To rally Irish voters here and ask is anyone voting No tomorrow?

[LayMeDown]

I know there's lots of Irish on MN. I don't know anyone in RL voting No. But polls indicates it's tightening a lot. I'm getting scared it won't pass and my lovely brother and his partner will be left out in the cold again. What are you all hearing in your circles?

FYI for any non Irish there is a referendum tomorrow on introducing same sex marriage in Ireland.

And if you don't understand the changes Maldreco you've obviously never been involved in situations where the rights of inadequate dysfunctional parents trumped the rights of vulnerable insecure children.

The thirty first amendment did nothing to change the rights of vulnerable children vis a vis their parents rights.

Yes it did. The rights of children are now paramount in cases concerning adoption, fostering etc. That didn't exist before.

I find it ironic that certain sections of society who campaigned against the Children's Rights referendum campaigned for a no vote in this referendum on the basis of protecting childrens rights.

Basically, our constitution did not previously express a statement of the rights of children. Do you really think this was not as important as the rights relating to the current referendum?

Yes parttime but it doesn't explain the people who didn't travel to vote in that equally important referendum.

Although am I right in thinking it (Childrens referendum) was the first referendum to be held on a Saturday? Which should have made voting a bit easier for people travelling.

I agree. I have every respect for people who take a real interest in constitutional changes and do their best to vote in all referendums.

Young people who couldn't be arsed to vote on children's rights or other important issues, but make a big heroic 'look at me' effort to travel home for a controversial referendum are just drama llamas.

I don't disagree with you on the importance of the Children's Referendum chalet but it's human nature for people to feel stronger about things that effect them and theirs directly. If you are living abroad it is likely you won't even have heard there was a Childrens referendum never mind the issues surrounding it. I was living in the country and I don't remember it being hugely discussed bar a couple of weeks before.

Which basically proves the point that a lot of people voting in this referendum are not actually concerned citizens with a overall view of the society they wish to create. Just knee jerk youngsters who vote as and when they wish, without any real sense of responsibility vis a vis their right to vote.

notplayers I think everyone just assumed the children's referendum would pass v easily and so apathy set in, unfortunately.

I don't think it's really that simple. It's quite obvious that the marriage referendum has huge support, so there isn't really any need for all these young people to travel from abroad to vote.
But it's a populist and 'right on' cause, so they're prepared to make the effort. They weren't so concerned to make the effort to ensure that the children's referendum passed by a large majority. It really is just optics and 'look at me' with a lot of those 'heroes' who arrived off planes and ferries this morning.

I think your assessment of people voting notplayers can apply to a lot of people not just youngsters. Such is democracy. A victim of human nature.

I imagine a lot of young people registered and came home to vote because the Yes vote campaign aimed for this, and pushed people to register, concentrating on the younger vote, and it worked. The campaigners in the Children's ref didn't do this.

True, laymedown, but I think it's been a lot more prevalent and faux heroic in this referendum.

Gosh you have a dim view of the youth vote. Hopefully if they've got inspired / engaged enough with this issue their interest in the democratic process will continue and flourish.

It certainly wasn't obvious in the last week that the referendum had huge support. The turn out is a good sign but I was genuinely worried since the opinion polls at the weekend. As were plenty of others earlier on in this thread. I think it's safe to assume a lot of those travelling were similarly concerned.

But Moln if they were genuinely the concerned and pro active citizens they claim to be they would not need to be pushed and PRd into behaving like members of a democracy who should exercise their vote.

But it was the same last time LaymeDown. There was no guarantee the referendum would result in a yes result. Yet a lot of these people didn't bother to vote.

Parttime I and others have explained why we're cynical about this surge of young people travelling to vote when they've never done so before. That's not taking a 'dim view', it's commenting on the reality.

Yes it did. The rights of children are now paramount in cases concerning adoption, fostering etc. That didn't exist before.

Thats not what the amendment did. Did you read it? And in fact it was paramount to all of us working in that area, who didn't need to constitution re-worded to tell us what we already knew.

If you want to start a thread complaining about turn out in that referendum, please do so. Or about your low and unfair opinion on Irish youth. Stop whining here when we are celebrating a fabulous turn out and hopefully a historic vote that some of us have worked very hard towards. Clearly you aren't one of them.

It's one thing 'knowing' it Madrelco. It's another thing having it enshrined in the constitution.

The reasons for people voting in this referendum are totally relevant to this thread so maybe you should stop 'whining' about that.

If that were the case notplayers there'd be no need for a campaigns by either side. It's hardly a secret that a generally younger people don't go to lengths to vote (because they leave it too late to register, because they have moved away etc), but this Yes campaign kept reminding them of the importance of their vote, and why it matters.

But I get the feeling you dislike the young voter so whatever we say here will make little difference

No Moln I don't 'dislike the young voter'. My own children are young voters. I dislike the fact that much is being made in the media of young voters who travelled home for this referendum, despite most of them showing no interest in previous equally important referendums. Yes and No campaigns always remind everyone of the importance of their vote so I'm not sure what your point is in that regard.

GeorgeYeatsAutomaticWriter - thank you for link. It really is helpful. I have looked at it and will spend a bit more time on it as I think it is important.

Moln I made the distinction between the sacrement of marriage in the church and civil marriage which is a legally binding agreement. And marriage is a sacrement to those who believe and does involve God. Civil marriage is obviously not - and this is what is being voted on. I made the distinction.

For the record I am neither irish nor Catholic - but interested.

My 26 yr old nephew travelled home to vote in this referendum. He lived in Ireland until last year and was eligible to vote in several referendums and elections but never bothered to register and walk down the road to vote.
He is just enjoying the drama of it all, as are many of his friends.