The Irish Referendums: A Master Thesis on The Irish People's Will to Change

Jensen, Mathias Alexander Kobberø

4. term

History, Master

2019

2019-06-03

80

Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan irernes forhold til den Katolske Kirke har ændret sig gennem de folkeafstemninger, der kræves for at ændre Irlands forfatning. Fokus er på afstemninger om skilsmisse, homoseksuelle vielser og abort, hvor skiftende regeringer har fremlagt forslag, men vælgerne i sidste ende har truffet beslutningen. Reformviljen svingede: I 1980’erne var flertallene konservative, og først i midten af 1990’erne kom knappe flertal for forandring. Specialet beskriver dernæst en pause på omkring to årtier uden afstemninger. Kilderne er ældre avisartikler om de udvalgte afstemninger, forløbet op til dem og de meningsmålinger, der blev offentliggjort før og under kampagnerne. Metodisk anvendes den traditionelle historiske komparative metode, som sammenligner sager over tid for at identificere mønstre. I alt beskrives seks forsøg på at ændre reglerne om de nævnte emner i de seneste 40 år. Forslagene blev flere gange mødt med moralsk modstand fra den Katolske Kirke, som så dem som brud med kristne kerneværdier indskrevet i forfatningen siden 1937. Resultaterne spænder fra solide, konservative flertal i 1980’erne, over usikre 1990’ere med knappe ja‑flertal, til nyere store progressive sejre. Irland modtog i perioden besøg af to paver, som blev mødt med blandede reaktioner. Specialet undersøger, om disse besøg påvirkede befolkningen, og om forandringerne kan beskrives som en stille revolution. Konklusionen er, at irerne overraskende har flyttet sig i værdipolitiske spørgsmål, men at billedet er grumset, blandt andet fordi kun omkring 60 procent stemmer, hvilket rejser spørgsmål om den resterende befolkning. Specialet konkluderer desuden, at den Katolske Kirke ikke længere spiller en rolle i det irske samfund.

This thesis examines how Irish attitudes toward the Catholic Church have changed through the referendums required to amend Ireland’s constitution. It focuses on votes on divorce, same‑sex marriage, and abortion: governments proposed changes, but voters made the final decisions. Reform momentum dipped in the 1980s and only narrow majorities for change appeared in the mid‑1990s. The thesis then notes a pause of about two decades without a popular vote. Sources are older newspaper articles about the selected referendums, the lead‑up to them, and opinion polls published before and during the campaigns. The study uses the traditional historical comparative method, comparing cases over time to identify patterns. In total, it describes six attempts to change the rules on these topics over the past 40 years. These proposals were repeatedly challenged on moral grounds by the Catholic Church, which viewed them as breaking with Christian core values written into the constitution since 1937. Outcomes ranged from solid conservative majorities in the 1980s, through uncertain 1990s with razor‑thin majorities for change, to more recent large progressive wins. Ireland was visited by two popes during the period, to mixed reactions. The thesis explores whether those visits influenced public opinion and whether change unfolded as a silent revolution. It concludes that Irish values have shifted in these areas, though the picture is murky because only about 60 percent of citizens vote, leaving questions about the remainder. The thesis also concludes that the Catholic Church no longer plays a role in Irish society.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Irland

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