Direct Democracy Ireland: Devolving the Decision-making Process
Direct Democracy Ireland -
DUBLIN—“Direct Democracy offers the opportunity for people to live in a fairer society by participating in the decision-making process on an ongoing basis – rather than ticking a box every four or five years.” This is what it says on Direct Democracy Ireland’s election flyer.
I contacted Mr Raymond Whitehead, founder and spokesperson from Direct Democracy Ireland (DDI) to find out more.
Mr Whitehead is a photographer, who started out as a teacher of meditation. “I had a go at running a vegetarian restaurant and a Mexican restaurant which didn’t work out; that was during the grip of another recession. After that, I was an athlete where I represented Ireland at international competitions at masters’ level … and I’ve devilled in bric-a-brac and antiques.”
Mr Whitehead says he has no political history at all, and is not that interested in politics.
“I have no interest in politics, except that I now feel as angry as every other person in this country, and frustrated at the way the country is going.”
“I think I have no choice now except to stand up and say what I think and what I feel, and I found so many people agreeing with me, but nobody was doing anything, and I thought: I need to do something about this. So I drew on my own experience from having lived in a country (Switzerland) that was a direct democracy. I saw the vast differences between the two countries, in the way the people feel about their country, about the fact that the citizens there feel that they own their country,” said Mr Whitehead.
“When you go to Switzerland it’s like one giant tidy town; people take huge pride in their country, they feel that they own their country, people don’t feel like here, where people just feel that they are disenfranchised.”
According to Mr Whitehead, until recently most Irish people thought that their home was their castle. “Many people’s homes are under threat now. They are not even sure that they own the roof over their head. People are frightened, they are angry, there are people committing suicide … and I feel that I can’t stand by and look at something like that.”
I asked Mr Whitehead what changes he hoped to bring about.
“I would like to see what we had in the 1922 constitution reinstated,” said Mr Whitehead.
“I would like to see Irish people feel that they have some control over their lives, over their local communities, and over their national communities. To be empowered and motivated; to get out and do something themselves about their own communities and their own country.”
Mr Whitehead said he thinks Irish people believe that that they have no control over their own destiny, that they are being dictated to from forces over which they have no control.
“We have no control over our own government. You vote someone in, you give away your power to somebody and you have no control after that. You keep your fingers crossed and hope everything goes well. That’s not good enough, that’s not a way to run a country, with your fingers crossed,” said Mr Whitehead.
“We have a government there that have been giving us two fingers for so long, they refused to get out of power even though they knew the people of this country wanted them out,” claimed Mr Whitehead.
“We have no mechanism to get rid of them, we need mechanism’s to engage with the political system, to engage with the politics at local and national level,” explained Mr Whitehead.
If you get elected, then what can you do?
“I can’t do anything, nothing; I want the people of Ireland to do it … the government are supposed to be servants of the people, not dictating, why should I be dictating to anybody? That’s how we [DDI] would be different; we would consult the Irish people, we would be there to serve the Irish people, not to dictate to them.”
Mr Whitehead said he wants the right to call a referendum put back on the table, where the public can decide to have a referendum if they collect enough signatures when they are concerned about an issue.
That way people don’t need to turn to street protests where the old have to stand in the cold to get heard, where many have to take time off work or away from their families to vent their concerns.
“Every decision does not need to be consulted with the Irish people, but the Irish people need to know what you [the government] are doing … they need to have the mechanism and the ability to interject and say no, not in my name. Look at NAMA and Anglo Irish Bank: Is there any person in this country who would have allowed the government to do what they are doing if they had the ability to stand in and say, no, not in my name?”
Mr Whitehead says that currently, DDI have no source of funding and are therefore self-funded. He hopes that the general public might help in that respect.
“Whether we are a party or not for the next election, we will be giving our backing to independent candidates who will go forward to represent our ideal of a direct democracy in this country, a real democracy, instead of the pretend democracy that we have.”
For more information go to www.DirectDemocracyIreland.com
2012-10-09 09:42:54
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