Seanad debates

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

10:30 am

Photo of Billy LawlessBilly Lawless (Independent) | Oireachtas source

With four by-elections taking place this Friday and Christmas just around the corner, there seems little doubt we are on the march to a general election early in the new year. It is my sincere wish, as it has been since I had the honour of being appointed to this Chamber, that I will leave this Seanad knowing that the Irish people have been given a chance to vote on whether their Irish brothers and sisters right across the globe will be able to vote on who our next President should be. I fully supported the Government's decision to postpone the holding of this referendum in the teeth of Brexit negotiations but if, as seems likely, we will have a degree of certainty surrounding Brexit following the completion of the United Kingdom general election, I strongly urge the Government to call a referendum before the St. Patrick's Day festivities.

What an amazing sight it would be for all the Ministers travelling across the world to interact with our diaspora having seen a referendum passed to give them a formal say in who should be the Head of State. I know in my adopted country of the United States the enormous depth of meaning the holding of this referendum would have for our community. St. Patrick's Day is a unique period in our calendar where every Irish person resident in this State recognises and sees just how global and broad-shouldered is our community. Beamed across the globe from Dubai to Durban and Singapore to Seattle, the whole world stops and pays attention to the community of this small island.

We know the economic and diplomatic value of our Taoiseach and Ministers travelling across the world and although there is always criticism of the cost of these missions, we never talk about the value to the State and taxpayer of what it means to our Irish community to be visited by their home Government. That value would be enhanced dramatically if we could deliver a referendum to give that community a say in who our next President should be. I am calling on the Government and all other political parties to support my call for this referendum to take place before St. Patrick's Day in 2020.

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