Comparing the Irish abortion vote with the Brexit poll is disingenuous | Brigid Fallan

They were both referendums, but the similarity ends there. The people of Ireland were part of a democratic process that didn’t exist with BrexitThe UK’s referendum on EU membership two years ago and Ireland’s referendum on abortion last Friday were truly momentous events. On the face of it, they were similar democratic exercises designed to ask the people for their preferences on a political issue of national or constitutional importance. The widespread welcome for the result in Ireland though has led some to attack those who criticised the blunt, populist instrument of a referendum when it came to deciding Brexit, who might now be celebrating the outcome of Ireland’s exercise in direct democracy.This is a completely disingenuous argument. The contrast between the process and conduct of the two polls could not have been starker. Ireland’s written constitution is owned by the people and may only be altered following a people’s vote. The subject of Ireland’s referendum was an amendment inserted into the Irish constitution in 1983 – by referendum. But this clause (the eighth amendment) on the equality of right to life of “the unborn” with its mother was shrouded in legal uncertainty and ambiguity from the outset, and its consequences were profound for medical practice and for many Irish women. Successive Irish governments shied away from tackling these consequences. Continue reading…
Via: Comparing the Irish abortion vote with the Brexit poll is disingenuous | Brigid Fallan