Equality
by Christopher McCrudden
The provisions will need to be put into effective operation. In this context there is a real difficulty. Ultimately, those who will have to operate this system day to day, particularly in the absence of devolved government, are the civil service and other public servants. The response of parts and I stress parts, of the public service to these initiatives has been problematic in the past. Often it has been ungenerous and lacking in imagination. Sometimes, it seems that it has been actively opposed to necessary change. If the Agreement is to mark a new beginning for Northern Ireland as is the wish of the vast majority of the population, all institutions have the obligation to change and adapt. The public service cannot be an exception to this, however difficult it must be for some to give up the almost unrestrained power they were able to exercise for a generation. For its own sake, as well as that of Northern Ireland as a whole, the civil service must not be seen as obstructive to this aspect of the Agreement. The Equality Commission can no doubt play a role in assisting the public service to adapt, but ultimately the responsibility will lie with the public service itself, and of course the members of the Executive and the Assembly, now re-established.
Much depends on the quality of the new Equality Commission and on its effectiveness in managing the transition form four separate bodies into one. Its first test was its skill in drawing up effective guidelines as to the criteria to be followed to comply with their statutory duty. Now, it will be important to ensure that the guidelines are adhered to by the public authorities in their day-to-day practice. There will be a substantial opportunity for the groups most affected to insert themselves into the policy-making process.
How far the promise of the Agreement's equality provisions is delivered
will depend therefore, on the commitment, determination and skill of all
the political parties, on a strong well-financed, and independent Equality
Commission, effective NGOs, and crucially, on the political will to place
equality at the heart of decision making. Using the new tools will be a
challenge for politicians to ensure that human rights and equality remain
central to political life, for civil service and public authorities to incorporate
a culture of human rights into administration, and for civil society to
use these tools imaginatively and persistently. A lasting peace depends
upon them all. |
