Programme for Government

Pygmalion

So the new programme for government is available now here (PDF file).

As expected it doesn't have a huge amount to say on matters of religious involvement/secularism, but there is a bit.

Of the things that I would consider "relevant" to this forum (not necessarily due to direct religious/secular influence, but because the issues often overlap with them) are:

Two relevant constitutional reviews.

• On the issue of same-sex marriage
• On the issue of blasphemy

A section on "bioethics":

• Clarify the law surrounding assisted human reproduction including the law relating parental relationships arising from assisted human reproduction
• Regulation of stem cell research
• A review on how to address the ECHR's decision on the "X Case"
• Changing the organ donation system to be opt-out instead of opt-in, to increase availability of organs

On Education:

• Negotiation of the transfer of school infrastructure currently owned by 18 religious orders cited in Ryan Report, at no extra cost, to the State.
• Encourage schools to develop anti-bullying policies and in particular, strategies to combat homophobic bullying to support students.
• Initiate a time-limited Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector to allow all stakeholders including parents to engage in open debate on change of patronage in communities where it is appropriate and necessary.
• Ensure that education system can provide sufficiently diverse number of schools, catering for all religions and none.
• People of non-faith or minority religious backgrounds and publically identified LGBT people should not be deterred from training or taking up employment as teachers in the State.

Other changes:

• We will enact legislation to prohibit the practice of Female Genital Mutilation for the protection of girls and women.
• We will ensure that trans-gender people will have legal recognition and extend the protections of the equality legislation to them.
• We will amend the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabiting Couples Act 2010 to address any anomalies or omissions, including those relating to children.
• We will modernise and reform outdated elements of family law. We will enact legislation to consolidate and reform the law on adoption.

Probably some things I've missed, and I've maybe included some things that I shouldn't have, but I tried to get them all.
I figure it'd be a fairly interesting topic to discuss, given the amount of badly needed changes promised by the incoming government.

Beruthiel

How fantastic it would be if all of the above are actually acted upon during this governments term!

Zamboni

I cannot see anything about patronage in the secondary system.

Labour did say they would make Educate Together a patron of secondary schools in the answers they gave to AI questions.

Hopefully having an Athiest Minister for Education in the form of Ruari Quinn should be a good thing.

CiaranMT

Watching the Live Dáil broadcast and they convene following a prayer. A practice I'd love to see end in my lifetime.

TheBigLebowski

Zamboni wrote: »

I cannot see anything about patronage in the secondary system.

Labour did say they would make Educate Together a patron of secondary schools in the answers they gave to AI questions.

Hopefully having an Athiest Minister for Education in the form of Ruari Quinn should be a good thing.

Quinn is in.

Dades

TheBigLebowski wrote: »

Quinn is in.

magicbastarder

Zamboni wrote: »

Hopefully having an Athiest Minister for Education in the form of Ruari Quinn should be a good thing.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0311/education.html

robindch

Good on him.

Dades

Ruairi Quinn wrote:

He said the forum, which forms part of the new Programme for Government, would focus not on whether this was a good idea but on how to make it happen.

I like the cut of his jib.

Gregor Samsa

Dades wrote: »

I like the cut of his jib.

Indeed, fair play to Ruairi Quinn. It's also actually really good that the CPMSA and indeed the Bishops themselves have welcomed the move and the pace of it. Hopefully we'll see concrete implementation of it by the time my daughter starts school. It's been a long time coming.

In 2005, Liz O'Donnell from the Progressive Democrats made a speech in the Dail calling for an end to the cozy relationship between the State and the Catholic Church. She called for an end to the State consulting with the Church on medical issue such as IVF, and stem cell research, and social issues such as contraception, abortion, adoption, homosexuality and marriage. She called for "radical change" to "the church’s almost universal control of education".

Remember, the PDs were in Government with FF at the time, but Bertie Ahern responded that the state couldn't possibly take over the education establishments from the Church - even though the state already pays for them and all the infrastructure is already in place. This, of course, was the same man who negotiated with the Church to relieve them of their burden of paying proper compensation to victims of CC abuse, and burden the tax payer with it instead.

I was never a fan of the PDs, but I did take the time to send Liz an email then to give her my support. I'm thrilled to see a Government Minister actually doing something about it now, and the fact that it's being made a priority in the first few days of the new Government, even when it would be very easy to put it on the back burner with all the economic troubles going on, bodes well for a speedy and successful implementation.

Zamboni

magicbastarder wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0311/education.html

Smashing stuff.
The guy is only in a couple of days and is moving already.
Himself and Diarmuid Martin have been singing from the same hymn sheet for a while. It's one of the reasons I was fairly confident he'd get Education.
Should have hit the bookies weeks ago :pac:

CiaranMT

Zamboni wrote: »

Smashing stuff.
The guy is only in a couple of days and is moving already.
Himself and Diarmuid Martin have been singing from the same hymn sheet for a while. It's one of the reasons I was fairly confident he'd get Education.
Should have hit the bookies weeks ago :pac:

Just viewing this myself now, fair play to him. Hopefully it's followed through upon.