NO IMMIGRANTS NEED APPLY? IRISH OVERWHELMINGLY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000945

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EUN
SUBJECT: NO IMMIGRANTS NEED APPLY? IRISH OVERWHELMINGLY
PASS CITIZENSHIP REFERENDUM

Reftel: Dublin 00743


1. (SBU) Summary. On June 11th, 2004, the Irish
electorate overwhelmingly approved a referendum that
eliminated the automatic right of Irish citizenship to all
children born on the island of Ireland. While many
referendum opponents claimed the voters were motivated by
xenophobia, a more balanced view attributes the result to
growing Irish anxiety about competition for jobs and
services in a newly expanded European Union. End Summary.

Background
--------------


2. (SBU) Ireland's days as a net exporter of people are
long over. The population of the country has climbed to
3.9 million, and an unemployment rate well below the EU
average has made Ireland an increasingly popular
destination for immigrants, both legal and illegal. Until
now, Ireland was the only country in the European Union to
grant citizenship to every person born within its
sovereign territory, making Ireland an even more
attractive immigrant destination. In January 2003, the
Irish Supreme Court held that non-national parents of
citizen children were not automatically entitled to Irish
citizenship. However, this did little to combat the
growing perception that many foreigners were coming to
Ireland for the purpose of what Justice Minister McDowell
dubbed "citizenship tourism" - exploitation of the social
welfare system.


3. (SBU) As concerns mounted over Ireland remaining the
sole EU nation with such generous citizenship laws, the
government undertook to amend the constitution via the
required referendum process. The referendum campaign was
lukewarm and stirred little public debate. Several days
before the election, newspaper reporting indicated that
only 50% of the public considered itself well informed on
the issue. The phrasing of the referendum question added
to the confusion, as a "yes" vote was actually a vote
against automatic citizenship.

The Referendum
--------------


4. (SBU) The referendum passed by a four to one margin --
79% "yes" to 20% "no." Voter turnout was unusually high
(60%, a 10 % increase from 2002) with many commentators
speculating that the decision to hold the referendum on
the same day as local and European Parliament (EP)
elections ensured voters would make the trip to the
polling station. The result was a surprise to many, as
the liberal Irish press did a poor job gauging the
electorate's mood on the subject. Local and EP voters who
supported Sinn Fein, Labour and the Greens (who all
opposed the referendum) were as likely to vote for the
referendum as those who plumped for the government
parties.


5. (SBU) Now that the automatic right of citizenship has
been removed from the constitution, the Dail will consider
(and likely pass) legislation tightening Ireland's
citizenship laws. Under the proposed legislation, one
parent must be resident in Ireland for three out of four
years for the child to receive Irish citizenship. This
policy will bring Ireland much closer to the citizenship
laws in other EU member states.


6. (SBU) The new laws will not apply to UK nationals.
The government adopted this measure to assuage
nationalists in Northern Ireland who were concerned that
their automatic right to Irish citizenship (guaranteed
under the Good Friday Agreement) would be brought into
question.

Comment
--------------


7. (SBU) The referendum result was anomalous in an
election that saw the governing Fianna Fail and
Progressive Democrat parties take a beating in both local
and European Parliament elections. It would be tempting
to read the referendum as a positive sign for Ahern's
government, but this would be a mistake. The Irish
economy has been sluggish for quite some time (though
recent signs point to a speedy recovery, and the recent EU
enlargement saw many Irish and British media outlets
reporting stories about large numbers of poorer Eastern
Europeans eager take advantage of their right to live and
work throughout the EU. Exit polling suggests that the
electorate was concerned with economic competition from a
growing immigrant population, as well as a perception that
immigrants are abusing the asylum system. In an election
that otherwise saw Fianna Fail suffer huge losses, the
referendum should not be viewed as a victory.