Background
Article 28 of the Constitution grants the state sweeping powers during a time of emergency but, in the form in which the article was adopted in 1937, these could only be invoked during a "time of war or armed rebellion". The First Amendment served to clarify that "time of war" need not mean a war in which the state is actually taking part.
The amendment was introduced by the Fianna Fáil government of Éamon de Valera. Unlike later amendments the First and Second Amendments were not submitted to a referendum because, under the terms of the constitution's Transitory Provisions, during the initial period of 1937–1941 constitutional amendments could be effected by a simple act of the Oireachtas.
Read more about this topic: First Amendment Of The Constitution Of Ireland
Famous quotes containing the word background:
“Pilate with his question “What is truth?” is gladly trotted out these days as an advocate of Christ, so as to arouse the suspicion that everything known and knowable is an illusion and to erect the cross upon that gruesome background of the impossibility of knowledge.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“I had many problems in my conduct of the office being contrasted with President Kennedy’s conduct in the office, with my manner of dealing with things and his manner, with my accent and his accent, with my background and his background. He was a great public hero, and anything I did that someone didn’t approve of, they would always feel that President Kennedy wouldn’t have done that.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“They were more than hostile. In the first place, I was a south Georgian and I was looked upon as a fiscal conservative, and the Atlanta newspapers quite erroneously, because they didn’t know anything about me or my background here in Plains, decided that I was also a racial conservative.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)