothers and sisters in the North of Ireland. Most political parties have stated, at some stage, that they support this project, and the citizens' assembly voted in favour of it. What is stopping us from doing this? It is not up to Westminster to make this decision. Westminster does not have a say and neither does Stormont. The only body that has a say over whether or not this progresses is this House, first and foremost. We have a say as to whether a constitutional referendum should take place. If one is held, it would then be up to the people of Ireland to make a decision.

Right now, we are withholding the right to vote from Irish citizens in the North of Ireland - some 700,000 Irish citizens, which is quite incredible.

Opinion polls show that there is support for this. Opinion polls in the South show there is support for a united Ireland. Opinion polls in the North of Ireland show that support for remaining within the Union and a united Ireland are quite close at the moment. This Bill does not even go as far as trying to look for a united Ireland, but it is a real and practical step towards the democratic self-determination of this country.

It is not an unusual proposal: many other European countries have the same policy. France and Poland allow citizens to vote who are not resident in their particular jurisdiction.

On foot of Aontú announcing this particular Bill, Sinn Féin proposed a motion in Stormont calling for the same objective. I welcome that. The motion was carried by a majority of MLAs in the North. That is significant. The majority of parties here say they support it; the majority of MLAs in the North say they support it and opinion polls say the majority of people in this jurisdiction support it. We really need to make sure that we are in step and in sync with the people.

The reason it is not happening is because of narrow political self-interest. Some parties are putting narrow self-interest ahead of bigger objectives. It has been said that perhaps Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not want to see 700,000 Northern nationalists voting in a Presidential election, potentially because they do not function in the North of Ireland. Both are regional political parties and do not have representatives or organisations operating in the North of Ireland. If they want to get over that particular hurdle, I would encourage Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to open up cumanns and to give Irish citizens in the North of Ireland the right to be members of their political parties and to function in them. It should not be the case that we do not allow for an election to happen because perhaps we will not like the result of it. That is a profoundly undemocratic action to take.

The Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, does have the potential to create a significant legacy for himself by taking this Bill off Aontú, making it a Government Bill and supporting it at the earliest opportunity. This would be the first and most significant increase in the franchise for Irish self-determination in 100 years. I urge parties to support the Bill.

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