Proposals to reword Ireland’s 1937 constitution to get rid of outdated language about the role of women and the nature of the family have been comprehensively rejected in a double referendum.
All the major political parties had supported a “yes, yes” vote, and the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, had warned that any other result would be a setback for the country. But when the results came in on Saturday they were a resounding “no, no”. So what went wrong, and what happens now?
What were Ireland’s referendums about?
There were two simultaneous referendums, each designed to change parts of a constitution that was written in 1937 under Catholic church influence. Article 41 refers to the role of women in the home and defines the family as a unit based on marriage.
The government said the language was old-fashioned and did not recognise unmarried couples so it asked voters to endorse two changes. The family amendment would have widened the definition of family to include “durable relationships” and the care amendment would have replaced the reference to women in the home with a new provision recognising the role of carers.
What was the result?
A resounding no: 67% rejected the family amendment, versus 32% who voted yes, and 74% rejected the care amendment, versus 24% who voted yes. Turnout was 44%. It was a stunning defeat not just for the government but the entire political establishment. Sinn Féin and the other main opposition parties had supported “yes, yes” as did many institutions and advocacy groups.
Have conservative values reconquered Ireland?
No. The liberal tide that swept in the 2015 same-sex referendum and 2018 abortion referendum endures. Surveys showed widespread support for tweaking the constitution. But the yes side botched the campaign, leaving voters confused, uncertain and uninspired. The amendments were difficult to explain and understand. Some liberal lawyers and scholars warned that courts would have to decide what constituted “durable relationships”, creating potential unintended consequences for taxation, citizenship and other issues.
Some feminist groups said the amendments did not go far enough and ducked state responsibility for care, leaving the main burden still on women. The result was widespread doubt and a sense of needlessly rushing complex changes. “If in doubt, do nowt,” said a no voter in Dún Laoghaire.
What will be the fallout?
It’s a humiliating blow to the ruling coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens, which orchestrated the fiasco. The parties look incompetent and there are calls for ministerial resignations. “When you lose by this kind of margin, there are a lot of people who got this wrong and I am certainly one of them,” said Varadkar, though his own position seems safe. The government will try to draw a line under the mess and swiftly move on. It will take solace from the fact opposition parties also appear out of touch. There is plenty of blame to go round.
Will there be another attempt?
Not this side of an election, which must be held within a year. “The next government will have to come back to this and consider the campaign and what were the arguments that merited a no vote in both cases,” said Eamon Ryan, the Green party leader.
