Presidential voting rights by 2025?

With the recent stepping up of debate about a Border Poll and the constitutional future of the north it is interesting (though I suspect coincidental) timing to see the Taoiseach Enda Kenny announce that a referendum will be held on the right of Irish citizens abroad and in the north to vote in future Presidential elections.

The decision was agreed by Cabinet last week and momentous as this may be I suspect that it will come too late for the next poll due in 2018. Cynics among us may suspect that this announcement has been stalled for that very reason.

So Irish citizens in the north should be able to vote for the President in the year 2025. Patience is a virtue indeed.

The logistics of this will be another debate entirely. However it will be interesting to see how unionists react to this and their positioning during such a referendum. Given the role of President is largely symbolic will any unionist leader stick their head above the parapet and state that there is nothing to fear from such a change and that it will be a sign that unionism can be accommodating of people with an Irish identity in the north by not challenging such a move from Dublin?

Answers on a postcard.

Daithi McKay

Daithí McKay is a former MLA that introduced the Assembly’s first carrier bag levy legislation. He was the Chairperson of the Climate Coalition and was involved in both the legislative work and the grassroots campaign to secure the Climate Change Act 2022. Based west of the Bann he is also a member of the Strabane Greenways group.

Twitter : @daithimckay