The Covid-19 pandemic has shocked and changed the world. CAJ is convinced that a human rights perspective is essential to both enduring the pandemic and moving into the future. For us, this approach can be summed up in the following imperatives: Protect people, restrict freedom only as necessary, help the most vulnerable, and together prepare…Continue reading Prepare for a better world Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
Tag: Bill of Rights
Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
As autumn arrives in Northern Ireland a many-sided crisis, already developing, will affect all our lives. There is a crisis of governance at a UK level. The current government, headed by Boris Johnson, has a working majority of one in the House of Commons, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The…Continue reading Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
Rights at Risk: mapping the human rights concerns of Brexit in Northern Ireland Guest Post by Dr Claire McCann
The human rights and equality safeguards in Northern Ireland which support our peace agreement are built on a complex web of interlocking legal frameworks. Local, national, European and international law all have an important role to play in providing the groundwork upon which the constitutional settlement for Northern Ireland is founded. Brexit risks destabilising the…Continue reading Rights at Risk: mapping the human rights concerns of Brexit in Northern Ireland Guest Post by Dr Claire McCann
Manifesto Watch: 2016 NI Assembly Election
We are pleased to welcome this guest post from Jason McKeown, Communications Assistant with the Human Rights Consortium. With the 2016 Assembly Elections almost upon us, the Human Rights Consortium takes a look at the manifestos of the various political parties who have put themselves forward for election. This resource will…Continue reading Manifesto Watch: 2016 NI Assembly Election
Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival Programme Launched!
Today saw the launch of the programme for the 2014 Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival (NIHRF). The festival, which will take place from 8-13 December, consists of a series of events on a range of human rights issues from home and abroad in celebration of International Human Rights Day on 10 December . All events…Continue reading Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival Programme Launched!
SECOND CHANCE TO LISTEN: UK BILL OF RIGHTS COMMISSIONS SECOND CONSULTATION
Back in 2007 the Conservative party clearly outlined its vision for the future shape of human rights protections in the UK.[1] It stated that, ‘the Human Rights Act 1998 has not proved to be effective in protecting fundamental rights in Britain…A Conservative Government will repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a modern…Continue reading SECOND CHANCE TO LISTEN: UK BILL OF RIGHTS COMMISSIONS SECOND CONSULTATION
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore calls for Northern Ireland Bill of Rights
I was pleased to be at the Alliance Party conference dinner in the La Mon hotel last night to hear the guest speech from Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore TD. He used it to make a strong call for Northern Ireland party leaders to get round a negotiating table to deliver the long-awaited Bill of Rights. It’s…Continue reading Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore calls for Northern Ireland Bill of Rights
Still Waiting for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland
Fourteen years after the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement set in place the groundwork for a future Bill of Rights, the people of Northern Ireland continue to wait. Yesterday, Professor Colin Harvey, as part of a UU Transitional Justice Institute panel discussion on the Bill of Rights debate, likened the situation to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Certainly…Continue reading Still Waiting for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland
Why human rights in Northern Ireland are still internationally important
We welcome this guest post by Brian Gormally, Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) www.caj.org.uk Why human rights in Northern Ireland are still internationally important The significance of the conflict Over 3,600 people died out of a population (in the North) of about 1.5 million. If that figure is extrapolated to…Continue reading Why human rights in Northern Ireland are still internationally important
Bill of Rights gets the Presidential Treatment at ICTU Women’s Conference
In the last year, the experience of women in the workplace has become more precarious as the recession’s chokehold tightens. Female redundancy rates are increasing and female unemployment figures climb higher. According to 2008 According to CSO 2011 figures, the figure for unemployed women in the Republic of Ireland rose sharply from around…Continue reading Bill of Rights gets the Presidential Treatment at ICTU Women’s Conference
“Speak to them, Not about them!” – East Belfast Speaks Out: Offering hope for civic engagement across Northern Ireland.
Last Thursday, Feb 2nd 2012, saw the holding of the third East Belfast Speaks Out event with a panel made up of: Minister for Education John O’Dowd (SF), MLA Chris Lyttle (Alliance), MLA Sammy Douglas (DUP), MLA Michael Copeland (UUP) and Councillor John Kyle (PUP) and chaired by the BBC’s Mark Davenport. Organised…Continue reading “Speak to them, Not about them!” – East Belfast Speaks Out: Offering hope for civic engagement across Northern Ireland.
“The vast majority of people in Northern Ireland consider a Bill of Rights to be important”
Fascinating public attitudes research from Ipsos/MORI, on Northern Ireland public attitudes towards a NI Bill of Rights, was published earlier this week as part of a new report (PDF) from the Human Rights Consortium. It seems to explode the myth that there is no appetite from the Northern Ireland public for a Bill of Rights…Continue reading “The vast majority of people in Northern Ireland consider a Bill of Rights to be important”