Political, Institutional and Legal Framework
The key argument of this essay is that our inherited political, institutional and legal framework is no longer ‘fit for purpose’ (if it ever was) to permit Irish Society to re-create itself on the basis of full social, economic and cultural equality.
For a society to flourish we need a new political framework. Radical change needs to happen within a short period of time. Five years is suggested as a realistic maximum time period in which the process of transformation needs to begin. This essay deals with the transformation of structures, rules and form of all political institutions.
However, we need to be conscious that for comprehensive and meaningful change to take place at C we also need to see change at levels of heart and mindset among those who govern and are governed and of ethos in communities, organisations and political institutions. This is fundamental to any project of fundamental social transformation and explains why various projects to reform society, economy and politics in the 20th Century failed so abysmally. In referring – by short-hand – to ‘Ireland’ and ‘Irish society’ throughout this paper, we are dealing specifically with the Republic. However, many of the principles and issues are similar on both sides of the border. A more comprehensive analysis of the need for political change in both parts of this island would necessitate a much longer paper.