Watch: Should Irish diaspora be allowed vote in presidential elections?
Later this year, Ireland will go to the polls to elect the next president.
Under the current Constitution, only citizens residing in the State have the right to vote in presidential elections.
Last night, Sinn Féin tabled a motion seeking to extend the mandate to allow Irish citizens both in Northern Ireland and overseas the right to vote for the head of State.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said the fact Irish citizens living in the north and abroad could not vote in the upcoming election was a "matter of some injustice" and a "violation of democracy".
She said that the upcoming election, which is likely to be held in November, should be the last that excludes citizens from the north and abroad.
Here, we asked people in Dublin if they believed that Irish diaspora should be entitled to vote for the president.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Labour leader Ivana Bacik holds up JD Vance meme in the Dail amid visa concerns
Labour leader Ivana Bacik held up a copy of the JD Vance "baby meme" in the Dáil chamber to raise concerns about new US visa social media checks for students. The US Embassy in Dublin confirmed on Monday that Irish students applying for certain US visas will be instructed to set their social media profiles to public as part of a new "comprehensive and thorough" vetting process. Following a pause, it confirmed that it will shortly resume taking applications for J, F and M visas, all used by students travelling to the US to study and work. Applicants must provide all usernames they have used in the last five years on their application forms, amid a warning that "omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas". Earlier this week, a 21-year-old Norwegian tourist claimed he was denied entry to the United States and harassed by ICE agents after they discovered a meme about US Vice President JD Vance on his phone. Holding up a picture of the meme in the Dáil Chamber, Ms Bacik raised concerns about the new US immigration policies with Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan. She said that thousands of Irish people work in the US on J1 visas and it is "generally" a very positive experience. She said: "But things have changed drastically under US President Trump with the recent authoritarian announcement that students will have to hand over social media accounts. "We're watching a major incursion on freedom of expression, unthinkable in a Western democracy. "This week, a young Norwegian tourist detained by ICE at New York airport and sent back to Oslo. Why? "He had this meme on his phone, minister. A meme depicting Vice President JD Vance as a baby. "I mean, extraordinary that a young person with this amusing meme on their phone depicting a public person, that this would be used as an excuse to detain him for five hours and then deport him back to Oslo." Minister O'Callaghan stated there was "very little he can do about the US immigration system". He added: "I'm trying to put rules in the Irish immigration system, I can't control the US immigration system. I think it is regrettable that these new measures are being introduced by the United States." Taoiseach Micheál Martin branded the social media checks "excessive", with Tánaiste Simon Harris vowing he would raise the issue with the US Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh. Norwegian Mads Mikkelsen arrived at New Jersey's Newark Airport on June 11 when he was pulled aside by border control and placed in a cell, he told Norwegian outlet Nordlys. Mads was travelling to the States to visit friends, first in New York and then in Austin, Texas, but suffered "harassment and abuse of power" at the hands of US immigration authorities. After handing over his phone password, he was told he would not be allowed to go through with his planned vacation after two images were not to the officers' liking. One image was of a meme showcasing JD Vance with a bald, egg-shaped head. Variations of the image were shared endlessly in March on social media, with the Vice President himself posting his own version. The Norwegian further claimed he was strip-searched, placed in a cell for another five hours, refused food or water and placed on a plane back to Oslo the same day he arrived for the holiday of a lifetime.
