Post by Harry on Apr 10, 2007 13:59:16 GMT
Equality – A Loyalist Perspective
An equal society is one in which all citizens have access to equal opportunity for social and economic advancement. It is therefore an ethical political imperative that we proclaim that all men and women are born equal in dignity and worth and are, therefore, to be valued as such.
Large sections of the working and workless unionist community have never enjoyed such a society. We have lived in a society where there has been a hierarchical, pyramid type structure. If the working class nationalist community lived in the basement of that structure, the working class unionist community lived on the first floor.
Traditional unionism has always sought to foster an hierarchical society, or pecking order, where economic power and the opportunity for social advancement were reserved for the chosen few – those to whom we were encouraged to doff the cap.
Our community has often been divided over the constitutional issue and as a result we were never able to address the issues of inequality or injustice. If one section did, it immediately became “their issue”.
The Good Friday Agreement and particularly the equality agenda within in, gives us the opportunity to level the playing field. It gives working class communities an opportunity to get up off their knees, all of them, and climb the stairs to the top floor.
A lot of this depends on, not just legislation, but the political will to implement it. In real terms there has not been a great deal of change in ‘liberal’ unionist thinking. Words like equity and equality are still as foreign to some ‘liberal’ unionists as they were to the mindset of the landed gentry who preceded them. Many are still of the belief that some are born to lead and others born to follow. Certain elements of the civil service are none too comfortable with the principle of equality either.
It is our estimation that we are going to have to wrestle the equality agreement section by section, paragraph by paragraph from these people.
The legislation is in place but we are going to have to fight to get it implemented. Thankfully there are those, like ourselves in working class unionism that are determined to engage in such action. But to be effective we must work in partnership with other disadvantaged sections of our community such as minority ethnic groups, women and people with disabilities.
We have to co-operate in a common endeavour to ensure that the “equality agenda” as contained in the Good Friday Agreement is implemented in full and in a wholly undiluted form.
Equality has, of course, become a dirty word. It is a concept that was grossly devalued during the reign of Margaret Thatcher and which is still devalued by the front-line warriors of the New Right who are constantly seeking to create an underclass which can be discarded as worthless and used as scapegoats for the social ills of marginalised communities and inner city ghettos. We are constantly exposed to the “back to basics”, “family values” then everything will be alright. What about the unemployed? What about one parent families? What about old age pensioners? We’re not going away you know!
If we are ever to give real substance and practical expression to the cliches of the post cease-fire period – parity of esteem, respect for diversity, inclusive dialogue, sharing of responsibility, confidence building etc, - we must once again popularise the socialist concept of equality, one of opportunity and resources for all. More importantly, we must develop and implement the policies that enable people to practice equality in all aspects and spheres of human life.
Just as no-one in our society has a monopoly on suffering, no-one in our society should have a monopoly on equality and justice. The rights of every individual or group have to be upheld, whether it is a woman, a gay man, a Chinese girl, an African man, a marcher or a peaceful protester.
Equality is essential to democracy.
Northern Ireland will never be truly democratic if any section of it is excluded from the institutions of state, and that includes the whole working class community – which for far too long has been told that it’s place in society (especially in politics) is to follow where the privileged classes decide to lead.
Equality for us will mean the removal of both privileges and deprivations so that both opportunity and positive outcomes are truly available to all.
Equality is essential if proper relationships are to be promoted, for it is the fuel that drives people into democratic relationships. It is the glue that bonds them in proper democratic actions and it will be the power behind a thriving non-sectarian process of participative democracy.
Dawn Purvis
Progressive Unionist Party
www.pup-ni.org.uk/party/articles.aspx
An equal society is one in which all citizens have access to equal opportunity for social and economic advancement. It is therefore an ethical political imperative that we proclaim that all men and women are born equal in dignity and worth and are, therefore, to be valued as such.
Large sections of the working and workless unionist community have never enjoyed such a society. We have lived in a society where there has been a hierarchical, pyramid type structure. If the working class nationalist community lived in the basement of that structure, the working class unionist community lived on the first floor.
Traditional unionism has always sought to foster an hierarchical society, or pecking order, where economic power and the opportunity for social advancement were reserved for the chosen few – those to whom we were encouraged to doff the cap.
Our community has often been divided over the constitutional issue and as a result we were never able to address the issues of inequality or injustice. If one section did, it immediately became “their issue”.
The Good Friday Agreement and particularly the equality agenda within in, gives us the opportunity to level the playing field. It gives working class communities an opportunity to get up off their knees, all of them, and climb the stairs to the top floor.
A lot of this depends on, not just legislation, but the political will to implement it. In real terms there has not been a great deal of change in ‘liberal’ unionist thinking. Words like equity and equality are still as foreign to some ‘liberal’ unionists as they were to the mindset of the landed gentry who preceded them. Many are still of the belief that some are born to lead and others born to follow. Certain elements of the civil service are none too comfortable with the principle of equality either.
It is our estimation that we are going to have to wrestle the equality agreement section by section, paragraph by paragraph from these people.
The legislation is in place but we are going to have to fight to get it implemented. Thankfully there are those, like ourselves in working class unionism that are determined to engage in such action. But to be effective we must work in partnership with other disadvantaged sections of our community such as minority ethnic groups, women and people with disabilities.
We have to co-operate in a common endeavour to ensure that the “equality agenda” as contained in the Good Friday Agreement is implemented in full and in a wholly undiluted form.
Equality has, of course, become a dirty word. It is a concept that was grossly devalued during the reign of Margaret Thatcher and which is still devalued by the front-line warriors of the New Right who are constantly seeking to create an underclass which can be discarded as worthless and used as scapegoats for the social ills of marginalised communities and inner city ghettos. We are constantly exposed to the “back to basics”, “family values” then everything will be alright. What about the unemployed? What about one parent families? What about old age pensioners? We’re not going away you know!
If we are ever to give real substance and practical expression to the cliches of the post cease-fire period – parity of esteem, respect for diversity, inclusive dialogue, sharing of responsibility, confidence building etc, - we must once again popularise the socialist concept of equality, one of opportunity and resources for all. More importantly, we must develop and implement the policies that enable people to practice equality in all aspects and spheres of human life.
Just as no-one in our society has a monopoly on suffering, no-one in our society should have a monopoly on equality and justice. The rights of every individual or group have to be upheld, whether it is a woman, a gay man, a Chinese girl, an African man, a marcher or a peaceful protester.
Equality is essential to democracy.
Northern Ireland will never be truly democratic if any section of it is excluded from the institutions of state, and that includes the whole working class community – which for far too long has been told that it’s place in society (especially in politics) is to follow where the privileged classes decide to lead.
Equality for us will mean the removal of both privileges and deprivations so that both opportunity and positive outcomes are truly available to all.
Equality is essential if proper relationships are to be promoted, for it is the fuel that drives people into democratic relationships. It is the glue that bonds them in proper democratic actions and it will be the power behind a thriving non-sectarian process of participative democracy.
Dawn Purvis
Progressive Unionist Party
www.pup-ni.org.uk/party/articles.aspx
