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    • Archive for January, 2010

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    Government to help Irish in Barbados?

    Friday, January 29th, 2010

    Will the Irish government come to the assistance of the so-called “Red Legs”, the descendents of Irish (as well as English and Scottish) people transported 400 years ago to Barbados to act as slaves? As many as 50,000 Irish people were transported to Barbados as slaves and indentured servants during Cromwell’s time; the community that survives numbers about 400, and suffers from poverty and ill health.

    Their plight was the focus of a written question in the Dail, which has appeared on KildareStreet.com. The Q and A is below. In it, Minister Martin notes that Irish Abroad Unit officials have met with representatives of the community, and expresses and openness to funding projects as part of the normal emigrant support funding round.

    This kind of outreach is yet another sign of the Irish government’s innovative commitment to strengthening and developing its relationship with the Irish diaspora. How many countries are working to re-establish relationships like this one between Ireland and this small community, which was  so cruelly severed four centuries ago?

    Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
    Question 674: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has assisted the Redleg people of Irish slave decent in Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and other Caribbean states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1475/10]
    Micheál Martin (Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs; Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
    The Irish Abroad Unit within my Department maintains a keen interest in all aspects of the Irish experience of emigration, both forced and voluntary, and has active programmes aimed at strengthening our links with Irish communities overseas; including in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Europe and Asia.
    While we have no active programme in the Caribbean at present, officials from the Irish Abroad Unit have held a number of exploratory meetings since 2008 with representatives of the descendents of those Irish people who were deported by Oliver Cromwell to Barbados in the 17th Century. During these discussions, the group were encouraged to maintain contact with the Government and to reflect further on the most appropriate way to recognise this unique community within the Irish Diaspora.
    Representatives of the community are welcome to submit an application for funding under the Emigrant Support Programme when the 2010 grant round is launched in March by my Department.

    Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

    Question 674: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has assisted the Redleg people of Irish slave decent in Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and other Caribbean states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1475/10]

    Micheál Martin (Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs; Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

    The Irish Abroad Unit within my Department maintains a keen interest in all aspects of the Irish experience of emigration, both forced and voluntary, and has active programmes aimed at strengthening our links with Irish communities overseas; including in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Europe and Asia.

    While we have no active programme in the Caribbean at present, officials from the Irish Abroad Unit have held a number of exploratory meetings since 2008 with representatives of the descendents of those Irish people who were deported by Oliver Cromwell to Barbados in the 17th Century. During these discussions, the group were encouraged to maintain contact with the Government and to reflect further on the most appropriate way to recognise this unique community within the Irish Diaspora.

    Representatives of the community are welcome to submit an application for funding under the Emigrant Support Programme when the 2010 grant round is launched in March by my Department.

    It was, presumably, a recent TG4 programme  that highlighted the plight of this deprived outpost of the Irish diaspora and prompted Mr Varadkar’s question. The Irish Times also has a great article on this community.

    Related websites:

    Tracking the emigrant voting issue

    Friday, January 29th, 2010

    The issue of votes for Irish emigrants is rising in prominence, as evidenced by the increasing number of articles appearing on the topic. Here’s what’s been said in recent weeks:

    2010: March

    February

    January

    Articles and letters to editor

    Dail mentions:

    Political groups

    2009

    European-based web articles

    The articles above seem to imply that Irish-born voters who live and work in Europe can retain their right to vote by returning to Ireland to do so. Of course,  those who are not ordinarily resident in Ireland are ineligible to vote in Ireland, unless they are in the military or the diplomatic corps.

    Charter for a New Ireland revisions Ireland as global nation

    Thursday, January 28th, 2010

    I’ve already written about Amhran Nua, the new political party that is announcing its formation with a campaign for emigrant voting rights. Another, unrelated, political movement is also underway with a related theme: to re-envision Ireland as a truly global nation – a new global Irish republic comprised of both its residents and its diaspora. The vision is being advanced by a collaborative group led by Raymond Sexton of Tangible Ireland, developing a “Charter for a New Ireland”.

    Is such a de-territorialised state possible? I don’t know.  What the charter (which I’ve copied below) reminds me of most is the “node-state” notion of Israel (which I’ve noted in the past). As with the Israeli “node-state” idea advanced by Ariel Beery, this vision decouples not only citizenship and residency (although residency and citizenship in Ireland are already relatively loosely connected),  but also as the nation from the state.

    As I said previously:

    This idea of the nation-state giving way to a node-state has implications for a country like Ireland, which says in its constitution, “the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.� With millions of Irish citizens living abroad, and with efforts to enhance the relationship between Ireland and the diaspora and Ireland on the increase, it could be argued that Ireland, too, may be moving toward a node-state (albeit, I hope, a more inclusive one than Israel’s, which excludes some in its territory from citizenship).

    Could Ireland be reconceived as a node-state including all on the island of Ireland, plus the 1.2 million Irish-born abroad, and the 70 million in the diaspora? And what would that mean in practical terms?

