ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE OPENING OF THE MAJOR RELIGIOUS SUPERIORS’ SOCIAL POLICY CONFERENCE
ON THE THEME "PARTICIPATION AND EXCLUSION" ON 23rd SEPTEMBER, 1992
The theme that the CMRS has chosen for today's conference goes to the roots of decision making, in our society. Clearly, participation by all social groups needs to be maximised in the interests of better working of the democratic process. Equally clearly, participation is not just desirable - it is an essential safeguard for democracy.
There are fundamental changes emerging in Irish society and beyond at this time. A new vision of the future is being shaped and moulded. The issue of participation is central to these changes. There may be some reluctance on the part of the stronger and more powerful institutions to recognise the scale of these developments and the importance of the participation issue. At the fringes of society, however, there is no such reluctance. Facing up to these changes and developing a more participative model for the future are major challenges confronting policy-makers at this time.
This group here is particularly well placed to explore the issues around this topic and to clarify the limitations and possibilities of participation.
I hope that today's proceedings will deal, not just with the amount of participation, but with its quality as well. Effective participation does not depend on institutional arrangements alone. Much more fundamentally, it depends on the knowledge, understanding and open-mindedness of those engaged in it. Without those qualities, a participatory process can turn into a sterile conflict, a forum where blinkered demands are met with blind
opposition, leading only to a dialogue of the deaf.
This picture of real dialogue has an important implication; participation cannot be merely arranged - it must also be enabled. Perhaps your Conference today will think about how that enablement could be achieved. To my mind, representatives of groups that feel themselves excluded need to be helped towards an understanding of all the fears and worries that lie behind opposing viewpoints. And representatives of the power structures in society should not only have their hands free enough to act responsibly but bravely - they too should be helped towards a real and heartfelt understanding of minority problems so that they can reconcile solutions to those problems with the needs of society as a whole.
The theme goes beyond the question of decision making. It encompasses the totality of how individuals relate to their society. That relationship has changed as society has changed. Some at least of the community bonding and integration that characterised rural society has been lost with greater urbanisation. That is not an argument against urbanisation which has, of course, brought great benefits to society. It is rather a comment on the need to try to retain a balance in society to which the continuation of healthy rural communities can make a significant contribution and on the need to create effective co-operation structures in all areas.
The degree to which any group participates in society (or is excluded) is very strongly related to that group's economic power, that is, to the amount of the material resources of the State which it controls. In today's conditions a major determinant of the extent of a person's role and status in society is whether a person has a job or is unemployed. Having a job enables people to have access to the means and mechanisms to participate fully in the normal functioning of society. Through their employment people are seen as making a valuable contribution to the economic life of the community. They are also in a position to adopt a life-style commensurate with their income. Through their employment and business contacts they make new friends and acquaintances which, in turn, facilitate and promote their social and general well-being. Exclusion from a job, therefore, may also mean exclusion from a sense of belonging - exclusion from social participation.
The resolution of present difficulties will not occur overnight and, with such a large proportion of the labour force currently out of work, there is a fundamental need to explore the possibilities for developing alternative mechanisms and networks to arrest the social exclusion process and to prevent it from becoming a permanent, self-perpetuating, as distinct from a generational, phenomenon, in the case of unemployed people, their families and other disadvantaged groups who may feel marginalised.
Moreover, it is necessary to look at all the factors which are contributing to cycles of poverty and deprivation in parts of both urban and rural Ireland. In many instances the condition of unemployment may be the result of the impact of factors such as industrial relocation policies, changes in farm support mechanisms, disappearance of low-skill and manual jobs, wider application of technology, rehousing programmes and so on. If solutions are to be found then it is essential to trace the origins of the problem and to identify the source of the disease as opposed to simply treating symptoms.
It is appropriate also to consider the role that the voluntary agencies, who represent or provide services for needy groups in our society, should have in informing and influencing the policy of statutory bodies in relation to such groups. Because voluntary organisations increasingly empower and involve the people they serve and are very often locally-based, they are particularly well placed to perceive changing needs and situations and to note where changes and adaptability on the part of State services are called for. In seeking to address the issues of participation and exclusion this conference is looking at how this country can truly fulfil itself as an integrated society which works for the betterment of all.
An important aspect of what we understand when we speak of participation is the involvement of people - whether they be the unemployed, the elderly, youth, women, travellers - in the design, development, management and implementation of social programmes that are created to help them. Social problems cannot be tackled and solved without the co-operation and full involvement of those who experience such problems in their daily lives. These groups have much to contribute themselves both to the analysis of the problem and to the practical work needed to overcome social exclusion and injustice.
An impressive amount of voluntary work is also taking place in the area of community self development. While the extent of this activity has never been fully quantified, there is evidence that over half the adults in Ireland claim membership of a voluntary organisation of one kind or another and one in five define themselves as voluntary workers. This is participation in a very real sense by ordinary citizens up and down the country in work to improve their own communities and to benefit their neighbours.
These are but some of the many important issues which your conference will address. I wish you well in your deliberations and it is my very great pleasure to open this Conference.