There is “lingering anger” in farming communities over the levels of anxiety that were generated by the referendum on family which contained “indefinite language on durable relationships,” according to a TD.
The Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, said today (Wednesday, March 13) that prior to the referendum last Friday (March 8) farming organisations had highlighted the “real fear and alarm” that the phrase durable relationships had generated in farming communities.
According to Deputy Nolan this sparked alarm because of the potential impact the phrase could have had on “succession, inheritance and marriage law”.
“We now know that this prudent caution has been completely vindicated following the publication of the Attorney General’s advice and indeed the vote itself.
“Farmers, like everyone else, needed clarity and firm legal guarantees when it came to major issues of this nature.
“What they got instead was a flood of warm, woke words with no legal or constitutional reality to back them up,” Deputy Nolan said.
She believes that the government has “alienated” rural Ireland with the referendum.
“My feeling from talking to farmers and rural people is that they will be slow to forgive or forget the anxiety and the worry that government put them through for absolutely no other reason than to use the constitution in an attempt to bolster its own plummeting popularity,” the deputy added.
Referendum
The referendum on the family was defeated, according to the results nearly 67.7% of people who took part voted no while 32.3% voted yes.
There was a 44.36% turnout to vote.
Meanwhile the referendum on care was also defeated with results showing that 73.93% returned a no vote.
A total of 1,525,221 people voted in the referendum.
Commenting on the results the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, acknowledged that the result of the referendums on family and care was “clear”.
“The majority were not persuaded by the arguments for changing the Constitution in this way.
“It is a core strength of our Constitution that the people have the final say. We fully respect their decision,” the Tánaiste stated,