It is an honour to be here today, for the inaugural meeting of Ireland’s first
Constitutional Convention.
As members of this Convention you have been bestowed with a unique
responsibility. A responsibility, not only to your fellow men and women
– fellow citizens – but also to the future. A responsibility to the coming
generation. That their country, and ours, is a worthy inheritance.
The Constitution is a document that, uniquely, reflects our past; governs our
present; and is our guiding torch into the future. It is not just the framework for
our laws today: it is also an expression of our aspirations as a people.
The 1937 Constitution has served us well. It sought to heal the lingering
wounds of an independence struggle that had been bloody and bitter, while also
setting out the architecture of a republic that was democratic, and Irish. And,
by and large, it worked. Ireland is only one of a handful of European countries
with a continuous record of democratic government since its foundation.
But it is also true to say, that the 1937 document reflected aspirations for our
country as they were in the 1930s. A time when one Church had a special
place; when women were second class citizens; when homosexuality was a
criminal offence. A time when Europe was on the brink of its second war in a
generation, rather than, as now, closer integration.
We have seen how our Constitution has not always served the citizens of our
country equally, in particular the nation’s children. The recent amendment on
children’s rights will, I hope, remedy that omission.
And we might also ask ourselves, whether better safeguards for better
governance could have protected our state, which found itself among the most
vulnerable when the global financial crisis hit in 2008.
The idea for a citizen’s convention to examine our Constitution came against
the backdrop of the most profound crisis our country had ever faced. Caught
in a perfect storm, where a world crisis, a European crisis, and a domestic crisis
met, the very viability of our independent state was in question. Confidence in
our institutions – in Government, in the banking system, and, in recent years,
the Church – had been shaken to its core. It was, as Professor Brian Farrell has
observed of De Valera’s 1930s, a dangerous time for democracy.
Then, as now, our democracy depends on our collective faith in it. On our
confidence that it is relevant to our daily lives, and that it reflects the beliefs, the
hopes and the values of our people.
When this Government took office in February of last year, we did so with a
strong mandate to reform our politics, our parliament and our public services.
We have made good progress:
The rules about political donations have been changed, to break the link
between big money and politics; and, in future, public funding for political
parties will be dependent on their candidates in a general election being at least
40 per cent women.
This Dáil sits more frequently; TDs have much greater opportunity to raise
important issues of the day; and Brendan Howlin will be introducing legislation
to allow for Dáil committees to conduct investigations into matters of public
interest.
And the newly-created Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is
undertaking the most far-reaching reform of our public service to date.
But democracy is not just about Government. It is about each of us, as citizens,
as voters, taking responsibility for our future. That, at its core, is what this
Constitutional Convention is about. To take a considered view of the rules that
bind us. To ask ourselves whether they reflect who we are now. Whether they
reflect the kind of country that we want to hand on to our children.
A country that is compassionate, fair and tolerant. A country whose democracy
brings out the best in us, as a people. A country that embodies the ideals of a
republic: that each of us has equal rights, as individuals, but that we also have
a collective obligation to each other. And it is through that obligation to each
other, we achieve far more than acting alone.
You are coming together, as individuals, as elected representatives from North
and South. You will be bringing your personal judgement, your particular
life experience, and your values to questions of political reform, and to social
reform. To questions as diverse as electoral reform, the right to vote for
emigrants, the role of women, and same sex marriage.
But you are being asked not to decide what is the best path forward for you
personally; you are being asked to make a judgement on what is best for our
country; for us, together, as a community; and for the coming generations.
Not change for change’s sake, but neither to be fearful of questioning our
Constitution, and the role of the State in our lives.
It is no small task. Indeed, it is a critically important one. And in return, we –
the Taoiseach and myself, and our respective colleagues in Government – have
committed to giving your recommendation our considered attention, and to
making a decision on how to proceed within four months of receiving it. And,
of course, the Oireachtas will also have an opportunity to debate it.
In the best spirit of democracy, this Convention will be a shared exercise.
Shared between our citizens, our elected representatives and our Government.
A shared exercise, for a shared future.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Tom Arnold, for agreeing
to take on the role of chairperson. I have known Tom for many years, and he
embodies the ideals of service – service to the community, service to the public
interest – that are at the heart of this Convention.
And I would like to thank you – our fellow men and women, fellow
representatives – for giving your time, your energy and your talents to this
endeavour, and I wish you every luck with it.