Date: 06.03.2011
For immediate release.
Second Republic tentatively congratulates Fine Gael and Labour on commitments in the draft Programme for Government to establishing a Constitutional Convention as part of a comprehensive programme of political reform. However, certain matters need to be clarified as a matter of urgency.
We entirely agree with Fine Gael and Labour when they say that the failures of the political system were a key contributor to the financial crisis. It's hugely encouraging to hear the government-in-waiting say that they believe that there must be a real shift in power from the State to the citizen. The process of reform must lead the way in doing so by having citizens at its heart and by giving a Constitutional Convention the teeth to create the kind of Ireland that citizens now demand.
However, we are concerned about the vagueness around commitments to a Constitutional Convention. These commitments need to be defined in clear and simple terms. It needs to be outlined from the beginning that everyday citizens will play a central part in the Constitutional Convention and that its findings will be put to the People in a referendum.
Firstly, Second Republic would like Fine Gael and Labour to clarify the role that citizens will play in the reform process. Both Fine Gael and Labour made specific pledges to involve everyday citizens in a constitutional convention or a citizen's assembly on reform in their election manifestos. The draft program for government doesn't mention a role for citizens in the reform process. This may be an oversight but it is one that would need to be urgently addressed by the two parties in the coming days.
Secondly, will the Constitutional Convention have teeth? If the work of the convention is to be more than a grand gesture, its recommendations must be binding on the Oireachtas to put towards a referendum. We have had talking shops on reform before, most notably the Constitutional Review Group. Fine Gael and Labour need to show courage and a commitment to reform by giving the Constitutional Convention the authority to act as an independent body. The authority of the planned Convention to consider any relevant constitutional amendments needs to be emphasized as well.
*** ENDS ***
About Second Republic
Second Republic is a campaign group founded in November 2010 to push for political and constitutional reform in Ireland. We are not pushing a particular vision and we do not pretend to have all the answers. Instead we want to challenge and inspire people to imagine a new Ireland reformed under the direction of ordinary citizens.
For more information on Second Republic, visit www.2nd-republic.ie or phone 087 965 8549.
No comments:
Post a Comment