Four Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland
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Mike Tomlinson
Abstract
I … swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty, King George the Fifth, His Heirs and Successors, according to the law. (Oath of Allegiance in 1914)
We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished that right.… We hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a sovereign independent state.… The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irish woman. (Proclamation read out by Padraig Pearse in front of Dublin post office during the Easter Rising 1916, cited in Dummett and Nicol, 1990, p 113)
Constitutional reform was a major theme of the first New Labour government. The scope of the ‘constitutional crisis’ facing the United Kingdom at the end of the 20th century had long been identified by Charter 88 as involving the lack of rights – political, civil and human – under the common law system. The organisation’s original charter demanded a Bill of Rights, freedom of information, and a fair electoral system through proportional representation. It called for a radical overhaul of the parliamentary system to ensure the proper accountability of the Executive through Parliament, as well as the replacement of the non-elected and hereditary-based Upper House. Finally, the charter sought “an equitable distribution of power between the nations of the United Kingdom and between local, regional and central government” (Charter 88, 1988).
Abstract
I … swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty, King George the Fifth, His Heirs and Successors, according to the law. (Oath of Allegiance in 1914)
We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished that right.… We hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a sovereign independent state.… The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irish woman. (Proclamation read out by Padraig Pearse in front of Dublin post office during the Easter Rising 1916, cited in Dummett and Nicol, 1990, p 113)
Constitutional reform was a major theme of the first New Labour government. The scope of the ‘constitutional crisis’ facing the United Kingdom at the end of the 20th century had long been identified by Charter 88 as involving the lack of rights – political, civil and human – under the common law system. The organisation’s original charter demanded a Bill of Rights, freedom of information, and a fair electoral system through proportional representation. It called for a radical overhaul of the parliamentary system to ensure the proper accountability of the Executive through Parliament, as well as the replacement of the non-elected and hereditary-based Upper House. Finally, the charter sought “an equitable distribution of power between the nations of the United Kingdom and between local, regional and central government” (Charter 88, 1988).
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
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UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
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International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
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Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- The year in social policy 1
-
UK developments
- Modernising primary healthcare in England: the role of Primary Care Groups and Trusts 15
- Devolution in England: coping with post-industrial industrial regions – issues of territorial inequality 37
- Reconstituting social policy: the case of Northern Ireland 57
- ‘Revolutionising’ care for people with learning difficulties? The Labour government’s Learning Disabilities Strategy 85
-
International developments
- Globalisation and welfare: a meso-level analysis 107
- The ‘anti-globalisation’ movement and its implications for social policy 127
- Migration policy in Europe: contradictions and continuities 151
- The European Union’s social policy focus: from labour to welfare and constitutionalised rights? 171
-
Conceptual developments
- The politics and economics of disciplining an inclusive and exclusive society 199
- Green social welfare: an investigation into political attitudes towards ecological critiques and prescriptions concerning the welfare state 225
- Using social capital in the policy context: challenging the orthodoxy 249
- Participation and social policy: transformation, liberation or regulation? 265
- Index 291
