Why Equal Societies fare better and why Equality is better for everyone
Speaker: Niall Crowley, former CEO Equality Authority and independent consultant on equality and diversity issues
You are warmly invited to attend an open forum to discuss the above issues.
Date of Meeting: Thursday 21st April 2011
Time: 8.00-9.30 pm
Venue: Claremont Stadium, Commons Road, Navan
(See www.claremontstadium.ie for map to venue)
Agenda
This deliberative meeting is being hosted by the Meath branch of Claiming our Future.
What is Claiming our Future?
Claiming Our Future is a progressive social movement for an equal, sustainable and thriving Ireland. Early in 2010 Is Feidir Linn, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, environmental groups, the Community Platform, Social Justice Ireland and TASC began a series of meetings to explore how best to cooperate and coordinate endeavours for a more equal, inclusive and sustainable Ireland. From this beginning, Claiming Our Future evolved. CoF has local structures in many parts of Ireland and a branch in Co. Meath. See www.claimingourfuture.ie for more information on our work.
How to contact COF in Co. Meath
If you are interested in attending this event or accessing additional information on it, please contact Sinead Smith, the convenor for Claiming Our Future in Co. Meath on meath@claimingourfuture.ie
This event is the first of many deliberative meetings we will be hosting in the county to explore some of the key challenges facing Ireland to inform debate and develop new ideas and consensus on some of the key challenges facing Co. Meath and Ireland in developing an equal, fair and sustainable society.
[1] Niall Crowley is an independent equality and diversity expert. He was Chief Executive of the Equality Authority from 1999-2009. He worked with the Travellers’ rights organisation Pavee Point for twelve years. He was an active member of the Community Workers Cooperative serving as chair for four years and where he led an initiative to include the community & voluntary sector into social partnership. He is the author of Empty Promises: Bringing the Equality Authority to Heel. He is a member of Claiming our Future and Is Feidir Linn.
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Time to talk series of meetings
Hosted by Dublin South Central Claiming Our Future
When next Monday night the 4th April at 8pm
Where upstairs in the Black Lion pub in Inchicore, Dublin 8.
Curious about who we are?
Want to know how you can get involved in creating a better Ireland for us all?
We are meeting for a pint and a chat – come along and see if it is for you, find out what you might like to do to help our growing social movement for social change in Ireland and claim our country’s future.
You can email dubsouthcentral@claimingourfuture.ie or call 086 847 4466
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Health inequality tops agenda in constituency with poorest access to primary healthcare
Dublin Central election candidates were this evening (Tuesday) challenged to back universal access to health services at a meeting in Ireland’s constituency with the poorest access to primary health care. Candidates from all parties were invited to the meeting on ‘Your Vote and the Future of Health Care,’ which was organised by Claiming Our Future. They heard that the north inner-city constituency had the lowest GP coverage per head of population and the highest incidence of GP lists ‘closed’ because of access demand.
Dublin Central-based GP Austin O’ Carroll said that the constituency combined some of the worst health and deprivation indices in the country with the poorest access to primary health services. “This proves the maxim that those most in need of health care are least likely to get it,” he said.
Darragh O’Connor, convener of Dublin Central Claiming Our Future, told the candidates and audience that universal access to health care was a priority agreed by over 1,000 people at a Claiming Our Future gathering last October. “Equality in the health system cannot be ignored if Ireland has any hope of becoming a society that values people and is a better place to live in for all and not just a few’, he said.
Journalist and health analyst Sara Burke told the audience: “How you vote in the next election will decide the type of health system we have for generations to come. The party manifestos clearly set out the type of health services our politicians think we should have.”
Claiming Our Future is a social movement working for a more equal and sustainable society. Its local groups are holding 20 plus public meetings across the country to quiz election candidates on their policies. The movement recently published a summary of its policy priorities, which were first agreed at Ireland’s first ‘Citizen’s Forum’ last autumn. The priorities include:
· A sustainable alternative to the boom-and-bust economy
· A more equal society
· Political reform
· Decent and sustainable jobs
· Radical reform of the banking system and
· Public service reform.
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Claiming Our Future Dublin Central is holding a number of pre-election events including a debate on healthcare inequalities in Dublin Central with Daíl candidates
The event will be on:
Tuesday 22nd February
6.30pm
Freeman Auditorium
Mater Hospital (main entrance)
Eccels St.
Dublin 1
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PRE-ELECTION DEBATE AT LONGFORD WOMENS LINK ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 22ND
Longford Women’s Manifesto Group and Claiming Our Future are hosting a pre-election debate at Longford Women’s Link on Tuesday February 22nd at 11am in Ardnacassa Avenue
The ‘Longford Women’s Manifesto Group’ represents a diverse group of Longford women who want to ensure that their voices are heard in local decision making. The Group is supported by Longford Women’s Link (LWL) and its purpose is to establish a recognised structured process where women can have an active role in local decision making through regular meetings with their local representative. The Manifesto Group have been in existence since 2008 and have established strong links with Longford County Council.
In addition, Longford Women’s Link are the Longford Convenors for the Claiming our Future movement. Established in 2010, Claiming our Future is a progressive movement for an equal and sustainable Ireland which has attracted considerable local and national support since its inception. The preferred values and policy choices put forward by those who attended the national Claiming Our Future meeting in October 2010 will form a central part of the debate.