    This charter appears to be an attempt to say yes to the first question and provide a foundation to underpin an answer to the second. It’s an exciting idea: has the world changed enough to encompass a nation it is impossible to emigrate from, because where ever you are, there it is?

    It’s a big vision. It will be worth watching to see what comes of this.

    One of the first steps the group is taking is to explore the notion of political participation by the Irish abroad. The issue of emigrant voting rights is beginning to look like a question that isn’t going to go away.

    ____________

    Here is the statement from Tangible Ireland:

    DEVELOPING A CHARTER FOR A NEW IRELAND
    The Irish are a courageously global people.  Ireland is both the earth wire for this people and the source of great pride as it took its place among the free nations of the earth, but one small island in the Atlantic can no longer limit our dreams and aspirations.  In an era of serial crises, Ireland, beset with institutional and leadership problems, seeks a new way of moving forward.
    Combining the Irish in Ireland and the Irish Diaspora to create the Global Irish will unleash the power of a people of great art, creativity and energy.  Moving beyond one small island frees us from parochialism and allows us to enhance our contribution to the world.

    To ignore the Irish outside Ireland is an act of wanton neglect.  To view the Diaspora as a source of handouts is mutually insulting.  To create the structures that guarantee the inclusion and participation of all the Irish in the life of the nation is to create the global Irish Republic.  Once created, Irish emigration ceases; from that day, Irish people are always at home and Irish nationalism is replaced by Irish internationalism.

    All Irish-born people are entitled to citizenship.  The descendants of our emigrants together with immigrants toIreland and others with a strong affinity to Ireland should be entitled to apply for citizenship of a global IrishRepublic.  All citizens should have appropriate representation in the houses of Irish government and the opportunity to contribute to developing Ireland’s role in the world.  This global Irish Republic should be a non-ethnic, true republic in which we can all participate and take pride; it should not tolerate domination, segregation or sectarianism.

    It is now time to find and work with the willing to develop the policies, projects and structures that will breathe life into Global Irishness.  This will be the development of an active Charter for a New Ireland.  Through collaborative leadership we can create a culture of shared excellence throughout the Irish world.  We can build a truly dynamic and sustainable economy that benefits all our people and powers the social services necessary for a humane society.  No longer content with mediocrity or with the worst of the ways of the past, with passivity, deference and dependence, we will apply the full range of skills, qualities and abilities of all our people to the challenges we face.

    Our first tasks are to:

    • Describe the appropriate level and form of representation for the Irish abroad
    • Clarify our expectations of ourselves as citizens of a global Irish Republic
    • Demonstrate an Ireland of Excellence

    No man has the right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation.  No man has the right to say to his country thus far thou shalt go and no further. We have never attempted to fix the ne plus ultra to the progress of Ireland’s nationhood, and we never shall.

    - Charles Stewart Parnell

    See more on the Tangible Ireland website.

    Petition campaign launched for emigrant voting rights

    Thursday, January 28th, 2010

    A new political party calling itself “Amhran Nua” has launched an online petition to grant voting rights to emigrants. I don’t know much about this group, but its vision statement calls for a “country based on transparency and accountability, equality, growth and prosperity, peace and freedom, for our future and the future that we hand to our children.”

    Interestingly, it’s also pledging to work with the diaspora specifically to prevent further emigration:

    All too often, our best and brightest have left our shores for far off lands, separated from their families and homes. Our aim is to work with those who have left and those who are here to prevent more of this sorrowful loss, as president John F Kennedy said to the Dáíl in 1963, “If this nation had achieved its present political and economic stature a century or so ago, my great grandfather might never have left New Ross, and I might, if fortunate, be sitting down there with you.”

    The notion that Ireland’s diaspora may have a role to play in Ireland’s future is evidently becoming a more commonly expressed thought in various sectors of Irish society.

    So it’s only natural, I guess, that this idea is leading to an increasing number of calls for votes for the Irish abroad. This petition is the latest in a small flowering of efforts aimed at opening up the Irish political system to voices from abroad.

    The petition calls for:

    We propose to implement full emigrant voting rights for Irish emigrants, for anyone holding an Irish passport and who was born in Ireland, and spent at least sixteen years ordinarily resident in the country. This could be done in a very straightforward manner, in a similar fashion to online banking done by Irish banks.

    Upon confirmation of identification and issuance of codes, emigrants could then vote via the internet in national elections and referendums, registered in their last Irish constituency, (if its good enough to secure something like bank account numbers and transactions, it should do quite well for voting).

    Is Ireland ready for this campaign? It will be interesting to see what kind of support they will get for this petition – but already it’s heartening to see that the level of debate on the issue is being raised. I’ve read many of the Dail debates of the past on this issue, and they were marked by a distinct lack of information about how common emigrant voting really is. This group has seized on the fact that emigrant voting is the norm in the developed world, that there are 115 countries in the world that have already figured it out, and that there are creative ways of ensuring that the emigrant vote is enacted fairly (as outlined in my factsheet on emigrant voting rights).

