Dear friends,
Greetings and best wishes to you and yours for 2013!
We are starting the year in full confidence that there will be significant progress made in the democratic movement generally, and we have some immediate plans to share with you.
Firstly, on MONDAY 14th of January, CPPC in Cork are hosting a Public Forum in the city centre to mark the payment of €2.5 billion to bondholders on behalf of Irish Life & Permanent. All individuals and organisations are invited to attend and speak on this issue and on the broader question of democracy that it presents – like, why is the state imposing policy on the people? What else might be done with such resources? why hasn’t there been public debate on this issue so that the people might decide our policy preference?
On Saturday 5th and 12th there will be leaflet distribution in Cork to promote the Public Forum, if you can help for an hour or two please meet us outside the Ulster Bank on Patrick’s Street between 2pm and 4pm. We will have quantities of leaflets if anyone wishes to take some away for local distribution.
Secondly, we are pleased to announce that CPPC now have use of a resource centre in Cork, opening sometime over the next two weeks. The facility will act as a resource to any concerned citizens who are struggling to assert the rights of the people and it will be a ‘drop in and chat’ type facility to assist exchange of ideas etc. The centre will be available for the next few years at least and will be a base from which any individuals selected as People’s Candidates in the elections of 2014 can organise.
Thirdly, we would like to encourage you to share your experience and analysis of the problems we face, in particular by writing articles for possible inclusion in the DISCUSSION section of the website, or by commenting on articles submitted by others.
Finally (for now!), Empowerment is not about being followers of CPPC or any other organisation, it is about self-assertion, investigation, responsibility, engagement and development – and then collaboration with others of democratic outlook so that we may present as a movement rather than as individuals.
I think that 2013 presents us with new conditions and we all have individual responsibility to bring about the changes required – we must prepare to contest for political power and once and for all end the usurpation of our democratic process by Private Member Clubs (parties) and vested interests.
The possibility for change exists, it is for us to grasp it!
Is mise,
Diarmaid Ó Cadhla
