SF heavily critical of referendums but says it supports Yes votes

Party vows to re-run polls if public votes them down

SINN Féin would re-run the two upcoming referendums should they fail, and has heavily criticised the wording of the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

Despite this, the party is calling for Yes votes in the two March 8 polls; one on the definition of family and a second that would remove references to women’s ‘duties in the home’, to be replaced with a recognition of the role of carers in Irish society.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said the care amendment referendum was ‘an opportunity missed’ by the Government, which it accused of having an ‘abysmal track record’ on families and carers. However, she insisted that she does not secretly hope the referendums will fail in what would be seen as a kick in the teeth for the Government.

Launching the party’s referendum campaign yesterday, Ms McDonald, Senator Lynn Boylan – who is leading the campaign – and health spokesman David Cullinane sharply criticised both the Government and the proposed amendments to the constitution.

Mr Cullinane said Sinn Féin ‘fully understands’ the criticism that had been made of the amendment in respect of carers. Ms McDonald said that if the care amendment is rejected next month, her ‘ambition’ would be to put the Citizens’ Assembly’s suggested wording to the Irish public ‘early’ into a Sinn Féin term in government.

She said the removal of ‘sexist’ language around a woman’s duties in the home was a ‘Yes, all day every day’, and that the idea of recognising care in the Constitution was ‘powerful’. ‘But the problem is that the Government, in their haste, failed to consult properly to actually adopt the work that had been done by the Citizens’ Assembly,’ she said.

‘We did have to have a fairly detailed consideration about it. In the end, we decided not to allow the perfect be the enemy of the good. We’re campaigning for a “Yes, Yes”, but we’re also recognising that people are going to have to think about this carefully.

‘I have spoken to many, many carers who believe this should be grasped as a positive if imperfect step forward. But I have spoken to others who are angered at the Government’s track record on these matters and see this as little more than lip service.’

She added: ‘We had to think about this. And I expect that lots and lots of people will be weighing this up in their mind.

‘Because on the one hand, it does things that are important, removing archaic, sexist language, recognising different family forms not simply based on marriage, why wouldn’t cohabiting couples... be recognised?’

However, Sinn Féin’s position of backing constitutional change while remaining critical of the proposed amendments has been branded ‘cowardly’ and ‘rubbish’.

Michael McDowell, former justice minister and attorney general, said decisions to change the Constitution should not be taken lightly. He said: ‘It’s rubbish.

‘The Constitution should only be amended by a Bill that has been carefully considered as to its implications by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bills do not reflect the outcome of the Citizens’ Assembly or a report of an Oireachtas committee.

‘They were rushed within hours through each House by the use of a guillotine motion, which denied all possibility of meaningful discussion or amendment.’

He said the ‘usual requirement of pre-legislative scrutiny hearings was bypassed’. He also said there were ‘16 private meetings of an interdepartmental group which allegedly considered the implications of the proposed amendments’, including what Taoiseach Leo Varadkar claimed were the pros and cons. However, access to the minutes of those meetings has been refused, Mr McDowell said.

He added: ‘The Sinn Féin position is weak and cowardly. We cannot condone defective amendment of the Constitution.’

‘We had to think about this’