Protection of Rights

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Thursday August 20, 2009 14:57

by Sean Crudden - impero

sean.crudden at iol dot ie

Jenkinstown, Dundalk, Co Louth.

0879739945

Which Is Better - The North or The South?

On a planet running out of ideas and resources can we guarantee or buy rights?

Sean Crudden

The McCluskey Civil Rights Summer School has as its theme this year "Protection of Rights in Ireland, North and South." The school commences a day-long session at 10 a.m. on Saturday 29 August 2009 in The Heritage Centre, Holy Trinity Church, Carlingford, Co Louth.

The dictionary definition of civil rights refers to the personal rights of the individual citizen as upheld and protected by law. It is taken to mean also the promotion of equality in regard to social, economic and political rights. In Ireland the term civil rights has the connotation of marches and street demonstrations behind banners calling for one man one vote in Ulster in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In that sense it was considered to be a grandiose and lofty aspiration worth taking a lot of trouble about and worth fighting for.

There is widespread disenchantment with politicians and our present political system and most people have switched off and are not worried about whether they vote again or who they will vote for.

However at an educational, religious, cultural level there is an important context of individual rights. At the level of the family, in school, in hospitals, before the law, none of us wants to be bullied or walked upon.

At a time when we are all expected to kowtow to the expert and the martinet a greater level of democracy in human relations was never more urgently needed.

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Comments (2 of 2)

How Did It Go?

Sat Aug 29, 2009 21:03

THE McCLUSKEY CIVIL RIGHTS SUMMER SCHOOL

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, CARLINGFORD, COUNTY LOUTH

SATURDAY 29th AUGUST 2009

THEME: "Protection of Rights in Ireland, North and South."

Saturday 29th August 2009

10.00 AM Registration & Coffee

10.30 AM SYMPOSIUM A:

"Finding Consensus in Northern Ireland on Protection of Rights

Chair and Leader: Professor Monica McWilliams
[Chair, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission]

Alasdair McDonnell MLA MP [Deputy Leader, SDLP]
Peter Weir MLA [DUP]
Martin McGuinness MLA MP [SF]
Cllr. Dr. John Kyle [PUP]

12.30 PM Lunch

2.00 PM SYMPOSIUM B:

"Is There a North-South Dimension to the Protection of Rights?"

Chair and Leader: Mr. Maurice Manning
[Chair, Irish Human Rights Commission]

Pat Rabbitte T.D. [Lab]
Baron John Laird [UUP]
Davy Adams [Formerly UDP] (Irish Times Columnist)
Susan McKay [Journalist, Author, CEO-National Women’s Council]

4.15 PM KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

Dr Garrett Fitzgerald
[Discussion]

8.00 PM An Audience with Gerry Anderson & Sean Donnelly

Gerry, (BBC Presenter & Stroke City Patriot), reads excerpts from his latest book, "Heads", and discusses with his audience the popular culture of Ireland in the Sixties and Seventies, while Sean (noted folk singer) renders some of Ireland’s best folk songs.

Comment

Well I thought the seminar was mildly interesting although most of the presentations were abstract, Jesuitical and lingo strewn. Quite a lot of self justification went on including from some quarters a sort of apologia for the application years ago in the Republic of section 31 of the broadcasting act.

The speakers that stood out in my humble opinion were Peter Weir in the first session and John Laird in the second session. It seems to me that although the unionist side of the house appears to be against a bill of rights in northern Ireland the two speakers I mentioned seemed to me to have a better instinct for civil and human rights than many on the nationalist side of the house. Laird seems to me to be a man who might be able to understand my insecurities (and yours) and who might worry a little about your personal rights and mine.

A gentleman from the audience whose name I did not catch made a substantial point in the morning in the discussion which followed the formal presentations from the "top table." He suggested that historically (in America for instance) the Ulster Scots tradition saw civil rights legislation as a way to protect the individual from those in positions of power. It is not pure paranoia to think that those in powerful positions can be capricious, uncaring, dangerous. The speaker made the point that power corrupts even the best of people.

"Aurea prima sata est aetas quae
vindice nullo sponte sua sine lege
Fidem rectumque colebant."

Ovid

My own opinion is that it is really impossible in a practical way to vindicate one’s rights through the law. Life is too short and the vagaries of the law are so uncertain. The gestation of legislation is slow and usually only echoes what is already everyday practice anyway. In fact it is one of the fundamental pursuits of life to create a space for oneself where one cannot be bullied or walked upon. Effort spent on avoiding problems is likely to be better rewarded than walking into problems and then trying to solve them.

Martin McGuinness was away in Boston at the funeral mass for Ted Kennedy and could not attend the summer school. All the other listed speakers turned up. Most of the seats in The Heritage Centre were occupied. Very few local people attended. Caroline is from Newcastle, Co Down, and Gisela is from Cork.