‘’The Irish constitution protects fundamental rights of the citizens of Ireland and has served the country well’’
I agree with the statement that ‘The Irish constitution protects fundamental rights of the citizens of Ireland and has served the country well’. There are many reasons why I agree with the above statement including certain important fundamental rights, the ‘common good’ rule, allowing the citizens to vote in referendums and limiting certain rights. I feel that these aspects of the constitution have served the country well and I will prove this in the following essay. The constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht Na hEireann) is one of the oldest constitutions in Europe. It was adopted by a referendum on the first of July 1937 and later came into effect on the 29th December 1937. The constitution set ground rules as to how political power can be or should be exercised as to what governments can or cannot do. It also sets the rights of the citizens of a country. These are known as fundamental rights.
The constitution of Ireland understands and acknowledges that people living in Ireland have certain rights. Fundamental rights are natural human rights that are approved and protected by the Constitution. These rights held under the constitution ensure that all individuals living in Ireland are equal under the law and all share the same rights. Some of the main fundamental rights that are protected by the Constitution include;
Equality before the law ensures that all citizens are treated equally before the law. An individual’s human attributes or their ethnic, racial, social or religious background cannot lead to the inferior or superior treatment of the individual from the law. This fundamental right has served the country well ...
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...I agree with the statement that ‘The Irish constitution protects fundamental rights of the citizens of Ireland and has served the country well’ for the reasons that it gives the Irish citizens freedom, the constitution does what is best for the greater majority of the population, it allows the citizens of Ireland to have their say in changes of Ireland by voting once they are 18 and because it limits the rights of the citizens of Ireland to benefit the greater good of the population.
References:
1. http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/irish_constitution_1/constitution_fundamental_rights.html
2. http://www.supremecourt.ie/supremecourt/sclibrary3.nsf/pagecurrent/D5F78352A387D74480257315005A419E?opendocument&l=en
3. http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/The_Constitution/Constitution_of_Ireland_-_Bunreacht_na_h%C3%89ireann.html
“Ireland must be governed in the English interest” as Document 1 states. The Irish and English relationship is one of ethnic superiority over the other and geographical divide. The English feel like it is their duty to make the Irish people like themselves and they believe that their religion is the crux of what makes them inferior and the Irish just want to be left alone. The geographical divide between the nations is the mainly protestant, Ulster, and the Catholic rest of the island as Document 9 suggests. This has caused many disputes because of the fact that Irish Nationalists want the whole island unified.
After the American Revolution, America had earned it’s freedom from Britain. In order to govern this new country the Articles of Confederation was created. This document was flawed by the colonists fear of putting too much power into a central government. Knowing the document needed to be fixed a constitutional convention was called. The document created at this convention has been our constitution ever since. But even the Constitution was meet with criticism. One major concern when writing the constitution was how to protect the citizens rights. The Constitution did this through the preamble, the legislative process, the limit of presidential terms, the judicial branch, and the bill of rights.
There could be arguments supporting it and arguments going against it. As a result, the citizens of the UK saw a codified constitution as a necessity at that moment. However, there are many advantages of an uncodified constitution. The biggest advantage is the idea of flexibility. As societies are changing, and societal norms take new forms, it is very important for the constitution of countries to adapt to that quickly, as a country’s constitution should be in the best interest for its citizens.
The Constitution lays out the rights and obligations of the newly formed United States government. But, what of the rights and obligations of its citizens? Starting in 1791 only two years after the Constitution was ratified the Constitution began to evolve and this process continues to this day. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights outlines the protections which citizens have from the government of the United States. The question raised in the title of this paper is; Are the Bill of Rights, written well over 200 years ago still relevant today? Of course they are and probably even more so. To illustrate this fact we will examine each of the ten amendments rewrite each one using common everyday language of today and if possible discuss why this was important in 1791 and why we may or may not need this document in writing today. In restating each amendment I will try to write it as if it is a brand new document, which is a stretch to say the least. With out the struggle of the colonies through war and abuse by the English Monarchy would one have the foresight to see how a government may take for granted the rights of its citizenry?
