How long to debate?

Imposter

Following the calls by various groups opposed to the referendum for more time to debate the issues at hand, what do people actually think of this?

Is there a need for more time to debate the issues or is it a tactic that might convince people to vote no if they feel they don't know enough about the issues?

My take on it is that it is an attempt to get people to vote no because they are unsure of what they are voting for. Campaigns for the referendum started over a month ago and imo that is more than long enough for debate on the issues.

Perhaps their concerns are that people don't know the 'real' issues are because they have problems with some of the issues raised by the opposition that they feel aren't relevant to the referendum. If this is the case I think it is the case that both sides are guilty of this.

I also feel that having a reasoned sensible debate between politicians on both sides is also more of less impossible as they also spout serious amounts of rubbish that is irrelevant to the real issues.

So should there be more time for debate? Should there be some form of structured public debate on the issues? Or how do we ensure that the people voting actually understand the real issues they are voting for?

Note that this is not a debate on the issues of the referendum and should not become one.

chewy

i think this has been discusssed before but i think for the majority of people this ref has come out of nowhere....

ok so the campaign was launched in the minimun amount of time and really you can only start getting in discussion and building up momentum closer to a referendum even for the no sides they need a limited period cos they coudln't keep it up for long

but as been said theres been no white paper, no cross party consultation, no debate in the dail... all these annexed by the government...

em usually theres a low level of debate in the media about the subject before it comes up for referendum... there of course has been alot of talk about aslyum seekers etc... but not this particular aspect of refusing people citizenship

arcadegame2004

People I and my friends have spoken to about it mostly understand it - or at least the part of it ending automatic ciitzenship rights for future babies of asylum-seekers and I only know 1 person whose likely to vote "Yes". I know a fair few yeses. I think the "No" side are demandign more time because they know that as things stand they are going to lose. They want more time to nag us yeses so much thta they hope they can guilt-trip us into voting no with cries of "racism" etc. Yawn.

sceptre

Originally posted by arcadegame2004
People I and my friends have spoken to about it mostly understand it

That's great. Get one of them to explain it to you.