'Huge support' for referendum on children's rights

[TheBear]

From www.ireland.com:

• The public has shown overwhelming support for the planned referendum to enshrine the rights of children in the Constitution, according to the findings of the Irish TimesTNS Mrbi opinion poll.
  
  Respondents were asked, in the light of the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's announcement of the referendum, if they believed the Constitution should be altered to improve the rights of children.
  
  A 68 per cent majority said yes to the proposal to change the Constitution, 16 per cent said no, and 16 per cent had no opinion.
  
  All age groups, social classes and political parties showed strong support for the motion, but women were marginally more in favour of the plan than men.
  
  The over-65s were less enthusiastic than other age groups about the proposal, while there was strong support came from people in the 18-34 age group. In terms of social class, farmers were less enthusiastic than other categories but were still strongly in support.
  
  Minister for Children Brian Lenihan is consulting the various groups involved in childcare and the other political parties in an effort to get an agreed wording for the proposed constitutional change.

Is that support shared by our posters here? And given this government's tendency to present a motley collection of questions to the electorate when they're called to the polls, might this be an oppotunity to see if the majority in favour of some sort of partnership rights for same-sex couples actually exists?

[daithimac]

what rights are being enshrined?

the right to a cigge at little break
the right to a shift at big break
the right to a naggin of vodka before the teenage disco
the right to throw a hissy fit at any given moment
the right to have it legally recognized that they hate there parents

they gotta be a bit more specific here

[farnaby]

The wording, and the possibility of any practical good coming out of it, may change my mind but until then this seems to me to be legalistic baby-kissing, as inane (and creepy) as Michael Jackson's 'Heal the World'.

[lostexpectation]

lets wait to hear what the EU and UN who forced the gov to move on this thinks of the questions

[hiding behind a poster]

How can we massively support this referendum before we know what it says? Its like saying "people of Ireland massively support fluffy bunny-rabbits".

[Munion]

The most pointless opinion poll of them all.

It's like asking in a poll "Who'd like free stuff?"

But you haven't said what that free stuff is. It could be a free car or it could be a free barrel of toxic waste, you just don't know unlike someone specifies the details.

[RyeSixSeven]

I agree with the earlier responses which question the need for the referendum. What is so wrong with the rights of children today? What are the injustices that are being inflicted by the courts or elsewhere that will be eliminated by increasing their constitutional rights.

I just cant think of any 'issue' that has arisen in the media to provoke this. Most previous referenda have come on the back of controversial court decisions, a voiciferous public campaign, or constitutional obligations such as the abortion rights judgements, the divorce referendum, the need to approve EU agreements, immigration procedures etc. The other one that surprised me by appearing out of nowhere recently was the one on the death penalty of June 2001.

For childrens rights, the only sources I can think of would be some points coming from the Oireachtas constitutional review of the family articles, or the court-case judgment about knowing the age-of-consent. Some hinted at a UN obligation?

If you are asked in a survey if you support improving the rights of children, answering 'No', would be akin to suggesting that they should be sent to Nike Labour Camps to make footballs, so most people will say yes.

Smells of politicking to me. It would create an atmosphere of success for the Govt to have won the support of the electorate before going into an election. Wouldn't it be much more efficient to have the referendum at the same time as the election. Perhaps that is their intent!!

[kerrynorth]

A 68 per cent majority said yes to the proposal to change the Constitution, 16 per cent said no, and 16 per cent had no opinion.

All age groups, social classes and political parties showed strong support for the motion, but women were marginally more in favour of the plan than men.

The over-65s were less enthusiastic than other age groups about the proposal, while there was strong support came from people in the 18-34 age group. In terms of social class, farmers were less enthusiastic than other categories but were still strongly in support.

I agree with the other posters that what quite exactly is polled is really up in the air. Even so, I reckon that this referendum is already in trouble for the following reasons:

the 16% don't knows are in all probability most likely no voters plus a lot of people may have said yes for pure embarrassment reasons rather than saying that were voting no to children's rights, just look at the attitude on this site, it is a lot different to the poll findings;
the turnout for this referendum could be very very low like the bail referendum unless it is combined with the election in which case it is always the no voters that are more motivated to turn out;
differential turnout, look at the poll demographics, its no vote nirvana, the over 65's and farmers are more likely to vote no - the elderly and rural based always have high differntial turnout whereas the young, who do not turnout to vote, are the strongest yes supporters.

Even before we actually know what we are going to be voting on this is a much closer referendum than it is been given credit for! Watch this space.

[Gladstone]

"Do you want to enshrine the rights of children in the constitution"?

A) Yes, I love kids
B) No, I hate kids...and lambs...and baby seals.

[daithimac]

I'm thinking two things with regards too this
1) it could be a stealth abortion referundum
2) its designed to bring out the youth vote which could be won by fianna fail alot quicker than fine gael

I think it will need to define what a child is. I know how stupid that sounds but will any enshrined rights apply to children from there birth or from conception