National University of Ireland Maynooth - Claiming Our Future seminar 6th October 2010
In attendance: Applied Social studies Students.
Main points from discussion groups on the Choices document.
Group 1.
1. Pursue economic development that serves people.
Policy priority:
Develop the social and economic infrastructure to serve the interests of the whole population.
- Infrastructure as it stands doesn’t work. Needs to be restructured, overhauled and stabilised
- Need to make allowances for other factors for change e.g. Job creation, renewable energy.
- Emphasis on disadvantaged communities with an emphasis on equality.
- Think outside of the box.
- Look at the existing skills that people have individually and collectively.
- Sustainability and growth.
- Consultative process with all the stakeholders
What’s missing?
- How will policies be monitored?
- How will policies be implemented?
- Gap between policies and the people.
Group 2.
2. A more ambitious response to environmental challenges.
Policy priority:
Implement a renewed sustainable development strategy that caps resource use and emissions and that secures investment for sustainable development.
- National audit of natural and renewable resources and how they can be utilised.
- Use the open method of co-ordination.
- Educational program – enforcing green schools, community and youth work.
- Re-claiming and using our natural resources. Trees, oil and gas, fish, wind farming.
- Penalty system – not necessarily monetary or court appearance. Possibly linked to tax credits, social welfare etc. the infrastructure must be in place first.
What’s missing?
- Policy implementation
- The implementation of a global policy for environmental challenges.
Group 3.
3. Enhanced economic, social and cultural participation.
Policy priority:
Reduce relative poverty and eliminate consistent poverty.
- Labour and education links into reducing poverty.
- Bridging the gap between rich and the poor.
- Focus our energy into ourselves and our relative poverty to form a more equal, social and cultural society.
- Empowerment of people: giving them the options to pull themselves out of poverty.
- Increase moral.
- Raising the people on the bottom raises everyone in society.
- Highlighting our own poverty within Ireland.
- Break down social barriers thus creating solidarity.
- Keep people from the poverty margin.
What’s missing?
- Flaw to include cultural and economic in this point. Both merit their own point.
- Equal distribution of resources.
- Make Ireland take a good look at itself.
Group 4.
4. Public sector renewal.
Policy priority.
Develop new approaches to the front line delivery of public services.
- Wasted funds and time.
- Lack of communication and participation.
- Lack of leadership.
- Lack of accountability and transparency.
- Education, informal, formal.
What’s missing?
- Very broad spectrum of policies.
- Statements not policies.
- Need to be more specific. Too broadly sketched.
- How do we build the pressure within civil society?
Group 5.
5. Reformed taxation and income policies.
Policy priority:
Achieve greater income equality through wage, tax and income policies that ensure maximum income is not more than a specific multiple of the minimum income and ensure every person has a guaranteed minimum income sufficient to live life with dignity.
- What is the min/max? linking this to dignity.
- How to redistribute wealth- min wage or social welfare
- Trying to convince government- vote out.
- Society built on consumerism.
What’s missing?
- How do we attract foreign business? And how do we tax this?
- Showing the benefits to society. E.g. From other countries were it is working. Sweden.
- Less social problems.
- Local taxes?
Group 6.
6. Democratic reform.
Policy priority:
Enhance democratic participation by investing in the advocacy role of civil society organisations and in citizenship educations in schools.
- Agreement that democracy is the best way. Through the educational system.
- Agreement that point no. 1 is also very relevant here but that you can’t get to achieve no.1 without doing no.3 first….
- This is a long term policy plan and not a short term one.
- Be mindful of tokenism.
What’s missing?
- Inequalities in the educational system.
Overall ….
The 6 groups felt that the following areas needed more focus within the document.
- Education
- Solid alternatives. People are afraid of change.
- Human rights.
- Accountability. Justice.
