The No campaign needs to explain why there can’t be referendums about other ‘hobbies’
An abrogative referendum brought by popular petition cannot be used to keep horses off the roads or abolish fireworks. But people don’t understand what an abrogative referendum is, and how it is different to the referendums on divorce and EU membership.
It is so important for the No campaign to drive this point across. A friend has just sent me the following email:
I was speaking to a carpenter today who has a workshop surrounded by other various tradesmen. He told me that word on the street is that if this referendum succeeds many more will follow. There will be one on having horses on the roads and then one about abolishing fireworks. The man working next door said he does not want spring hunting but he does like fireworks so he is going to vote yes in April. So depressing.
A couple of days ago, I received this email from a reader:
Recently I had a discussion with someone in favour of spring hunting who was adamant about voting Yes only because he fears that a No vote will be the start of other votes which would impinge on the so called “rights” of other minority groups – such as firework enthusiasts, motor racing enthusiasts and so on, which I see as a bit far fetched and I somehow do not believe that something such as fireworks is as damaging to society as hunters are.
This reader was at the receiving end of the same argument but couldn’t counter it because he didn’t have the required arguments. The No campaign needs to break down the counter-argument into point form and disseminate it immediately. There are just two months to go.
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The worst one I heard is that the hunters might call a referendum to abolish blogs.
Settur iehor li qed jahsbu li ser jkunu effetwati wara dan ir-referendum huma is-sajjieda (full/part-time).
Dawn diga gieli kienu fi problemi mal-politika ambjentali tal-UE u ghalkemm ma ghandhom l-ebda simpatija partikolari lejn il-kaccaturi jew sahansitra whud huma bil-qawwa kontra l-kacca fuq il-bahar, qed jikkonsidraw bis-serjeta’ li jivvutaw iva biex skont huma jiprotegu l-pozizzjoni taghhom.
Kampanja referendarja trid tiehu konsiderazzjoni ta’ diversi settiri u mhux sempliciment nipruvaw nidru cool waqt xi press conference.
If I were to vote strictly on the basis of those presenting the SHOUT campaigm, I would eagerly vote “yes”!
If I vote YES, it will be solely because of those leading the SHOUT campaign.
Somewhere along the line someone failed miserably in trying to educate (not good manners) the ignorant, but then how can one teach the ignorant if they do not want to learn ? So sad for Malta’s future.
It is my understanding that parliament can enact laws to abolish fireworks, and regulate on horses on the road and any other law which can restrict any “hobby”.
An abrogative referendum can force parliament to repeal any of those laws.
Which means that had the hunting associations won their case in court squashing the right to referendums, THEN it would have been the end of minority groups’ rights.
This is the real reason Simon Busuttil is voting Yes.
The “Yes” campaign seems to claim that this is a referendum on whether we can hold a referendum and no-one calls them out on the bullshit.
And a Yes win will stop other referendums how, exactly?
Nothing new. People believe all sorts of rubbish.
Imagine …. two years ago people believed someone will build a power station in just 24 months.
Maybe most people think that the word “abrogative” is referring to the hobby rather than an existing law or probably they just don’t know what it means.
What I find frustrating is that even if there was a way to force a referendum on any subject then what’s so wrong with that?
These “hobbies” have nothing to do with minorities and if the MAJORITY of the electorate want to abolish fireworks, knitting, table tennis or anything else then this is what should happen because that is what democracy is about.
It’s not always that simple.
We cannot live by majority rule alone.
Rights should never be put to a referendum vote.
Even exercising one’s hobby is a right, and should not be put to a majority vote.
Unless of course that hobby is impinging on other overriding matters, such as the continued survival of wildlife.
I don’t really agree with that. The people have the supreme power and should have the ultimate say in how they want their country to function in every aspect.
The only exception might be with minority group related issues.
You have to have faith that the electorate is going to act responsibly and in the best interest of the country.
Ignorance is reigning supreme in this little island of ours.
I’ve heard these rumours from people who fish with a rod on a boat for a hobby and fear that if a particular species of fish is depleted, their hobby will be outlawed.
That fear may or may not be justified.
The fact is that whichever way they vote in THIS referendum will have absolutely no bearing on any eventual referendum about their hobby or any other.
Seems Alternativa have thought about this and came up with a simple explanation. Looks straight forward enough to me. https://carmelcacopardo.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/the-abrogative-referendum-simply-explained-1-what-is-it/
Simon Busuttil should have said that he is voting Yes not to protect other ‘hobbies’ from referendums – as other referendums on fireworks etc. are not possible by law- but because he fought for the derogation.
That would have been a much better bitter sweet pill to swallow.
“It is so important for the No campaign to drive this point across”. Sorry, but I’m afraid the white flags are already fluttering out there.
White flag? What white flag? They are in hibernation. I am not sure if they will wake up in time.
https://carmelcacopardo.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/il-loghob-tan-nar-z-zwiemel-u-r-referendum/
If we had a referendum on EU and divorce, why shouldn’t we have referendum on horses and fireworks if enough public support for these issues is gathered?
I’m in favour of the NO vote but deep in my heart I feel that the Yes will win because the fear campaign being used by those in favour of a Yes vote is effective among fireworks enthusiasts.
I know several of them who have changed their opinion how to vote because they fear that fireworks will be next.
I agree with you Daphne that the NO campaign must do something and right away, the sooner the better before it’s too late.
Is there anywhere we can go – like a website or a FB page – where we can get the correct answers.
I don’t know how to answer this argument calmly:
“I am no hunter and hate the killing of animals, but why must it be always us maltese to come up with something like this while all Europe still has it’s open season in March ….. who am I to say NO to hunting in March to maltese hunters while hunting still goes on in the EU”.
Of course he has no qualms in going against the environmentalists and animal lovers.
Please someone, tell me how to answer.
[Daphne – It’s very simple.
1. He is completely wrong.
2. March is the last month of winter and not spring. Spring begins in the last week of March.
3. The spring hunting season does not begin in March but in April.
4. No other EU member state allows hunting in spring. We are the only one. We have special permission called a DEROGATION FROM THE LAW.
5. The reason spring hunting is not allowed in the whole of the European Union except Malta is because of conservation. This is when birds nest and breed. The pressure is on for Malta to pull the same conservation rope, particularly given that the birds we kill are the ones that should be nesting elsewhere in Europe.
6. Maltese hunters organise trips to Serbia to shoot birds because Serbia is not an EU member state.]