Constitution is a necessary feature as it defines how power is disseminated within the government and establishes the rights of the citizens and the laws and rules for the country. In order to be successful, a country’s should reflect and satisfy every citizen’s needs and interests.
After the Act of union had been passed, Daniel O’Connell worked effectively in addressing Irish grievances; his actions were significant in contributing to the changing nature of the Irish question. Even though O’Connell tried to address the same issues as the society of united Irishmen, he abandoned the use of violence and instead took a constitutional approach such as the use of monster meetings and working alongside parliament in order to gain catholic emancipation and repeal of the union. O’Connell’s zeal for reform influenced parliament in passing the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Even though in the short term the Act had been insignificant in Ireland as the British government purposely reduced the Irish electorate by increasing qualifications from 40 shillings to £10 in an attempt to retain Protestant dominance, it was the prime cause for the d...
In the years after the American Revolution, the colonies were faced with a second task: building a new government to establish liberty for future generations. Not everyone agreed on the best way to do that. A Constitutional Convention was called to reform the government, and the leaders gathered there formed the document we know as the US Constitution. Patrick Henry was very worried by the new powers granted in the Constitution. He feared that a paper document would not be able to preserve liberty from potential tyrants. He was especially insistent on the inclusion of a bill of rights. “The rights of conscience, trial by jury, liberty of the press, all your immunities and franchises, all pretensions to human rights and privileges, are rendered insecure, if not lost, by this change… is this same relinquishment of rights worthy of freemen?” Thanks to Patrick Henry, America got its bill of rights. Without him, that great document ensuring liberty for future generations might never have been written. Patrick Henry has been proved right. The Bill of Rights has served as an indispensable support of American liberty, serving as a check on all who would abuse their power. Every time we read an uncensored newspaper, worship as we please, or voice our opinions in the public square, we are enjoying the legacy of freedom Patrick Henry
“The Constitution leaves in its wake a long legacy, forever shaping the fate of many other countries. Whether those countries are currently in a state favorable to liberty or not, it is undeniable that the U.S. Constitution’s principles have caused people to rethink how to organize their political systems” (Hang). Time has only added value to the Constitution, for every time we reference it in our lives it is a testament of our trust and loyalty in what it states about our rights as individuals and the role the government plays in our lives. When it was written, the Constitution was the law of the land that gave people rights they had previously lived without. Similarly, we live lives of choice and independence because of the same document while other countries limit all the rights we are guaranteed in the Constitution. Simply put, “The Constitution is important because it protects individual freedom, and its fundamental principles govern the United States. The Constitution places the government 's power in the hands of the citizens. It limits the power of the government and establishes a system of checks and balances”
This is the official document that declared Irish independence from Britain and reasserted the legitimacy claims of the Irish Republic. It also fleshes out the reasons for secession and the reasoning behind it. The document also declares all English forces stationed in Ireland to be an invading force and that the Irish demand they leave the country. This is probably the single most important document of the Irish War of Independence, as the signing of this document is considered the official start date of the war.
allows the Constitution to stay relevant throughout changing times, so it doesn't need to be
While an uncodified constitution has the advantages of dynamic, adaptability and flexibility to meet the ever-changing needs of the society , it poses much difficulty in pinpointing the ultimate constitutional principle that should provide legitimacy in the British constitution. This results in a battle between two broad schools of thought––political constitutionalism and legal constitutionalism.
Irish home rule is one of the most important bills in Ireland’s history. Though continually rejected, Irish home rule remained in the hearts of the people and eventually gave Ireland self-government from Britain. The Irish people were determined to have home rule enacted and, in time, the bill was passed, but not without a few bumps in the road to getting the document approved.
The beneficial aspect of Irish membership can, in most cases, be easily seen in three main areas:
…rights which are inherent to the human being ... human rights acknowledges that every single human being is entitled to enjoy his or her human rights without distinction as to race, [color], sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. [To add on, human] rights are legally guaranteed by human rights law, protecting individuals and groups against actions that interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity (Human rights for
The Case for Constitutional Change. 2007. [e-book] Dublin: Barnardos. Available through: Google https://www.barnardos.ie/assets/files/pdf/advo_caseforconstitutionalchange.pdf [Accessed: 29 Mar 2014].