HUMAN RIGHTS HEAD CALLS FOR GREATER DIVERSITY WITHIN IRISH POLITICAL PARTIES
A RETIRED senior politician and president of the Irish Human Rights Commission has called on political parties in this country to run a minimum number of immigrant candidates in the next local elections in 2009.
“I generally don’t like the idea of quotas but I would like to see our parties aim to have a quota of immigrant candidates in place for the next local elections,” said Dr Maurice Manning, speaking at the launch of Immigration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland, edited by Bryan Fanning.
The quota system, Dr Manning added, would enable political parties to reflect the current diversity of Irish society and also promote social cohesion.
“It’s the right place to start integrating immigrants into the political process and the scale is small enough to enable a real start to be made,” he said.
Accessing the impact of immigration on society within the past ten years, Dr Manning – a former politician who served in both houses of the Irish parliament for 21 years – said that although much progress has been made, more needs to be done if the country is to be a genuinely inclusive society.
“Ordinary people, by and large, have adapted well,” he said. “All political parties have strong anti-racist policies and no party or individual has been accused of playing the racist card in this election. The media, by and large, takes its responsibility seriously and the schools are in many ways the unsung heroes.”
He continued: “Teachers’ organisations have prepared training material at their own initiative and at their own expense to guide their members, and these same members are doing extraordinary work to educate young immigrants in situations which could easily turn nasty and which for the most part are seriously under-funded.
“The police are much slower to change, which doesn’t surprise us very much, but at least the way is open for some migrant police members.”
Reacting to Dr Manning’s quota comment, Bryan Fanning told Metro Eireann that the statement has opened the door to what is a very important debate in the country. He said that it is now time for the political parties to give serious consideration to how they can reach out to immigrants.
“I generally don’t like the idea of quotas but I would like to see our parties aim to have a quota of immigrant candidates in place for the next local elections,” said Dr Maurice Manning, speaking at the launch of Immigration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland, edited by Bryan Fanning.
The quota system, Dr Manning added, would enable political parties to reflect the current diversity of Irish society and also promote social cohesion.
“It’s the right place to start integrating immigrants into the political process and the scale is small enough to enable a real start to be made,” he said.
Accessing the impact of immigration on society within the past ten years, Dr Manning – a former politician who served in both houses of the Irish parliament for 21 years – said that although much progress has been made, more needs to be done if the country is to be a genuinely inclusive society.
“Ordinary people, by and large, have adapted well,” he said. “All political parties have strong anti-racist policies and no party or individual has been accused of playing the racist card in this election. The media, by and large, takes its responsibility seriously and the schools are in many ways the unsung heroes.”
He continued: “Teachers’ organisations have prepared training material at their own initiative and at their own expense to guide their members, and these same members are doing extraordinary work to educate young immigrants in situations which could easily turn nasty and which for the most part are seriously under-funded.
“The police are much slower to change, which doesn’t surprise us very much, but at least the way is open for some migrant police members.”
Reacting to Dr Manning’s quota comment, Bryan Fanning told Metro Eireann that the statement has opened the door to what is a very important debate in the country. He said that it is now time for the political parties to give serious consideration to how they can reach out to immigrants.
