This
week Sinn Féin introduced into the Dáil an Equality Proofing Bill. The purpose
of the Bill was to amend existing legislation and to provide equality proofing
of government policy and budget and public bodies through impact assessments.
If passed into law the Bill would have ensured that both government and public
bodies in exercising their functions
would so in a way that would reduce the inequalities of outcome which result
from socio-economic disadvantage.
As it
was the Labour party voted with Fine Gael against the Bill. Government Minister
and Labour TD Kathleen Lynch spoke against equality and ultimately against
Labour party policy which supports equality proofing.
Essentially
the Minister said that we cannot afford equality! From a Fine Gael Minister
this would have been understandable – Fine Gael doesn’t believe in equality.
But
Labour’s stated policy is for the equality proofing. By opposing
this equality proofing Bill Labour TDs are voting against their party’s own
policy position!
What
is the value of Labour in government if its only role is to bolster the
conservative economic and social politics of Fine Gael?
Labour’s
founding father James Connolly is accepted as the principal author of that part
of the Proclamation which guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal
rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens. It contains a commitment
to cherish all the children of the nation equally.
Sadly,
equality does not exist in this society. It is a republic in name only and the
policies of this government and of successive governments are contributing
directly to a growing inequality – particularly between the rich and the poor.
I’m an
Irish republican. I believe in a republican system of governance. A real
republic in which the people are sovereign and equal, and have all–encompassing
rights, including economic rights, the right to a home; to a job; to access to education; to a health
service from the cradle to the grave; the right to a safe and clean
environment; and to civil and religious liberties.
This is what republicanism is about. It is
what genuine democracy is about. It’s about embedding equality into the daily
life and experience of citizens.
The imposition of equality duties, and the
equality proofing of government policies and budgets, and of public bodies
through impact assessments, are a means of achieving this and of dictating
outcomes. Without this equality will remain little more than a pipe dream.
It is a fact that inequality is all around us
in this part of the island. It exists also in the north but there it has the
added dimension of generational sectarian and political discrimination.
Interestingly
the other parties in the Dáil reference the continued existence of inequalities
in the north as a pretext for attacking Sinn Féin. There is no logic to this
position. Or truth. Or rational. They quote poverty levels in west Belfast for
example to justify their own position.
They
refuse to acknowledge that the citizens of west Belfast in common with other
communities in the north are tackling these issues on a daily basis and
succeeding against the odds.
And
because they took a stand – and they would be waiting a long time for Fianna
Fáil or Fine Gael or Labour to help them – because these citizens took a stand
generational sectarianism and political discrimination is being tackled.
There
are now equality duties and the equality proofing of government policies and
budgets, and of public bodies. If this is good enough for the north why can’t
citizens here have these rights?
Equality
is cited 21 times in the Good Friday Agreement, including in the Pledge of
Office for Ministers. It has a complete section given over to it and is
included in legislation designed to ensure equality in employment. We are
living in post Good Friday Agreement Ireland. That is obvious in the north.
So it
is catch-up time in this state and legislating for equality here must be a key
part of this. This should include the Charter of Rights which the Irish
government signed up to 15 years ago. Apart from being ethically wrong – no
person or community should be treated as second class or as non-citizens.
The
refusal to recognise the Traveller community as an ethnic group is
unacceptable.
Inequality
is also expensive and uneconomic for society. A healthy, more equal, prosperous
society is in everyone’s interest.
Sinn
Féin’s Equality Bill is about achieving this. And the need for this approach is
all the more obvious if we consider the record of the current Government.
Budget 2012 was found by the ESRI to have had a disproportionate impact on the
least well off in society. Budget 2013 repeated this.
Everyday
sees the removal of citizen’s rights and the reinforcement of privilege for the
elites in society. Sinn Féin’s Equality Bill would require an equality impact
assessment to prevent the implementation of such blatantly unfair policies.
That
is why the government voted against this Bill.
Sinn
Féin is for a new Republic – an all island Republic – a real republic which
will deliver the highest standards of services and protections to all citizens
equally, guaranteeing parity of esteem and equality of treatment, opportunity
and outcome.
This
also means equality for the Irish language and for rural Ireland.
While Labour abandoned Connolly and sided with Fine Gael and
the elites in voting down the Sinn Féin Equality Bill the Equality Budgeting
campaign which represents over 30 civil society organisations welcomed the
Bill. While this round was lost the campaign to achieve equality will continue.
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