June 7; 2001: the proposal to remove the death penalty...

June 7; 2001: the proposal to remove the death penalty from the Constitution obtained only 62.08 per cent of the vote. Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Correspondent, examines the likely reasons for the significant minority vote against removing the death penalty from the Constitution and said that during the run-up to the referendums, not a single voice was raised in favour of retaining the death penalty, even for times of war or national emergency. In May, one opinion poll found only 28 per cent against removing it from the Constitution. Between then and the vote, there was no campaign whatsoever against removal. Yet the No camp rose to 37.92 per cent. Those campaigning against the Nice Treaty and the International Criminal Court on the basis that they eroded our national sovereignty made it clear they did not support the death penalty. Even the Christian Solidarity Party, which expressed misgivings about the wording of the amendment, was quick to establish its opposition to the death penalty. The original 28 per cent figure undoubtedly reflected a mixture of feelings on the issue - a desire for retribution for particularly shocking crimes on the part of some sections of the electorate, or a sense that it could have a deterrent effect on those contemplating such crimes. The additional votes were due to a number of factors. There was no campaign by the Government or the main political parties in favour of, or even explaining, the need for this referendum. The Department of Justice had one press conference, as did the Labour Party, and that was it. There was not a single poster urging people to vote for removal of the death penalty. It was unclear whether "No" meant "no" to the death penalty or "no" to removing it from the Constitution. But the main reason for such a high vote against this Government proposal was precisely that it was a Government proposal.