11 June 1998 Edition
Equality now
A seminar on equality called in response to the British government white paper ``Partnership for Equality'' was held in the Fall Community Council on 4 June.
The joint seminar by the FCC and the West Belfast Economic Forum was hosted by Ciaran Kearney and Dara O'Hagan with Caitriona Ruane as the guest speaker. It was attended by community and social activists from all over the area.
Dara O'Hagan spoke specifically on the elements of the white paper itself.
She began by pointing out that the Good Friday document in many ways superseded the white paper and mentioned the meagre positive aspects within it.
There is to be a review of IDB policy to focus its resources more effectively, recruitment of the unemployed is to be encouraged and the paper acknowledges the socio-economic disparity suffered by the Catholic community.
Against these measures O'Hagan reminded the audience that after 22 years of equality legislation by the British the disparity between the Catholic and Protestant communities remained relatively unchanged; Catholics are still twice as likely to be unemployed than Protestants.
The biggest disparity being among the young which she described as ``a scandal'' and that ``discrimination is due to the sectarian nature of the state not lack of ability or large families. We need to keep pointing this out.'' She condemned the consultation process for the white paper as inadequate ``only seven paragraphs out of the 49 pages are open to comment. This shows that decisions have already been taken'' and that the ``consultation process is just a cosmetic exercise.''
In announcing this as the first in a series of seminars to raise awareness of the equality agenda Kearney said that it had been marginalised to some extent to the domain of the `expert' ``even though it was ordinary people who had raised the issue thirty years ago'' with the civil rights movement.
Caitriona Ruane spoke on the broader topic of equality, citing Sinn Fein as being the most progressive party, ``in terms of women rights''. But reminded everyone that much work had still to be done in ``challenging ourselves'' in areas like Gay rights and equality for the ethnic and disabled communities. She also praised the work already done in the cultural field saying we have a ``good language and cultural lobby here.''
She went on to speak of the huge opportunities which now exist to challenge the institutions of the state but warn of those within the system, particularly the civil service, who would resist change. Especially those who had shifted from overt discriminatory policies to most insidious methods. However, she did acknowledge that there were those civil servants within the system who would `scapegoat' their colleagues in other departments to avoid criticism themselves. And that there were also those who were afraid of those fighting for equality ``they are afraid of our strength and of our anger. They know we've been discriminated against in the past.''
In highlighting the equality agenda Ms Ruane affirmed that certain principles of policy had to be adhered to; which issues are negotiable and which are not, who our allies are both within the system and outside it, and grasping our opportunities when they present themselves.
O'Hagan pointed up the British government's lack of real commitment to equality by the fact that out of the 160 recommendations made by The Standard Advisory Commission on Human Rights , who were asked by the government to conduct a two year review of the current legislation, only a handful were accepted in the paper. The paper also dismisses the call for legislation in a number of areas with the excuses that it may put an ``excessive burden on employers'', that employers should still be allowed to subvert the equality agenda using the excuse of `security' considerations and that the target for resolving the inequality in the North is the year 2011. Some thirty five years after the first fair employment bill.
The Department of Economic Development are praised in the paper despite the fact that its Targeting Social Need policy has failed to meet its own targets.
O'Hagan stressed the need for the whole community to come together to campaign against this process which is ``fundamentally flawed. We need legislation which is owned by us.'' And added that it is the Nationalist community who are the ``real experts'' on discrimination as it is we who have suffered it first hand.
In a related development Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, speaking at the West Belfast Economic Regeneration conference organised by Ordus on Monday, June 1, said, ``The people of West Belfast, whether loyalist, or republican, or those of no politics, have had to deal with a set of very special problems. We have one of the highest levels of unemployment in the north, we have the highest levels of youth unemployment, we have exceptional levels of poor health and disability, we have the highest infant mortality rate, and we have levels of poverty and deprivation unmatched anywhere else.''
He went on to call for real investment in the area but not of the type seen recently were $5 million was spent building a new crown forces barracks on the Springfield road. He also emphasised the need for the 26 counties government to work closely with the party to ensure that the Good Friday document delivered an economic strategy on an all Ireland basis which would have clear objectives and time-frames. He added that ``The Good Friday document is a beginning. It has great potential if we can harness the energy, imagination, creativity of the people this area, as well as the international goodwill which exists.''
