Nicola Grant Workers Party representative commenting today after many reports in the press around the state of our democracy in Northern Ireland across all levels of our political institutions. She continued once again we have reports of our local council having to admit to the non-disclosure of an important environmental report for a £44 million tourism plan. With holding information is not a new phenomenon in Newry Mourne and Down District Council, it is the default mechanism they use on an ongoing basis.
The Workers Party is concerned that there seems to be a pattern appearing that points to committees taking decisions without challenge from full council meetings or members, and one news report has pointed to another council removing the right of a councillor to speak for the duration of the meeting for asking a question. This method of undemocratic behaviour must stop; the public have the right to access all information upon which council decisions are based. Councillors have the right to speak and inquire, and no one should have the right to silence them.
Ms Grant continued some councils are making the rules up as they see fit, and see ratepayers as being churlish for daring to question their decision-making processes. Also, in the news this week is a report that the head of the Civil Service used a private car and driver in Washington during the St Patrick Day Events, while two Ministers used public transport or taxis. The calls to look at the culture across our political institutions are justified on the grounds that projects and programmes which effect our citizens are consistently under funded. Yet, pet projects which draw down Millions of pounds with out showing any social profits, continue without any real evaluation of the benefits to the wider community or society. Ms Grant concludes by saying there must now be an open and transparent debate on the failures and fault lines in our political decision-making processes. Transparency, accountability, and openness must become more than words on a page in a glossy document, they must become accepted and implemented as a matter of urgency. The autocratic behaviour of our politicians must not continue to go unchecked. We are supposed to live in a democracy.
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CLANRYE NEWS 