Irish security policy Forum: Participation and protests
The detailed information on the Irish Government/Department of Foreign Affairs Forum on International Security Policy was – eventually – published on 31st May, just three weeks or so before the first Forum meets in Cork. Details are at www.gov.ie/consultativeforum The programme is regimented and filled with what the government wants (and who they want speaking), so it is extremely debatable what space pro-peace and neutrality groups will have though most are likely to grab what they can so the debate does not go by default. The public can send in written submissions but the online consultation form is prescriptive with stated questions and a maximum input of 500 words on any of them – but please use it and attend where possible (booking is necessary via the site above).
The intention behind Micheál Martin’s plans for the Forum is to provide a reason to remove the ‘triple lock’ on deployment of Irish troops abroad in the autumn, and the chair of the Forum was obviously chosen to adhere to, and advance, the Government’s plans through an illusion of consultation. Peace and neutrality groups rightly view the whole exercise as a sham but also a struggle against the removal of the last vestiges of Irish neutrality.
The official Forum meets in Cork – University College Cork on 22nd June: Galway – University of Galway, 23rd June: and Dublin – Dublin Castle, 26th and 27th June. In all cases registration is from 8.15am and sessions start at 9am, with the concluding session of the day starting at 5pm or 5.15pm. The full programme and booking info is in the link above. As there is a fairly early start, protests outside the venues are likely to begin from 8am and those who can are encouraged to attend. Here are details of alternative “People’s Forum” events:
Cork: The Cork Neutrality League (CNL) will jointly host the People’s Forum on Ireland’s Neutrality at 8pm on Tuesday 20th June at the Imperial Hotel, Cork. Bernadette McAliskey will address the gathering by Zoom, and other confirmed speakers include Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Dr Karen Devine and Councillor Ted Tynan. A protest will be held at the government forum at University College Cork on Thursday 22nd June at 8am. The Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, will address the forum at 9am. CNL state “This is a pivotal moment in the campaign to defend neutrality and resist the increasing militarisation of Ireland and Europe”. Email corkneutralityleague@gmail.com or visit Facebook www.facebook.com/CorkLeague
Galway: With details finalised, the original hotel booking by Galway Alliance Against War/GAAW was cancelled after threats were made to the hotel which felt it had no choice but to cancel the booking to protect guests and themselves. It was scheduled for 8pm on Thursday 22nd June, the eve of the Government Forum meeting and the line up of speakers for the event was Clare Daly MEP, Mick Wallace MEP, Catherine Connolly TD (Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the Dáil), Mairéad Farrell TD, Dr Karen Devine (academic and expert on Irish Neutrality), and George Galloway. Check out locally for alternative venue and time confirmation or see https://www.facebook.com/groups/312442090965 and contact galwayallianceagainstwar@gmail.com
Dublin: The People’s Forum will be at Liberty Hall on Monday 19th June at 6.30pm; speakers are Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Senator Frances Black, Catherine Connolly TD, Karen Devine, Cllr Daithí Doolan, Carol Fox and Thomas Pringle TD, with Bernadette McAliskey via Zoom. The event is sponsored by a wide variety of neutrality and peace groups including Afri, PANA, Irish Anti-War Movement/IAWM, World Beyond War, StoP, and a number of others.
Limerick: The People’s Forum meeting is on Saturday 17th June from 3pm – 5pm at Halla Ída, Conradh na Gaeilge, 18 Thomas Street, Limerick; speakers will be Ruairí Fahy, Senator Paul Gavan, Edward Horgan, Margaretta D’Arcy and John Lannon with Laura Wilkins in the chair.
lINNATE’s submission to the Forum will be published in the next issue of Nonviolent News.
