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IT HAS TAKEN longer than expected to organise but the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention has been confirmed for the start of December.
Chair of the Convention Tom Arnold today met with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to discuss the initial meeting of the body tasked with examining how to reform and modernise the 1937 Constitution. The first official meeting will take place on Saturday 1 December in Dublin Castle.
The Convention had been due to begin meeting in October but was delayed as the search for a suitable chairperson took longer than had been expected.
The 100-strong Convention will be made up of 66 members of the public who were chosen by a polling company as a representative sample of the Irish public, along with 33 politicians from political parties on both sides of the border, and the chairperson. The group will meet on eight weekends over the next year.
The Convention will initially be looking at whether the current presidential term of seven years should be reduced, and whether the voting age should be lowered from 18.
Further issues that will be examined by the Convention include same sex marriage and the electoral system.
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Should the presidential term be changed from the current 7 years and dropping the voting age?
Burning issues indeed……
‘It has taken longer than expected’ sums up this perfectly. The whole thing seems like a dumping ground where politicians can ignore stuff because its a Constitutional Convention matter.
Once its ratified by the Troika the job’ll be Oxo.
Is this not what the Senators are there for?
I actually thought that was what the President was there for. To PRESIDE; over the constitution. Which the current incumbent is qualified to do.
Rather than meet ‘n’ greet with a glass of pomp in one hand and a pageantry sandwich in the other. I could master that bit meself. For the average industrial.
They’ll meet, nominate a Chairman/woman and vote to meet again in 12 months! What a Farce, just pulling more wool over the Sheeple’s eyes!
What a waste of time, money & effort ! Who is paying for this. Yes the taxpayers.
Ah! The old Bertieism of setting up a bullshitty committee and kicking any nasty issue that surfaces over to it where it will remain in stasis until the sun goes supernova. We’ll probably get a report of some kind about the year 2030 by which point the original issues will be forgotten about.
Thanks Christine, clearly time to get away from the monitor.
Heh, I know that feeling…
The brief excludes reviewing the role of the Seanad …which pretty much rules out half the constitution from their remit.
Ooops, see it now!
We can make every change we like to the constitution; as long as the political system remains condusive to political lethargy and stagnation, any major constitutional reform will follow the 8th Amendment in falling into a political limbo with no obligation to legislate.
http://www.perspectivesbyjack.com/
Will it produce a new constitution to vote on or a series of referenda to be voted on the same day? This will be one of the most important questions.
It’s not clear what day in December?
It says it in the second paragraph:) “The first official meeting will take place on Saturday 1 December in Dublin Castle.”
Overa nice crate of Chateaux de Peasants Villapitupp.
have your say