An Chomhdháil Phobail I The People’s Convention (CPPC) is conceived as an organisation of the entire Irish electorate, organised on a constituency basis. Though not yet provided for in An Bunreacht we afford full participation rights to all 16 years and over.
Therefore CPPC is a political organisation of a new type, an organisation of citizen participation. It is not a party, nor has it policies on all the issues of the day, unlike political parties heretofore. Policies are decided by the citizens after discussion and plebiscite.
The guiding principle of CPPC is that sovereignty in Ireland rests with the people of Ireland and that all affairs of state must be subject to the will of and decision by the people without restriction and furthermore to the supervision of the people.
The membership of CPPC is the entire electorate and through it we, as a people, will empower ourselves, and bring about the changes in the state administration and services that we deem necessary.
The idea is that CPPC organisation nationally is made up of the Peoples Conventions in each constituency through which the people will exercise our rights as electors and citizens of the state. In our conventions we discuss and formulate policy and send mandated delegates to the Oireachtas to give effect to these policies. Each convention is free to decide matters for itself. We never relinquish our mandate as happens with the Political Party representation system.
The first step in this process of transforming our situation is to ensure Dáil Éireann truly functions as the sovereign national assembly directed and under the control of its citizens; –composed as it will be of representatives of the people and not representatives of parties of vested interest; and that it never again imposes policies which have not been adopted by us the electorate.
We have prepared a draft Constitution for CPPC to assist people to understand how this new way will work.
Having received many ideas and contributions from all corners of the country we prepared a pamphlet entitled “IRISH CITIZENS, WE MUST EMPOWER OURSELVES!”, it was published by in 2011 but its core ideas and analysis remain valid.
This pamphlet explains the essence of CPPC, we hope the idea will be adopted and enhanced – by all citizens and by the many organisation who uphold democracy. In addition, back in 2012 we published single issue of a newspaper, ‘Convention’, to assist development of the discussion, it is still available online. In recent years we have published THE PEOPLE’S PAPER as a tool to assist people organising.
We believe that securing democracy is the most powerful and appropriate solution to address the imposition of the crisis of vested interests that is being foisted upon us. And it brings forward the solution to the reality that we have no effective democracy in the affairs of our state by creating a participatory democracy exactly in keeping with Bunreacht na hÉireann.
Here is another expression of ‘What is The People’s Convention‘.
For further information please contact:
Diarmaid Ó Cadhla,
National Spokesperson, CPPC
Telephone 086-3805005