Irish Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Simon Harris confirms delay to yet another Government plan
The Government announced yet another delay to plans as Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed that health warning labels being put on alcohol bottles will be delayed. Housing Minister James Browne, meanwhile, insisted that the decision to delay the new housing plan was "common sense". In May 2023, then-health minister Stephen Donnelly signed the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023. It was envisaged that the law would ensure that the labels of alcohol products would state the calorie content and grams of alcohol in the product. They would warn about the risk of consuming alcohol when pregnant and about the risk of liver disease and fatal cancers from alcohol consumption. A three-year lead-in time was built into the legislation to allow businesses to prepare and it was expected to come into force from May 2026. However, the Tánaiste has now confirmed that it will be delayed as he expressed concerns about making the changes at a time of uncertainty due to impending US tariffs. Mr Harris said: "I'm extremely proud that we brought in legislation that has helped, I think, create a healthier relationship with alcohol in Ireland and help protect children and young people in relation to alcohol. "Of course, so many parts of that legislation have already been commenced and enacted. Indeed, if you walk into any local supermarket, any local convenience store, you'll see the structural separation, the restrictions in terms of where advertising can be in terms of proximity to schools, to playgrounds, on public transport. "A lot of good changes have been made. Of course, minimum unit pricing, which wasn't easy, came in as well. "It is true that there's a decision to be made now in terms of when to proceed with the issue of labelling. "It is my view that we will need to delay that. I think we need to do that for a variety of reasons, most particularly the situation in relation to trade and tariffs. "We have to protect jobs, we have to protect investment and we have to support Irish businesses and Irish industry at a really key moment of economic turbulence. "The government as a whole will make a decision on this in the coming weeks, but this is about providing a breather or a delay, as opposed to changing the legislation, which is clear in relation to labelling." When asked if it would be brought in in the next five years, Mr Harris said the delay will not be that long. The Tánaiste, who is also the Trade Minister, said that Wednesday marked 13 days until the end of US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause. This, he said, meant there was very little time for the EU to negotiate a deal with the US. He added: "We need to find a deal that works. "I think there's an air of pragmatism beginning to come back into the discussion and I now intend to convene the Government's trade forum early next week to tease through issues with key stakeholders and key Government departments." Meanwhile, Housing Minister James Browne confirmed that the housing plan will be delayed. He said: "It's just common sense in terms of we won't be able to finalise and publish the housing plan until the National Development Plan is completed."
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
'Step-change needed' to end violence against women
Achieving zero-tolerance of violence against women requires a "step-change from Government", Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said. Speaking during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil, Ms McDonald said the Women's Aid report "makes for grim reading". She said that all the statistics around domestic violence are going in the wrong direction. Ms McDonald told the Dáil that 44% of victims found gardaí unhelpful. "Support services remain underfunded and overstretched ... and Government is also failing to meet its obligations in respect of refuge spaces," she said. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said he will bring forward an amendment to ensure that counselling notes can only be used in a trial, if there is a risk that not using them would lead to an unfair trial. He said it should not be the first instinct to find another place to live for a woman who is subject to domestic abuse. "The response should be, how can be get the abuser out of the home?" The minister insisted that every member of the Dáil is taking this issue seriously and he commended the work done in this area by his predecessor Helen McEntee. He expressed concern that a percentage of women were not satisfied with their initial engagement with gardaí but he said a majority were satisfied. "I'm sure it can be improved, but the gardaí do an excellent job," he said. 'Epidemic of violence against women' - Labour Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the report from Women's Aid has revealed there is "an epidemic of violence against women" in Ireland. She said it was concerning that so many of those questioned, who had contacted gardaí about domestic abuse, found them to be unhelpful. She said that while Ireland has a suite of laws against gender-based violence, they are ineffective if the first line of defence - gardaí - are not implementing the law. She told the Dáil: "This isn't zero tolerance but reflects a dismissive attitude." She added: "Gardaí clearly require more training" to ensure consistency in their response. In reply, the minister said that a majority of those questioned in the Women's Aid report had registered a "positive experience." He said that ensuring a consistency in garda reponse was important, and would be developed. The minister told the Dáil that a priority needed to be placed on warning boys and young men against using violence against women and girls. He said, in addition, the dangers of porn also needed to be highlighted to men and boys, particularly given the fact that it always portrays women in a "submissive and malleable manner." 'Online influencers poisoning young men' - Social Democrats Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has said the findings in the Women's Aid report were "deeply disturbing" but "not surprising". He said online influencers were poisoning young men with misogyny and the State was doing almost nothing to stop it. The Dublin Central TD said online algorithms were supercharging violence against women and he called on the Government to act and regulate systems. Minister O'Callaghan said in response that there is a big responsibility on social media companies to not allow platforms to become platforms of misogyny or violence against women. He said the issue could not be resolved domestically and the Digital Services Act was there to regulate companies at an EU level. But he added that there was a divergence between the US and the EU on the extent of regulation required. And he said the Government was clear that regulation was needed to stop the spread of the problem.