PANA poll shows 87% support for Ukraine ceasefire
The Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) commissioned Ipsos Omnipoll to conduct a survey of Irish views on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The results showed a remarkable 87% of people in Ireland (Republic) support a ceasefire to facilitate negotiations in the Ukraine war. The question asked was: ” Are you in favour or not in favour of a ceasefire to facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war?” The response was: In Favour 87%, Not in Favour 8%, Don’t Know/No Opinion 5%. 1000 interviews were conducted by telephone among a nationally representative sample of individuals aged 15+. Roger Cole, PANA chair, stated “All political parties and the media must now seriously consider the opinion of the vast majority of the Irish people. In the year that marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that brought the war in Ireland to an end through a process of a ceasefire and negotiations, should we not retain this same philosophy in the horrific war now raging in the Ukraine.”. The PANA press release stated “This is a massive endorsement of PANA’s position taken at the very start of the war.” www.pana.ie and also https://www.pana.ie/posts/neutrality-nato-and-the-attack-on-irelands-triple-lock
Mediation NI: Course and setting a course in strategic plan
The next open access course ‘Mediation Theory and Practice’ from MNI/Mediation Northern Ireland begins in Belfast on 5th October and runs all day on Thursdays for 8 weeks; it is an introductory course introducing participants to a mediation process for use in two-party disputes and constructive relationship building. More details at https://mediationni.org/training/ Meanwhile MNI launched an ambitious three year strategic plan a while back, including increasing the number of those working for MNI and the services offered; more info can be found at https://mediationni.org/articles/
CAJ: The chill factor in Northern Ireland
The term ‘a cold house for…..’ is well known in the North. An issue of the CAJ/Committee on the Administration of Justice newsletter Just News takes a look at what that can mean for activists and academics, see https://caj.org.uk/publications/our-newsletter/just-news-april-2023/ You can check out a huge amount of information, briefings and publications, and their programme areas, on their website at https://caj.org.uk/
CGE: Development Education and Democracy
The latest issue of the Centre for Global Education’s journal, Policy and Practice, is on Development Education and Democracy; this is available on their website at https://www.developmenteducationreview.com/ Meanwhile CGE has published a new three year strategic plan which is available on their website at https://www.centreforglobaleducation.com/publications-free
VSI: Global issues, volunteer opportunities
Each month, on the last Tuesday of the month, VSI/Voluntary Service International host a short online workshop on a relevant global issue, related to social justice and sustainability. If you would like to receive notice about these, get in touch. info@vsi.ie Meanwhile there are two European Solidarity Corps 1-year volunteer opportunities for 18-20 year olds to be part of the VSI team in the Dublin office working on Programmes, Marketing and Communication; see https://www.vsi.ie/latest/join-the-vsi-office-team-as-a-european-solidarity-corps-volu/ (closing date 3rd July).
Track III Actions – Transforming conflicts from bottom-up
Recently launched in Belfast and Dublin, this book “Track III Actions – Transforming protracted political conflicts from the bottom-up”, is edited by Helena Desivilya Syna and Geoffrey Corry, published by De Gruyter, 264 pages, and looks at detailed case studies in Northern Ireland and Israel. For those who are not on track with ‘tracks’, Track III is outlined as “bottom-up interventions designed to transform protracted political conflict into constructive encounters among individuals and groups in deeply divided societies.” It is not possible to mention all the content but it includes a piece by the late Brendan McAllister about mediation and the Drumcree dispute in Portadown, and both Northern Irish and Israeli parts give valuable accounts of work being done, often in difficult or extenuating circumstances. More info at https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110698374/html Unfortunately the book is priced at ‘academic rates’ (£90),.
ICCL welcomes EU Parliament vote on AI, issues GDPR report
ICCL/Irish Council for Civil Liberties has welcomed an 11th May vote in the EU Parliament on the EU’s draft Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. ICCL states “The vote is a significant step towards finalising the Parliament’s position on the Act and represents a blow to the Irish Government’s plans to introduce facial recognition technology (FRT) for An Garda Síochána.” Dr Kris Shrishak, Senior Fellow, ICCL said: “The EU’s AI Act could become a global standard for regulation of AI systems. The stakes simply couldn’t be higher for people’s fundamental rights. Today’s vote is the result of extensive negotiations and compromises and sends a clear message that the Parliament feels AI should be strictly regulated to protect EU citizens’ rights. The Parliament has fixed many loopholes and has brought AI systems like ChatGPT within scope. But there are still many concerns……” More background at https://www.iccl.ie/news/iccl-recommendations-in-important-european-parliament-text-on-the-ai-act/
lMeanwhile ICCL’s 2023 report on GDPR shows 67% of the Irish Data Protection Commission’s GDPR investigation decisions in EU cases were overruled by majority vote of its European counterparts at the EDPB, who demand tougher enforcement action. See https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/iccl-2023-gdpr-report/
FOE supporters’ views on energy poverty
The results of a very interesting survey of Irish Friends of the Earth supporters’ views on energy poverty issues can be found at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/energy-poverty-survey-the-results-are-out/ What is wanted includes: Costs of retrofitting brought down and made more accessible; Retrofitting and heat pump supports targeted at those most in-need; Companies who have made record profits as a result of the energy crisis paying for retrofitting and renewable heating via Windfall Tax revenue; Targeted Government responses to the energy crisis instead of broad, universal energy credits.
Church and Peace on nuclear weapons, Ukraine
Church and Peace, the European ecumenical church peace network, at its recent meeting in Frankfurt, noted with disappointment that the G7 summit in Hiroshima had missed the opportunity to take a decisive stand for nuclear disarmament at that historic site. Earlier, Church and Peace, together with other supporters of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), had sent an open letter to Chancellor Scholz calling for the G7 summit to be the starting point for new nuclear disarmament negotiations, including the demand to end all nuclear bases on the territory of other states. In a statement Church and Peace went on to say “The current plans for stationing Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus show how urgent such an initiative would be. Moreover, the decision of the G7 summit to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine has increased the danger of a further escalation to the point of using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.” www.church-and-peace.org