Direct Democracy Ireland - Links

[C. Flower]

Direct Democracy Ireland is a new political group campaigning for direct electoral powers over government decisions.

The goal of Direct Democracy Ireland organisation is to create a political party that will field candidates, in all constituencies, in the next General Election. The aim of Direct Democracy Ireland is to introduce a system of direct democracy in Ireland, which will entail, at a minimum, the right of the people to:

1. Initiative – Any citizen can collect a certain number of signatures, (a certain % of the population), to call a referendum.
2. Referendum – The referendum will empower the people to negate Ministerial decisions, or Government legislation, such as NAMA.
3. Recall – A mechanism will also be introduced whereby politicians can be ‘fired’ if they are not performing their job to the satisfaction of the electorate.

The group has a Facebook group, and an email group, and has been holding weekly meetings in Dublin, at the Central Hotel on Tuesday nights at 8.00 pm.

http://www.directdemocracyireland.com/

[C. Flower]

I'm unclear if the group is in favour of recall of Government - the ability of the electorate to require a general election if a large enough number of people call for one.

Link to a "Direct Democracy" event in San Francisco, from the DDI FB page.

http://www.2010globalforum.com/

[ModestMouse]

I'm unclear if the group is in favour of recall of Government - the ability of the electorate to require a general election if a large enough number of people call for one.

Link to a "Direct Democracy" event in San Francisco, from the DDI FB page.

http://www.2010globalforum.com/

At this stage I would vote for Bosco if he stood for election.

[Garland Names the Planets]

Two words: Arnold Schwartznegger

[Anti-Coalition]

Two words: Arnold Schwartznegger

Could you elaborate on that Garland? Was that Arnold for Taoiseach?

[Binn Beal]

These are three sensible and democratic proposals which should be adopted but why a new political party?

[Anti-Coalition]

These are three sensible and democratic proposals which should be adopted but why a new political party?

So you think any of the existing parties are going to implement them, if they are in power?

[Binn Beal]

But seriously, why a new political party?

[C. Flower]

So you think any of the existing parties are going to implement them, if they are in power?

Is DDI in favour of right of the public to call a General Election ?

That seems to be the critical problem in terms of the limits on democracy we're facing here in Ireland.

[Peasant Philosopher]

Direct Democracy Ireland
A Manifesto
By
J. R Werbics
(The Peasant Philosopher)


A Call, Not to Arms, But to Action

There comes a time in the political life of all peoples, nations and states when the status quo no longer commands the respect and allegiance of those it is intended to serve. Regardless of whether these circumstances are found and formed from within society, or they are thrust upon a population due to foreign events—brought ashore simply by chance and bad luck. The onset of such happenings demands that a new course of action be brought forth by all individuals without partisan ideology or desire for personal aggrandizement.

It is this very situation that now confronts the citizens of the Irish Republic.

For no reason, want or action by the individuals who call Ireland home, we the people now face a world not of our making. Once where the future for all shone bright and strong, exemplified by the words Celtic Tiger and sovereign citizen, we now face a future of personal hardship, political uncertainty and economic misery.

It is this dire set of circumstances that now confronts every member of this Republic; the very foundation of the Irish state is at risk of collapse.

Unfortunately, the elected representatives of the Irish parliament, entrusted to prevent such a catastrophe from happening, are themselves complicit architects in these events and continue, to this day, to bring misery upon the Irish people.

We, the sovereign citizens of the Irish Republic, demand action and answers to this unacceptable set of circumstances.


We Are Not Alone...

As we look around the world, we, the people of the Irish Republic, can see that what afflicts us in our land also burdens all of mankind. From the islands that once made-up the Greek State and are now for sale to the millions on the Spanish mainland who have no prospect of employment; from the bankrupt and insolvent banking system enslaving the people of Iceland to a future world of deflation and economic loss; from the dwindling population that was once East Germany that has set out across the continent in search of work to the millions who no longer have a home due to foreclosure in the United States—these tens of millions who were working toward a prosperous future now find themselves in poverty, unemployment and depression.

Everywhere one looks in the Western world, there is a loss of hope and a future that brings false promise. We do not see the underlying cause of the Great Economic Collapse as necessarily a failure of capitalism or the idea of a free market, as much as it was a failure of representational democracy.

By the very hands of those who have been entrusted with the security and the prosperity of the state, those representatives who dwell in legislatures throughout the Western world, have we been deceived; when confronted with the totality of the economic collapse, they abused and usurped the trust which the people had given them. Ignoring their fiduciary role of overseeing the economy with responsibility, due diligence and with the economic rights of the individual of the state in mind, the representatives of many of the West’s democratic states, including our own here in the Republic of Ireland, offered to the wealthy and elite, the corporations and the banks a bailout, a grant, a loan that will forever relieve them of their financial obligations and loses incurred by poor investments and, in some cases, outright fraud, their debts wiped out and all allowed to continue on as if nothing ever happened!

The citizen of the Western world has been sacrificed as a broker and lender of last resort; set adrift to fend for himself, with nary an apology, policy or plan to right the wrongs or begin a path of redemption and possible salvation for the members of these States.

For us, the poor and the working class, born without privilege and the chance to work toward prosperity stolen, our dollars are worth pennies and pocket lint trumps change!

It is the betrayal of trust and confidence in those who were elected to lead that has brought us, the people of the Irish Republic, to a point where we must ourselves bring forth action and answers for a world now filled without possibility and purpose.



