Editing Popular initiative (section)

====Ireland====
The [[Constitution of Ireland]], since its [[enactment of the Constitution of Ireland|1937 enactment]], has never made provision for initiatives.<ref name="constconv_5_3_2"/> Since 2012, the [[Oireachtas]] (parliament) has a [[Oireachtas Joint Committee|joint committee]] to which the public can submit [[petition]]s;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/public-petition-oireachtas-594866-Sep2012/|title=How does the new public petitions system work?|last=Barry|first=Aoife|date=14 September 2012|work=[[TheJournal.ie]]|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref> the committee must formally consider them but need not accept them.<ref name="dail2015042100056">{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail2015042100056#WRD00800|title=Written Answer No.225: Constitutional Convention Recommendations|date=21 April 2015|work=Dáil Éireann debates|publisher=Oireachtas|page=56|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/oireachtasbusiness/committees_list/about/31stdail/psop-committee/jointsub-committeeonpublicpetitions/|title=Joint Committee on Public Petitions|publisher=Oireachtas|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/national_government/standards_and_accountability/public_petitions.html|title=Public petitions|date=10 October 2016|publisher=Citizens Information Board|access-date=19 December 2016|location=Ireland}}</ref> In May–June 2013, when the [[Constitutional Convention (Ireland)|Constitutional Convention]] considered Dáil electoral reform, members voted 83:16 in favour of allowing "citizens' initiatives" in general,<ref>Constitutional Convention 2013; §2 Question 9</ref> 80:19 to allow them specifically for legislation,<ref name="citzconvq10">Constitutional Convention 2013; §2 Question 10</ref> and 78:17 to allow them for [[Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland|constitutional amendment]]s.<ref name="citzconvq10"/> In April 2015, the [[Government of the 31st Dáil|Fine Gael–Labour government]] rejected the recommendations on the basis that there is sufficient public involvement in legislation through the petitions committee and the [[pre-legislative scrutiny]] process.<ref name="dail2015042100056"/>

Article 48 of the 1922 [[Constitution of the Irish Free State]] gave a right of initiative: if more than 50,000 voters demanded a change in law, the Oireachtas had two years to enact it, failing which 75,000 voters could petition for a [[referendum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1922/act/1/schedule/1/enacted/en/html|title=Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922, Schedule 1|work=[[Irish Statute Book]]|pages=Article 48 |no-pp=y|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="constconv_5_3_2">Constitutional Convention 2013; §5.3.2 "Background"</ref> The only attempt to invoke this was organised in 1927 by [[Fianna Fáil]], the largest [[Opposition (parliamentary)|opposition]] party, which sought to abolish the [[Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)|Oath of Allegiance]]. By May 1928 Fianna Fáil claimed 96,000 signatures and attempted to have the petition [[Laying before the house|laid before]] the [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Free State)|Dáil]] (lower house). The motion was deferred, ostensibly to allow the Dáil [[Parliamentary procedure|procedure]] committee to define the method of dealing with such petitions.<ref>
Dáil Éireann debates (1928) Vol.28:
[http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail1928051600040 16 May cc1498–1532],
[http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail1928051800009 18 May cc1721–70],
[http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail1928052300045 23 May cc1898–1926],
[http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail1928060100005 1 June cc2519–47].
</ref> Before the committee could meet, the [[Government of the 6th Dáil|Cumann na nGaedheal government]] rushed through an amendment deleting Article 48 of the Constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail1928061500003 |title=Constitution (Amendment No. 10) Bill, 1928—Second Stage|date=15 June 1928|work=Dáil Éireann Debates|pages=Vol.24 No.6 p.3 cc694–721|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="Kinsella2012">{{cite book|last=Hogan|first=Gerard |others=Documents editor Eoin Kinsella|title=The Origins of the Irish Constitution, 1928-1941|year=2012|publisher=Royal Irish Academy|isbn=9781904890751|chapter=Chapter One}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Referendum and the Initiative |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/irishfreestate032460mbp#page/n147/mode/2up|last=Mansergh |first=Nicholas | author-link = Nicholas Mansergh |title=The Irish Free State - Its Government and Politics |publisher=Read |date=2007 |orig-year=1934 |isbn=978-1406720358 |pages=142–3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1928/act/8/enacted/en/print|title=Constitution (Amendment No. 10) Act 1928|date=12 July 1928|work=[[Irish Statute Book]]|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref>