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Two referendums instead of one may be required on gender equality with 'tight' November timeline

A referendum on the ‘women in the home’ clause and a separate vote on the definition of family may be needed.

 THE PUBLIC COULD be asked to vote in two seperate referendums to deal with the issue of gender equality in the Constitution.

The Government has signalled its intention to hold a referendum in November on a proposal to insert a gender equality and non-discrimination principle into the Constitution.

There have been significant delays in the publishing of the proposed new wording, particularly in relation to the ‘women in the home’ clause in the Irish Constitution. 

A coalition of non-government organisations has written to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the matter, stating that there will not be enough to allow for a national conversation unless the wording is published soon. 

Senior sources have told The Journal that the two referendums will be needed to deal with gender equality in the Constitution. 

One vote will relate to the definition of the family, which the Constitution currently says is based on marriage.

A separate referendum will also need to be held on the deletion of the ‘women in the home’ reference in the Constitution, in favour of recognising care in the home. 

Article 41.2 of the Constitution currently reads:

In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

Wording not agreed yet

The Journal understands that the wording relating to a vote on the ‘women in the home’ clause has not been agreed yet and that a few options are under consideration. It is believed that the wording will be agreed “in the next few weeks”. 

Questions have been raised about whether the Government can stand over the November timeline for the referendum, with sources stating that the timeline is “tight”. 

They said there are concerns and risks about how the Supreme Court might interpret the changes, while another source said a simple removal of the clause cannot be looked at in isolation as it is sequential to the meaning of family. 

Holding the ballot in November is still the plan presently, it is understood.

When asked today by this publication if it will go ahead in November, Minister for Housing and Local Authorities Darragh O’Brien said he hasn’t been told anything to the contrary. 

He said he had not seen the wording as of yet, but said he expected the matter to be dealt with in September, adding that it is a priority for Government.

Speaking last month on the issue, Varadkar said:

“I think we all agree that in the modern world, there are lots of families that are not married families. 

“Families led by grandparents; families led by couples that aren’t married; one-parent families; but we need to make sure that we get that wording right and people don’t misinterpret it,” Varadkar said.

“I have a fear that people will misinterpret us as trying to delete the family or to delete marriage when actually the Constitution protects marriage and the family, but it’s the linking of the two that is something that we think should change. 

“We are conscious that referendums can go wrong – low turnouts, extraneous arguments being brought into the picture, so we’re wise to that,” he added. 

In the open letter to the Taoiseach this week, Family Carers Ireland, One Family, the National Women’s Council (NWC), SIPTU and Treoir (the national federation of services for unmarried parents and their families) noted that the wording was expected by mid-May but that this deadline has now passed. 

The letter said that without knowing the exact wording, it will be “increasingly difficult to build a civil society response” and said this is unfair to the families and people directly impacted.  

Asked yesterday about the potential timing of the referendum, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said “there is a commitment to November” but that he wants to see the Referendum Commission given the appropriate amount of time to explain the issues.

“I take the point that we have to get the wording right but we also have to make sure that there’s ample time that the Referendum Commission, that inevitably has to be set up, has enough time to present this to the public and give greater detail,” he said.

“No decision has been made or the timing of it yet, there is a commitment to November. When government comes back the Cabinet sub-committee will meet on this and we’ll have a definitive response then in terms of timing. Certainly I would favor the optimal amount of time being given to the Referendum Commission to explain it.” 

With reporting by Jane Matthews 

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    Mute Paul Kossoff
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    Oct 30th 2022, 10:04 PM

    Where’s Samantha and her twitching nose? Or am I too old?

    276
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    Mute Paul Kossoff
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    Oct 30th 2022, 10:05 PM

    @Paul Kossoff: call bewitched I think..from the 60s!!!

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Oct 31st 2022, 2:03 AM

    @Paul Kossoff: Great theme tune, I never saw the programme but recently started playing the song with a band – what a pleasure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0VbMvcVaFM

    19
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    Mute Aidy McBride
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:26 AM

    Incomplete list, my ex isn’t on it

    130
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    Mute Charlie
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    Oct 30th 2022, 10:07 PM

    Grotbags off the emu show was one scary muddafuddger

    77
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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:06 AM

    I’m not into the commercialism of Halloween, but I appreciate its connection to All Saint’s – it’s its eve, where especially in Mexico one laughs at death, and the next day is a solemn day of remembrance for those that have passed. This connection is often forgotten in the party mayhem – particularly the (possibly hungover) next day.

    As for witches, I don’t much like the way they’ve been made scary. That’s a Christian charicature of the Celtic culture to be conquered (and a lethal one at that). To me, witches are priestesses of ancient Celtic ritual. Even the devil is plausibly like that; a charicature of the Celtic horned one, meant to scare people off to convert them.

    Anyway, don’t take it from me, I only got 5.

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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:25 AM

    @Mick Tobin: I’m not sure Sabrina was ever meant to be scary; total crush on her back in the 90s

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:35 AM

    @Crocodylus Pontifex: There’s been a bit of a revival to be fair, but still the image connected to Halloween is the scary one. I guess a girl dressed up as Sabrina might not even be considered to be in fancy dress at a Halloween party. But there you go, like I said don’t take it from me…

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    Mute Joan Grennan
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    Oct 31st 2022, 11:51 AM

    @Mick Tobin: Witchcraft was a terrifying movement of the middle ages which gained traction and ended up causing 1000s of women to be tortured and killed . There was even a witchfinder general ,a male of course and it’s generally accepted that it was just a form of mysogony . Any woman was a possible target ,uppitty annoying ones no doubt and then poor unfortunates who were suffering illness of every kind and tried to treat themselves and the children with herbs ,potions etc .Then there is the Salem witchtrials ,an actual event which I saw as a young student in a.drama about the event .Halloween is a total nonsense which takes a genuine horror story and has fun with it

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    Mute Benny McHale
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    Oct 30th 2022, 10:22 PM

    2 out of 10 so I’m a toad. Been called worse.

    42
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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:25 AM

    I’d have scored better if I’d known witch answer to pick!

    34
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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:29 AM

    @Joe Kennedy: you couldn’t have just gone with which witch is which?

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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:31 AM

    @Crocodylus Pontifex: I give up…..which one? Witch one is it?

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    Mute Liam Dunne
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    Oct 31st 2022, 8:53 AM

    In all the stuff on witches lately, there’s been no mention of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’. It is a fabulous film, really well done and hilarious. One of my favourites. Jack Nicklaus was brilliant and the ladies were exceptional.

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    Mute Carrie Poettcker
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    Oct 30th 2022, 11:11 PM

    Misleading title! I know about these witches, I just don’t know them personally! :D

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    Mute Seamus Quaide
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:20 PM

    Disappointed that Priti Patel isn’t listed here…

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    Mute Nollaig Kelly
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    Oct 31st 2022, 12:46 AM

    7/10
    I didn’t think it too much

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