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THE Constitutional Convention holds its first full meeting this weekend, following a ceremonial opening session in Dublin Castle last month.
The 100-member convention will gather at the Grand Hotel in Malahide to discuss whether to lower the voting age to 17, and also whether to shorten the Presidential term of office to five years.
The convention, which contains 66 members of the ordinary public as well as 33 nominees of political parties from both sides of the border, will hear presentations from the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Irish Association of Social Care Workers on lowering the voting age.
DCU professor Robert Elgie will later address the group, and take a question and answer session, on the proposition to reduce the Presidential term.
Members will be asked whether they support reducing the term to five years, with elections held at the same time as the local and European elections.
After each round of presentations, members will break into small groups for round-table discussions before reconvening to compare their findings.
Tomorrow, members will meet again to summarise the arguments heard today, with more round-table discussions, followed by a final vote on any matters that remain outstanding.
The recommendations made by the group will then be returned to the Oireachtas, with the government left to make a final decision on whether to hold referendums to give effect to the recommendations.
Members will also elect a steering group which will work alongside chairman Tom Arnold to oversee the formulation of rules and procedures for future meetings, and to outline the convention’s agenda for future weekends.
Other matters to be discussed by the convention in future hearings include reviewing the system to elect TDs, allowing citizens living abroad the right to vote in Presidential elections, and amending the constitution to allow for same-sex marriage.
Hearings will also discuss removing the reference to the role of women in the home, and other ways to increase the participation of women in politics, and removing the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution.
The Convention will also be entitled to make any other recommendations as it sees appropriate, as long as it deals with the other matters before the first week in December, its deadline to make its final recommendations.
The convention’s activities can be watched online from 10am at its website.
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Stop throwing women’s sport down our throats. If we wanted to watch , we would. The reason why people don’t watch women’s sport in general compared to men’s is because men’s sport simply
Is better to watch and at a higher level. We all know women aren’t as fast, strong, skillful or aggressive as men. It’s the difference between watching the Ireland u14s and senior team. Different league and entertainment and let’s not cod ourselves thinking otherwise .
@Ciaran:
Ciarán keep your g string on. If you don’t want to watch it switch channels you sad little man.
@Ciaran: Men’s rugby is turning into a defence dominated dirge-fest. But in general your comment is sexist, ignorant and misogynistic.
@Ciaran: but what about foxy boxing?
@Ciaran: here’s how it goes Ciaran women pay the TV licence, women watch women’s sport, it’s called equality so Ciúnas please … oh and I’d report the person who forced you to watch to yhe Garda if I were you !!
@Ciaran: Relax lad no one is forcing you to do anything. If women’s sport upsets you that much why did you read the article?
@Me Me: classic modern society, I don’t like what someone else has said so I’ll call names .. what I said is factual , women are weaker, slower and less agile than men in general in our species and in most animals. Here, let me find a junior cert biology book so you can better understand, princess … “me me” seems a little bit self entitled …
@king kong: I didn’t read article .. nobody reads the articles here Einstein … people come here for the comments .. duh
@Sinead Cosgrave: women don’t watch women’s sport. Ask a woman on the street to name 4/5 female rugby players … see how many she gets.. then ask to make 4/5 male rugby players… and you wonder why women get less money in sport ? Rookies
@mark madigan: I don’t wear g strings .. sorry to ruin your fantasy fruitcake ..and I would bet easily that I’m bigger than you haha
@Ciaran: womens gaa was a lot more entertaining than the shite the men served up last year
@Ciaran: calm down there a lil bit C, its a report on a women’s international game, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t obligatory to read for you to read, or indeed vent your spleen on it.
Any of us that were lucky enough to have daughters who played sports cheered them on and supported them as much as we did with our sons.
It’s obvious you have a certain distain towards women’s sports, simple solution for ya, if it obviously antagonises you so much, don’t watch it, don’t read about it and above all dont……………… (fill in as appropriate.)
@mark madigan: Watching women’s Ruby is terrible . Simple
@Ciaran:
@Ciaran: I didn’t call anybody name. I said your COMMENT was sexist and misogynistic. Why? For saying that women are not as skillful or aggressive as men. And your comments are incorrect about most animals too. I would suggest you read beyond a JC text book. Try the biologist Lucy Cooke.
@Me Me: women aren’t as skill full or aggressive as men.. it’s a fact.. let’s have the Irish men v Irish women’s rugby and see what happens.. USA American womens soccer team lost to Dallas FC under 15 boys.. Serena Williams said she wouldn’t even be ranked in top 100 of men’s players… and she is the greatest women’s player of all time.
@Ciaran: I do
@Ciaran: Put a heavyweight boxer against a flyweight. Does that mean the heavyweight is more skullful?? More aggressive? No, just more powerful.
@Me Me: why do women not play with / against men in most sports ? Because it’s an unfair competition and they can’t compete directly , and that’s ok. We all know it even if you dont.. stop living in denial princess
Steady improvement over the past 2 six Nations. Really gutsy competitive performance compared to the previous beatings against this excellent French side .
Cracking game, highly entertaining, let’s stop slagging the ladies! Will be cheering you on in cork!
Look, there’s some improvements it must be said but the team still aren’t the complete package. Granted, France are probably the third best team in the world at women’s rugby, but there were so many errors from Ireland inside the French 22. Accuracy from them kicking tee was the difference between the two teams. The French fly-half was 5/5 while the Irish fly-half O’Brien was 0/4 and left 9 points out on the field. I am optimistic though because the team is in a much better place than 2 years ago when they finished bottom of the Six Nations and got beaten by France 53-3 and the victory against the All Blacks in the Autumn Internationals last year.
The place kicking was embarrassingly bad, and ultimately very costly.
@Brian I: totally agree, decision making wasn’t great either.
pathetic performance, lets stop with the codding
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: yea, admittedly I didn’t see it,but a 27-15 scoreline kind of contradicts the headline.
@Deano74: they got the final try close to the end of the game, it was close up to the 70th minute
Ireland really good except for their kicking. That was the difference between the teams. You won’t win if you can’t kick any of your points and have to keep kicking to the corner cause you can’t convert penalties. The French kicker was able to convert everything so it can’t be the conditions.
Ireland go close ? What game were you watching?
@David craddock: did u watch it ?
Hardly close, 2 scores.
27-15 isn’t really close. Just another comprehensive defeat.
@John Moore: If Ireland could convert pointsot would have been level. Not comprehensive at all
Holy Gods! All that bashing, tumbling and ggggnasshing and trashing As a man, I wouldn’t even do that…but I’m a coward and a weakling. A shrinking violet, I tell you!
nobody cares
I wouldn’t like to come up against some of the women out there. Ok, maybe. Ok yes ; I wouldn’t say no to being fought over in the ruck … ahem … Very entertaining game !
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