The joint seminar by the FCC and the West Belfast Economic Forum was hosted by Ciaran Kearney and Dara O'Hagan with Caitriona Ruane as the guest speaker. It was attended by community and social activists from all over the area.
Dara O'Hagan spoke specifically on the elements of the white paper itself.
She began by pointing out that the Good Friday document in many ways superseded the white paper and mentioned the meagre positive aspects within it.
There is to be a review of IDB policy to focus its resources more effectively, recruitment of the unemployed is to be encouraged and the paper acknowledges the socio-economic disparity suffered by the Catholic community.
Against these measures O'Hagan reminded the audience that after 22 years of equality legislation by the British the disparity between the Catholic and Protestant communities remained relatively unchanged; Catholics are still twice as likely to be unemployed than Protestants.
The biggest disparity being among the young which she described as ``a scandal'' and that ``discrimination is due to the sectarian nature of the state not lack of ability or large families. We need to keep pointing this out.'' She condemned the consultation process for the white paper as inadequate ``only seven paragraphs out of the 49 pages are open to comment. This shows that decisions have already been taken'' and that the ``consultation process is just a cosmetic exercise.''
In announcing this as the first in a series of seminars to raise awareness of the equality agenda Kearney said that it had been marginalised to some extent to the domain of the `expert' ``even though it was ordinary people who had raised the issue thirty years ago'' with the civil rights movement.
Caitriona Ruane spoke on the broader topic of equality, citing Sinn Fein as being the most progressive party, ``in terms of women rights''. But reminded everyone that much work had still to be done in ``challenging ourselves'' in areas like Gay rights and equality for the ethnic and disabled communities. She also praised the work already done in the cultural field saying we have a ``good language and cultural lobby here.''
She went on to speak of the huge opportunities which now exist to challenge the institutions of the state but warn of those within the system, particularly the civil service, who would resist change. Especially those who had shifted from overt discriminatory policies to most insidious methods. However, she did acknowledge that there were those civil servants within the system who would `scapegoat' their colleagues in other departments to avoid criticism themselves. And that there were also those who were afraid of those fighting for equality ``they are afraid of our strength and of our anger. They know we've been discriminated against in the past.''
In highlighting the equality agenda Ms Ruane affirmed that certain principles of policy had to be adhered to; which issues are negotiable and which are not, who our allies are both within the system and outside it, and grasping our opportunities when they present themselves.
O'Hagan pointed up the British government's lack of real commitment to equality by the fact that out of the 160 recommendations made by The Standard Advisory Commission on Human Rights , who were asked by the government to conduct a two year review of the current legislation, only a handful were accepted in the paper. The paper also dismisses the call for legislation in a number of areas with the excuses that it may put an ``excessive burden on employers'', that employers should still be allowed to subvert the equality agenda using the excuse of `security' considerations and that the target for resolving the inequality in the North is the year 2011. Some thirty five years after the first fair employment bill.
The Department of Economic Development are praised in the paper despite the fact that its Targeting Social Need policy has failed to meet its own targets.
O'Hagan stressed the need for the whole community to come together to campaign against this process which is ``fundamentally flawed. We need legislation which is owned by us.'' And added that it is the Nationalist community who are the ``real experts'' on discrimination as it is we who have suffered it first hand.
In a related development Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, speaking at the West Belfast Economic Regeneration conference organised by Ordus on Monday, June 1, said, ``The people of West Belfast, whether loyalist, or republican, or those of no politics, have had to deal with a set of very special problems. We have one of the highest levels of unemployment in the north, we have the highest levels of youth unemployment, we have exceptional levels of poor health and disability, we have the highest infant mortality rate, and we have levels of poverty and deprivation unmatched anywhere else.''
He went on to call for real investment in the area but not of the type seen recently were $5 million was spent building a new crown forces barracks on the Springfield road. He also emphasised the need for the 26 counties government to work closely with the party to ensure that the Good Friday document delivered an economic strategy on an all Ireland basis which would have clear objectives and time-frames. He added that ``The Good Friday document is a beginning. It has great potential if we can harness the energy, imagination, creativity of the people this area, as well as the international goodwill which exists.''