All candidates in the Longford/Westmeath constituency have been invited to attend and a number have already confirmed.
Contact Tara at LWL (043) 3341511 for further details.
Share on FacebookClaiming Our Future-Wicklow asked the candidates running in the general election for the Wicklow/East Carlow constituency to respond to a short questionnaire to help educate and inform voters on each candidate’s priorities. The following are the candidates who responded – please click on the images to download the pdf.
Media notice from Claiming Our Future
Monday 21st February 2011
Dublin South Central candidates to be quizzed on economic policy
Dublin South Central constituency election candidates will face the voters at a public meeting entitled ‘It’s the Economy, Stupid’ this evening (Monday). The meeting takes place from 7.30pm at Saint Andrew’s Community Centre, 468 South Circular Road, Rialto. The media are invited to attend.
Michael Taft, economic advisor to the union UNITE will also speak at the meeting, which is organised by the Dublin South Central group of the national movement Claiming Our Future. Mr Taft will tell the meeting that: “The last Government’s austerity programme has failed. Taking €15 billion out of the economy between 2008 and 2010 destabilised the economy and pushed us into a downward spiral while actually increasing the deficit. Taking another €15 billion out of the economy will ensure Ireland will suffer from a low-growth, high-unemployment and high debt future.”
Local community worker John Bisset will speak about the devastation being experienced in many of the communities in the Dublin South Central constituency. He will say: “Ireland has become one of the most unequal societies in the developed world. On top of gross levels of inequality, the people and communities suffering most are now being asked to take responsibility for banker’s greed and the failed strategy of the previous government. This is not humanely possible and has to stop.”
Claiming Our Future local groups are holding over 20 public meetings across the country to quiz election candidates on their policies. The movement recently published a summary of its policy priorities, which were first agreed at Ireland’s first ‘Citizen’s Forum’ last autumn. The priorities include:
· A sustainable alternative to the boom-and-bust economy
· A more equal society
· Political reform
· Decent and sustainable jobs
· Radical reform of the banking system and
· Public service reform.
Claiming Our Future is made up of individuals and organisations that believe the economic crisis is an opportunity to reassert the progressive social values of equality, sustainability, inclusion and human dignity. It was initially developed by Is Feidir Linn, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, environmental groups, the TASC think tank and Social Justice Ireland, it now involves a much wider range of organisations including community groups, youth groups, rural networks, social justice groups and organisations representing older people, global justice, migrant workers, students, cultural initiatives, women, people with disabilities and social media.
Further information
Siobhan O’ Donoghue
Bernard Harbor
Share on FacebookLeitrim Claiming Our Future had our debate on Tuesday 15th Feb in Manorhamilton Co. Leitrim. We also had another competing event planned in Sligo by an independent group the following day. However, on the night 80-100 people attended A facebook campaign, postering, targeting local databases, and the traditional parish newsletters helped spread the word. We had a packed stage of candidates – the constituency of Sligo/Leitrim is a very crowded one with 13 candidates and only 3 seats. 11 were there.
Candidates were given an overview of the work of Claiming Our Future to date by our able Chair, Dr. Perry Share, Head of the Dep of the Humanities at Sligo I. T. and reminded that our event was one of 20 in the country. Priority areas were visible on the wall thanks to one of members Marie who had used flip chart sheets and brightly coloured bullet terms to draw peoples attention to them. Volunteer Amanda worked on brightening up our banner on the stage. And men at a locally based community project assisted in putting up buntings borrowed with grateful thanks from our local GAA. So we were ready for our hustings. All the attendance were given the ‘Power at the door step’ double sided handout.
A Question and Answer type format was used and while we hoped to ask specific questions that were tailored toward Claiming Our Future ethos we only really ventured one or two ourselves, as it was decided to let the crowd attending have their opportunity as that was what we felt we and they were there for.
- Sligo General Cancer services was an extremely emotive topic here as geographically women have to travel for breast cancer services to Galway as a nominated centre of excellence. There was general consensus that it should be reinstated as the 9th centre of excellence.
- Minimum wage, cuts and EU- IMF.
These were understandably very emotive topics. A vote was carried our as to whether people supported reversing both. With regards to the minimum wage all were favour of reversing the cut with the exception of Marc McSharry (son of Ray) and Eamon Scanlon both of Fianna Fail who abstained.
- Where did candidates stand on the selling off of our natural resources? Overall the general agreement apart from the FG representatives was that our resources were the last part of the ‘countries jewels’. One of the independent candidates ex Labour Veronica Cawley remarked that if we sold off our natural resources we would have nothing and be again like’ tenants in our own country’. Micheal Colreavy (SF) brought up the issue of Corrib gas as an example of historical mismanagement of our natural resources.
- Changes to Freedom of Information and whistle blowers charter.
Susan O Keeffe (Labour) was very strong on this as she has a history of being an investigative reporter and whistle blower herself. Declan Bree (People Before Profit) would have been at the forefront of the Freedom of Information act when first come out and he remarked sadly how it was been corrupted away from its original framework.
- In response to a question as to whether the state can sustain welfare payments to people from different ethnic minorities who came into Ireland seeking work, there was a general consensus amongst candidates that immigrants should not be scapegoated in the harsh economic climate. Gabriel MacSharry (Independent) reminded people of our history of outward migration and how we would want to be treated.
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