The Ulster People's College
30 Adelaide Park
Belfast BT9 6FY
Civic Forum: A View from the Ulster People's College
The Ulster People's College is aware of the degree of interest from the public in the Civic Forum as proposed by the Good Friday Agreement and welcomes the opportunity it creates for civil society to influence social, economic and cultural policy development in Northern Ireland.
The First and Deputy First Ministers have received more submissions on the Civic Forum than on any other subject within the Agreement. A sub-group of 6 parties worked on the proposal.
The process of formation of the Civic Forum framework is nearing completion, and a debate in the Assembly has ratified the proposals for all of the new structures.
The Ulster People's College highlights the extent to which the process to date contrasts with the one that established the Civic Assembly in Scotland. The Scottish process brought elected representatives and civil society representatives together to develop plans for a Civic Assembly (see attached notes on Scotland). This process balanced what can be seen as the competing interests of civil society and elected representatives in a way that has not yet been attempted in the Northern Ireland process.
The 'natural' and fairly universal antagonism in all democracies between elected representatives and those from civil society should be addressed by those charged with working on the issue of the Civic Forum. The practical development of the Civic Forum, once agreed in principle by the Assembly will be strengthened or weakened by the process which produces the first 'real' Forum.
Specific Proposals from the Ulster People's College
The Ulster People's College urges the direct inclusion of 'civil society' at this formative and crucial period. One way of looking at this is to say that the very act of forming the Civic Forum should reflect the intended ethos and practice of the Forum, once established. This would mean the blending of a consultative and non-party political element with the party-political sub-group to carry the proposals forward.
The Ulster People's College also argues for the development of a civic forum whose composition, structure and modis operandi reflects a commitment to community development and social inclusion.
There is a need for the Civic Forum to have structures strong enough and well enough resourced to ensure it can contribute to the constructive governance of Northern Ireland. For example, what is the mechanism linking the work of the Civic Forum to the Assembly which will optimise the contribution of civil society and will ensure that the work of the Civic Forum makes the best possible contribution to good governance in Northern Ireland?
The Ulster People's College argues that the sectors to be represented in the Civic Forum each take responsibility for the process that will put people into the Civic Forum. Guidelines for the selection of members should be drawn up in the light of best practice, and with the aid of relevant experts. The process should be transparent and capable of producing a civic forum which reflects the diversity of Northern Ireland society (as outlined in para. 5.7), whilst being drawn from the sectors to be represented.
As with many things, a balance has to be achieved between the perceived legitimacy and representativeness of the civic forum and the need for it to be able to work effectively and produce results which will justify its existence. A Civic Forum made up of the 'great and the good' will fail to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the public, as will one which is seen as 'broadly representative' but which adds nothing to the constructive governance and policy making process of Northern Ireland in a period of change.
The Ulster People's College is committed to the pursuit of active citizenship. That being the case, the relationship between the Forum and wider civil society is of central importance to the Ulster People's College. What perhaps ought to be balanced is the necessity of the Forum being seen as an integral institution within the new agreed structure and its remaining accessible to all. We suggest this could take a number of different forms, e.g.
a. Regular, regional, meetings of the Forum outside its permanent base.
b. Public consultation meetings organised around specific issues.
c. A regular newsletter and/or interactive web-site might also prove a useful mode of communication.
d. The establishment of the possibility for members of the public to raise
issues of concern similar, for example, to the Petition mechanism contained
within the Scottish Parliament. |
