Why does the Government not want Muslims and Dubs voting on Reform Treaty.

For us here at Irishelection.com one of the big issues of last year was the fact that the election was going to be held on a Thursday and not on a Saturday or at least a Friday to aid the most people to go to the booths. We got 1381 signatures to stop the “temporal gerrymandering”. The government had various arguments as to why they had to put it on a Thursday arguing that it was the best day for the poll. Because

BA: I probably have. It’s of no importance whatsoever. My point about the Friday was that with the cleaning of he register, now people are meant to be registered where they are living. That includes students as well. If they are living in Dublin, they should be registered in Dublin. There are tens of people every Friday, working a four and a half day week, who are gone on Friday at lunchtime and do you think they are going to stop for an election? The fact was that in 2002, they didn’t, they were gone. That’s even more so five years on.

So the argument was that people in Dublin would not be around on Friday’s to cast their votes. So if Bertie believes this is true, why is he going to make it hard for these same people to vote for the EU treaty by holding it on a Friday according to the Business Post.

One of the other arguements made was that weekend voting interfered with Religious devotion. Back in April Dick Roche made this point in the Dail during a debate on the issue.

On the religious dimension to the issue, if weekend voting were to become part of the national arrangements, it might be necessary to ensure that voting could take place over both Saturday and Sunday to accommodate religious observance by members of both the Christian and Jewish communities. Friday may also need to be considered because the most rapidly growing religious group in the country observes its Sabbath on Friday. There are practical issues involved.

So now these “practical issue” no longer exist. That now Fridays are ok? So why does is look like that the government want Dubs and Muslims not to vote? Because the only other explanation that they chose the date of the last election for political reasons is of course not true isn’t. That the want to restrict students and commuters voting in the general but want them voting now as they are the most likly to be pro-Europe. If they really believed themselves in April they would be holding this referendum on a Thursday simple as.