The Coming Democratic Renaissance

As if an economic collapse was not enough, over the last few years we the Irish people have continued to see a never ending flow of sovereignty and responsibility from our parliament to the unelected councils, commissions and courts found on the continent in the European Union.

Decisions that affect the lives of every individual in the Republic of Ireland have been influenced, corralled and gathered in fewer and fewer hands. And this despite the embracing by the Irish people of electoral reforms such as the alternative vote and proportional representation.

Most disturbing is the fact that too many academics, political activists and legislators continue to describe, define and ameliorate electoral reform with a broadening of the democratic process. Furthermore, many who comment and advocate for these electoral schemes remark that this weakening of the democratic process and the erosion of the rights of the individual is a natural occurrence in the creation of a just progressive state. They define this new federalism with its appointed ministers, judges and bureaucrats as the only viable and sustainable form of government for the future. They say that this reality of diminished individual rights and limited political choice is what the Irish people want. We say...

that we see just the opposite!

We see a coming democratic renaissance on the horizon.

All around the world, more and more people are demanding an increased say in how government is run. From the Tea Party in America to the Swiss model of direct democracy; from the anti-HST battle in British Columbia, Canada to the endless number of non-governmental organizations that make up civil society, who practise a form of democracy in their corporate structure —all are demanding more democracy, not less.

Just over the horizon is a future with more public participation in every decision-making process the state currently reserves for its elected representatives. From the formation of the judiciary to the proper choice of the executive invested to run the Irish bureaucracy to those chosen to administer and regulate the taxation department and distribute the finances of the Irish Republic, more public participation is not as the problem, it is the solution.

We come to these conclusions through our understanding of the written history of the ongoing evolutionary cycle that is the democratic process and system. Representational democracy is only the first of many steps to individual sovereignty, greater political freedom and economic prosperity for all.

Our history on this island was founded upon the idea of public participation. With the creation of the Free Irish State in 1922 and along with it our first Constitution, referendum by the people was a stated fact.

It is from this staring point of the right of the Irish people to administer the State through referendum that we see the beginnings of our contribution to this coming democratic renaissance.

There is no need to repeat the victories of the past. Hard won human rights, liberties of association and expression, and political, economic and legal freedoms secured over the past 250 years are the foundation upon which the Direct Democracy Party of Ireland is founded.

The values of freedom and choice that the Irish people have cherished and fought for will not be forgotten, and will instead be strengthened and enhanced.

Nor should we or will we relinquish our obligations and responsibilities to our fellow citizens of the European Union; we will honour our commitments and responsibilities through the various treaties and laws already signed and enacted by the Irish State. Further, our intentions and policies ensure that we will honour all existing responsibilities and obligations to the world community by continuing to interact with all world bodies of authority such as the World Court, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations.

We believe that the policies and programs we want to bring forth to the Irish people will be the answers our representatives in the legislature have so far failed to provide.

If we are to turn the tide of this endless downward spiral that encompasses nothing but higher taxes, a limiting of the freedom of political thought, and an economic dead end, we must rally together to put forward policies that work for all, not just a few. If we are to bring prosperity and hope back to the Irish people, we must work together regardless of religion, class or education.

If we are to find the solutions for this Republic, we will need your help.

If you feel as we do, then join with us, the Direct Democracy Party of Ireland, in this historic opportunity to help and expand the democratic process and blaze a new path towards individual freedom, political choice and economic prosperity.


The Founding First Principles of the Direct Democracy Party of Ireland

(This section to be filled in later)

[C. Flower]

Welcome, Peasant Philosopher. I hope you enjoy posting here. That's a very useful first post.

I see "Tea Party"...

Are you anti-immigrant libertarians ?

[Anti-Coalition]

Direct Democracy Ireland
A Manifesto
By
J. R Werbics

Thanks for posting your proposal for a DDI manifesto JR. I was just reading this this morning, and like a lot of the ideas. I do think it rambles a little, but is a good start. I will post my own draft here soon too.

Take a look a the Sinn Fein 1918 manifesto, for something a little more digestible:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_F%...Manifesto_1918

[C. Flower]

Thanks for posting your proposal for a DDI manifesto JR. I was just reading this this morning, and like a lot of the ideas. I do think it rambles a little, but is a good start. I will post my own draft here soon too.

Take a look a the Sinn Fein 1918 manifesto, for something a little more digestible:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_F%...Manifesto_1918

Thanks for clarifying that that isn't an official manifesto of DDI.

Is DDI part of a wider global movement ?

[Anti-Coalition]

But seriously, why a new political party?

Because there is a gap in the market, and a market in the gap

OK, seriously, because:

(a) none of the existing parties are proposing to change the system, and make it more democratic.
(b) the current system is undemocratic
(c) by forming a party we will make our aim to introduce and oversee the implementation of direct democracy, e-government, and real sustainable development - none of which the present parties are proposing
(d) the only way to guarantee a a fundamental change is to form a party and be democratically elected, and then legislate.
(e) election is the most democratic way of bringing about change

[Anti-Coalition]

Thanks for clarifying that that isn't an official manifesto of DDI.

Is DDI part of a wider global movement ?

We have no official links with any other organisation internationally, though we are in the process of building informal alliances. it would be great to have the 2011 Global Forum in Ireland, for instance