(from Pamphlet: “IRISH CITIZENS, WE MUST EMPOWER OURSELVES!”)
The People’s Convention needs to be established in every constituency as a political organisation of all electors – through which the people will exercise their democratic right to direct State affairs at national and local level. It is not just for election time. The People’s Convention is active before, during and after elections; it organises the discussions and votes on policy issues to mandate the constituency representatives; and crucially it supervises and checks up on the implementation of the policies adopted.
Select Citizen Candidates: In any election the first democratic act is the selection of candidates. These should be people we can trust to act as constituency representatives without fear or favour. Proposals for names of candidates will be discussed in advertised public meetings in school, town and parish halls held in all electoral wards. This will lead up to a constituency convention or vote to finalise a list of candidates. Each candidate will sign the solemn Undertakings to uphold the right of the people to direct state policy and to discharge the mandate as decided by constituency vote on the issues that arise during the life of the Dáil or local Council.
Each constituency decides its policy position in accordance with the wishes of the electorate of that particular constituency. Each also decides for itself who should be its candidates, there is no headquarters imposing candidates or policies.
Elect The People’s Convention Candidates as Dáil or Local Authority Representatives: The People’s Convention will work to have their candidates elected in preference to those selected in private by the political parties, who have shown themselves to be opposed to citizen empowerment.
Mandate /Initiate Policy: After the election, The People’s Convention will organise discussion in the constituency on every proposal and will organise votes to instruct the constituency representatives on their mandate on each issue. Every representative is expected to act in accordance with the constituency mandate, whether or not they were originally selected by The People’s Convention as a candidate in the election.
Elected representatives will play a role in the discussion by way of provision of information and background for proposals formulated in the Dáil or locally All forums for discussion such as internet and paper publications as well as town hall style meetings will be used.
While initiation of policy through mandating of elected representatives will effectively return the right of initiative to the people – the Constitution must be amended to restore the right to call referendums.
Check Up/Supervise all State agencies: The Peoples Convention will follow up to ensure that mandates given are followed and above all to check on the implementation of the policies – budgets, laws, treaties – that were adopted, and to check on the performance of state institutions..
Any public representative who fails in their duty of service to the people will be subject to local referendum of recall and asked to resign their seat and all public offices in accordance with the solemn undertakings they signed as candidates.
