Why the opposition should give their support

In the grand scheme of reminding the electorate of your greatness, Bertie Ahern’s brainwave for a referendum on children’s rights is even more inspired than his attempts to have a similar vote on the North. In both cases it’s questionable that change is needed as there is no obvious fault in the text as it stands, but if the opposition want to maximise their own potency in time for the election, they’d be wise to defuse the topic by giving any and all changes their full support.

Let’s face it, while the need for change is questionable, there is no doubt that opposers of children’s rights—and for that matter peace in the North—are a tiny minority. In other words, should either or both of these referenda go ahead, they will be carried through by a landslide of support. Another reality is that Ahern stands to benefit greatly from the votes just in time for an election, painting himself and his party as protectors of children and makers of peace.

If the opposition decide to oppose either proposed referenda—and they’ve already voiced doubt over one—they would simply be playing into Fianna Fail’s hands. By opposing an idea like enshrining children’s rights in the constitution or supporting progress in Northern Ireland, even if it’s based on fair concerns over actual needs, all they are doing is giving Fianna Fail a chance to publicly support it again and again. If they raise their opposition in the Dail, they just give Ahern a reason to talk about his great idea and, perhaps most importantly, they could end up painting themselves as antipeace or even antichild.

What the opposition need to do now is take the wind out of Ahern’s sails. Announce their unending support for the idea and say it’s something that no right-thinking person could disagree with, but they should add one caveat: the opposition should express their wish that this superb referendum is held on the same day as the general election as a means of maximising voter turn out, minimising vote-fatigue and also—and they should press this one—cutting costs.

If they give their support to the idea, they will instantly cut down Fianna Fail’s justification in talking about it anywhere. It will no longer be an issue that needs to be stressed as it will no longer be an issue at all. If Fianna Fail still try to rabbit on about it, the opposition can simply express their confusion at the Government’s pressing of the issue, remind the country of their support and say that they would much rather move onto the more controversial issues that still need to be resolved (and they can pick from a list of their choosing here).

It’s easy to assume that, because a party are in the opposition, they must oppose, but this is idiotic. Supporting the Government at the right time can be a supremely beneficial tactic for a party of opposition, and it can even show opposing leaders in more a statesman-like light (that is to say, they can put their differences aside to work together on what’s best for the country, etc., etc.).

Look, if you will, at David Cameron’s reaction to the Education and Inspections Bill in the UK. The issue was something that the Tories naturally opposed—because it was a Labour idea—when, in reality, it was something that would have suited their agenda perfectly. When Cameron took the leadership, he instantly seized on the backbench revolt in Labour and offered his support to Blair. This was quite a contentious decision in some people’s eyes as they would have preferred to have let Labour suffer the embarrassment of a bill failing due to party infighting, but Cameron saw the potential his move had.

In the end, the bill passed through Parliament but only as a result of Tory support. What this meant in practice was that 1) the Tories were able to unite under their new leader to push through legislation that appealed to their base; 2) Blair could no longer use the issue as a weapon against Cameron and was almost indebted to him, if anything Cameron now had a stick to beat Blair with; 3) the Government gained the image as a lame duck, relying on its opponents to survive while it tore itself apart; and finally, 4) Cameron could accentuate his ideal of leaving ‘punch and judy’ politics behind by seeming to work for the people rather than against the other parties.

The fact that Fianna Fail won’t look like a lame duck by pushing this legislation through makes it all the more important that Fine Gael & Co. support it, otherwise they’ll simply hand all the glory, and plenty of votes, to Bertie.