Thomas Chambers' website: Fw: Open Meeting, Galway, March 19th

Friday, February 28, 2014

Fw: Open Meeting, Galway, March 19th - 'Declaration for a New Republic'

Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:32 PM

Subject: Open Meeting, Galway, March 19th - 'Declaration for a New Republic'

# Sorry for any crossposting!! #
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Invitation to participate at an Open Meeting
'Declaration for a New Republic'
Wednesday, March 19^th, 5.30-7.30pm, at SIPTU offices, Forster Court, Galway

We would like to invite you to an open meeting in Galway, discussing the idea of developing a 'Declaration for a New Republic together'. Please register NOW with Nina at nina@claimingourfuture.ie
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There are unique moments, inspired by history which offer possibilities and hope for radical transformation in the present and future. 2016 could be one such opportunity. It will be 100 years since the Easter Rising and the proclamation of the Irish Republic. It is also likely to be the year of the next General Election. We face major challenges and questions about what type of future Ireland is going to have? What values should shape Irish society in the coming decades?

Will it remain a deeply unequal society? Austerity has resulted in poverty and deprivation, emigration and unemployment. The economy serves neither society nor the environment. Politics has reflected no appetite for transformative change and remains unresponsive to those who experience poverty and inequality. Now more than ever, we need alternatives.

Claiming Our Future is a national broad based non-party political network made up of individuals and organisations across civil society. At our inaugural conference in the RDS in 2010 over 1000 participants identified the values of equality, environmental sustainability, participation, accountability and solidarity that should be at the heart of a new Ireland.

Building on the commitment to these core values, Claiming Our Future is planning to develop a 'Declaration for a New Republic'. The development of this will take place between now and 2016 and will involve as many people as possible. This process will include public meetings, on-line interaction, a large national assembly in late 2014, and participative action, amongst other aspects.

We are inviting organisations, campaigns, communities and individuals to an open meeting on March 29^th to explore what this might look like and how best to develop and promote such a Declaration. We invite you to participate to discuss, develop and shape the idea.

The meeting will address such questions as

What would be the purpose of a 'Declaration for a New Republic'? What should it include? How would it aid the development of alternatives?
How can we mobilise support for a 'Declaration for a New Republic'? How can we organise participative, grass roots level discussions to create its content?
What actions are required to enable the aspirations of the Declaration become real?