SECOND REPUBLIC WELCOMES LABOUR LEADER'S COMMITMENT TO A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NB: This release corrects an early draft that was issued to the press due to a technical error and that did not wholly reflect the views of the Second Republic movement.

Second Republic, the movement for a National Convention on political reform, welcomes Eamon Gilmore’s statement pledging his party’s support for a constitutional convention.

We particularly welcome the Labour Party’s recognition that such a sweeping reform programme must involve the ordinary citizens of Ireland. Mr Gilmore confirmed that his party supported public participation in the Convention.

However, Second Republic believes that, in order to produce genuine reform, the Convention must include three key elements:

1. A Citizen’s Assembly must approve every new amendment and article, as well as be able to bring forward proposals for discussion. Only this will prevent ‘citizen participation’ from being a sideshow to the real debate.
2. The Convention must be empowered to address all areas of our political system, including those which are not included in our current constitution, such as Freedom of Information.
3. There must be a clear path to implementation. The political parties should commit themselves in advance of the Convention to producing a new draft Constitution that will be placed before the people for a referendum.

While we welcome the proposal for a Constitutional Convention, there is no point in such a Convention unless it has the teeth to produce real reform. It must include a Citizen’s Assembly to include ordinary people and introduce reforms political insiders would rather avoid; it must be prepared to examine all areas of our political system and not just those the parties prescribe; and the reforms produced must be implemented.

We wait with great expectation for the publication of Labour’s official policy document on Thursday.

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Second Republic is a movement of people organised nationally around the core aim of seeing a National Convention on reform. Its foundational values are that reform must be directed and owned by the people, give a sense of a new beginning and address the failings that underlie the current crisis.

Second Republic will send pledge packs to every candidate running in the forthcoming election asking each candidate for a personal commitment to the hosting of a National Convention on reform. That convention will be independent of the Oireachtas, involve substantial participation by the public and will be open-ended in its remit. Crucially, its proposals must be put to a referendum.

Web: www.2nd-republic.ie

Email: info@2nd-republic.ie

Contact: Oliver Moran

5-January-2011