Claiming Our Future reconvene Back Lane Parliament to outline civil society priorities

CLAIMING OUR FUTURE
AN EVENT TO HIGHLIGHT THE POLICY PRIORITIES OF CLAIMING OUR FUTURE
In Tailors' Hall, Back Lane, Dublin on Wednesday 9th February at 1pm

In 1792 Irish Catholics still did not have voting rights in elections to the Irish Parliament. This disenfranchisement had been the subject of considerable agitation in the preceding years. Wolfe Tone toured the country on foot of a circular sent to 'Roman Catholic Gentlemen' in every county. He sought to convene a Catholic Convention. This convention met in Tailors' Hall and was to become known as the Back Lane Parliament.
In 2011 the Irish people have a sense of disenfranchisement despite the calling of an election. A new Government will be elected that is bound by the conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding with the ECB, the European Commission, and the IMF. The election itself has been timed to take place after the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, after the publication of a four year National Recovery Plan and after the passage through the Dail of a Budget that will deepen inequality and exclusion in Irish society.
Equality, environmental sustainability and people's participation in decision making have not been an adequate focus in the political debate that is taking place around these elections. There is a remarkable absence of vision in this debate as to the sort of Ireland we wish to see emerge from the crises that currently engulf us. This is a source of disenfranchisement to the many people who participating at the Claiming our Future assembly late last year which identified equality, environmental sustainability and participation as key values to shape a future Ireland.
The Back Lane Parliament met on the 2nd December 1792. It passed a resolution to the King 'humbly beseeching -- that we may be restored to the elective franchise and an equal participation in the benefits of trial by jury' and elected a delegation to bring this resolution to London.
On 9th February 2011 Claiming our Future is convening a meeting to highlight the values and policy priorities agreed at the Claiming our Future assembly last October. In convening this meeting Claiming our Future seeks to challenge the disenfranchisement of voices for equality, environmental sustainability and participation in this election. A document setting out the Claiming our Future policy priorities will be presented. This document will then be formally sent to all the leaders of the political parties contesting this election to seek a response to this challenge.
In 1792 the petition to the King had little effect. In 2011 we expect a more positive response.

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