    I have written a lot about emigrant voting rights around the world, and one of my goals has always been to ensure that if there was going to be a debate on this issue in the future, it should be done on a factual basis, unlike how it has sometimes been conducted in the past. I must say I feel some level of satisfaction that we are getting closer to achieving this.

    See Amhran Nua’s website for more information and the petition.

    Minister Martin: Recommendations for emigrant votes for presidential elections mandated

    Thursday, January 28th, 2010
    Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
    Question 676: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the campaign on votes for Irish emigrants in view of the fact that 115 countries already support this view; and if he will use this initiative to support the economy here. [1614/10]
    Micheál Martin (Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs; Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
    My colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government has primary responsibility for the various legislative codes dealing with the registration of electors and the conduct of elections and referendums. Policy regarding votes for non residents is dealt with by the Franchise section of that Department.
    The question of voting rights for Irish citizens living abroad was most recently considered in 2002, by the All-Party Committee on the Constitution . In relation to emigrant participation in political life, the Committee concluded that the right to vote in Oireachtas elections should remain confined to citizens ordinarily resident in the State.
    However the renewed Programme for Government, agreed in October 2009, mandates that recommendations should be made on the feasibility of extending the franchise for Presidential Elections to the Irish abroad. It will be the responsibility of the Department of Environment to progress this issue.
    The Government attaches a high priority to the interests of Irish emigrants. Under my Department’s Emigrant Support Programme, over €60M has been allocated to Irish welfare, culture and heritage organisations abroad over the past five years. A further €12.M has been allocated to the Programme for 2010, which will allow us to continue to maintain and strengthen links with Irish communities abroad.

    The issue of votes for emigrants arose in the Dail in a written question asked by Independent TD Finian McGrath earlier this month. Here is the exchange with Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin.

    Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

    Question 676: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the campaign on votes for Irish emigrants in view of the fact that 115 countries already support this view; and if he will use this initiative to support the economy here. [1614/10]

    Micheál Martin (Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs; Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

    My colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government has primary responsibility for the various legislative codes dealing with the registration of electors and the conduct of elections and referendums. Policy regarding votes for non residents is dealt with by the Franchise section of that Department.

    The question of voting rights for Irish citizens living abroad was most recently considered in 2002, by the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. In relation to emigrant participation in political life, the Committee concluded that the right to vote in Oireachtas elections should remain confined to citizens ordinarily resident in the State.

    However the renewed Programme for Government, agreed in October 2009, mandates that recommendations should be made on the feasibility of extending the franchise for Presidential Elections to the Irish abroad. It will be the responsibility of the Department of Environment to progress this issue.

    The Government attaches a high priority to the interests of Irish emigrants. Under my Department’s Emigrant Support Programme, over €60M has been allocated to Irish welfare, culture and heritage organisations abroad over the past five years. A further €12.M has been allocated to the Programme for 2010, which will allow us to continue to maintain and strengthen links with Irish communities abroad.

    Source:

    KildareStreet.com: Election Management System: 19 Jan 2010

    Emigrant services cut to be debated in Seanad

    Thursday, January 28th, 2010

    The 14% cut in emigrant services announced in the December’s budget will be the subject of a Seanad debate, after being raised by the Labour Party’s Spokesperson on Community Affairs, Senator Dominic Hannigan.

    The cut in emigrant services was unfortunate in light of the sharply increased need for additional services. With emigration rising, there is surely more need than ever before for the kinds of information services and social supports made possible by the funding provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is disturbing to see the reversal of the increases which have done so much in recent years to alleviate the situation of the most vulnerable of our citizens abroad.

    It is particularly disturbing to realise that these cuts have gone even beyond what was called for in the McCarthy report. The McCarthy report called for cuts of 7%, or 2 million euro.  In 2008, the Irish government contributed €15m to Irish groups mostly in Britain and the US, but also in Canada, South Africa, Argentina, China and Australia.

    Speaking about the cuts, Senator Hannigan said yesterday:

    “I know there is disappointment in emigrant communities about the proposed 14 per cent reduction in support funding. This is greater than the cut proposed by An Bord Snip Nua and very disappointing. It will mean that without a doubt, services will suffer. Already there has been an increase in the incidence of dementia among older Irish people living in the United Kingdom and also an increase in the number of Irish people being made homeless.

    “The majority of the funding from the Emigrant Support Programme goes to welfare and advisory groups who deal with those at the front line of poverty. These people are often marginalised in the new community they moved to because of a lack of opportunity at home.

    “These cuts will mean reduction in funding support for cultural centres, places in which first, second and third generation Irish learn about their heritage and culture. It is very important that we support Irish citizens who had to leave these shores to seek a better future abroad.”

    The date for the debate has not yet been released.

    Related sites:

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