Write to your TD: Just vote No!
Now is the time to write to your public representatives calling for the end of all covid emergency powers in March.
We have hand-delivered letters to Micheál Martin’s constituency office, and we encourage you to send something similar, or customise the below to your needs.
Dear public representative,
Thankfully the citizens of Ireland are no longer in any emergency with covid now achieving herd immunity and weakening to a virus that we can live with and manage ourselves without government overreach. With this fact in mind, I trust that you will respect every citizen of Ireland by voting NO to the request to extend the covid emergency powers, due to expire on the March 31, 2022.
These emergency powers have been hugely damaging to our society and destroyed many lives, destroyed many small businesses, destroyed many people’s mental health, destroyed our economy, created a huge increase in inflation and created a two tier system of medical apartheid in this country, where hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens were segregated and discriminated, something which never before happened in the history of the state.
Some people argued at the time that the emergency powers were needed, but there is ZERO justification today for these emergency powers to exist.
We all know that these emergency powers are unconstitutional, given that Article 28.3.3 of the constitution of Ireland says that a state of emergency can only be declared by the Oireachtas “in time of war or armed rebellion”. If you vote yes, you are telling the people of Ireland that we are in a state of war.
As the vast majority of people can see, there is absolutely no justification in extending the covid emergency powers that are undermining our democratic, constitutional, civil and human rights. We the constituents who you represent in the Oireachtas, request to know how you will be representing your constituents on this issue, regardless of the decision of your party whip.
As this is one of the most controversial and important pieces of legislation to ever be voted on in the history of the state, we hope that you are seriously contemplating the repercussions of your previous stance, and this time voting for and with the people to uphold the constitution.
We anticipate a positive response from you.
Download a list of TD’s email and postal addresses sorted by constituency here
Letter to Micheál Martin, which you can use as a template:
(Your address here)
To TD, (name of TD)
With the legislation in place that supports the Covid 19 emergency powers due to expire on the 31st of March 2022, unless voted to be extended again by members of the Oireachtas, my fellow constituents and I, who you represent in the Oireachtas, request to know if you will be voting “yes” to extend these emergency powers once more or voting “No” to bring these emergency powers to an end?
These emergency powers, have created laws over the last 2 years which have been hugely damaging to our society in many ways. They have destroyed many lives, destroyed many small businesses, destroyed many people’s mental health, destroyed our economy, created a huge increase in inflation and created a two tier system of medical apartheid in this country where hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens were segregated and discriminated, something which never before happened in the history of the state. Some people argued at the time the emergency powers were needed, but there can be absolutely no argument or justification now for these emergency powers to be extended.
We would like to remind you as well that these emergency powers are totally unconstitutional, per the constitution of Ireland, which in Article 28.3.3* outlines that a state of emergency can only be declared by the Oireachtas “in time of war or armed rebellion”.
As the vast majority of people can see now that there is absolutely no justification in extending the Covid 19 emergency powers and that these emergency powers are completely undermining our, democratic, constitutional, civil and human rights, we the constituents who you represent in the Oireachtas, request to know how you will be representing us, your constituents on this issue, in the Oireachtas regardless of the decision of your party whip.
As this is one of the most controversial and important pieces of legislation to ever be voted on in the history of the state, we expect a prompt and definite reply.
We eagerly await your response.
(Your Name) and the people of (Your constituency) Constituency.
