|
DISCUSSION DOCUMENT FOR CORK SOCIAL FORUM
What can we do individually, or as a group, or along with other Social
Forums, about the following suggested issues?. . or how can we lobby about
the larger issues outlined here...?
- AGRICULTURE
- Return to the mixed farm, wherever possible,
as a survival tactic.
- Phase out chemicals, introduce biological control
and other alternative sustainable farming methods.
- Convert slurry into soil conditioner via AD (anaerobic
digestion)
- Max utilisation of clover for nitrogen input.
- Network of local farmers markets, farmgate sales,
box deliveries etc.
- Make best use of existing incentives for farm
diversification.
- Added value farm-related businesses encouraged.
- New layer of grass-roots co-ops for marketing,
bulk-buying, equipment share, joint farming etc.
- Animal welfare for its own sake and to reduce
veterinary input.
- Native woodland planting on farms, in mosaic
with pasture and arable.
- Lobby for GM-free status and for full labelling
of food imports (e.g. country of origin).
- More emphasis on food safety and traceability
and also promotion of careful, verifiable organic farming.
- ENERGY
- Network of small and medium (community) wind
turbines.
- Biomass electricity generation (from willows)
integrated with existing commercial forestry and future ecoforestry.
- Incentives for energy conservation and passive
solar heating.
- Large scale windfarms off the E coast.
- Large scale wave energy generators off and on
the W and S coasts.
- Crop biofuel production on a limited scale in
the SE mainly.
- Biogas, via AD, on a farm basis ( or groups of
farms or co-ops) and municipal sewage plants.
- RURAL DEVELOPMENT
- Decentralisation of most decision-making to regions
and counties, with fund-raising built in.
- Maximise use of CAP reform to implement proper
rural development.
- Incentives for transfer of some urban population
to new 'sustainable villages' with shared waste, energy, transport,
food production and community facilities.
- Encourage local initiatives wherever possible.
- TRANSPORT
- Reduce 'food/goods miles' by encouraging local
production for local needs.
- Phase out juggernauts on non M-way roads, using
depots/vans.
- Electric (and hybrid) cars especially in cities.
- Reduce car use through financial pressures, but
first improving significantly all public transport, qualitatively
and quantitatively.
- Biofuel and gas-powered buses and trains ( and
more research into hydrogen )
- No more road-building (except some ring roads),
renovate small roads.
- Network of greenways for walking, cycling and
horse-riding.
- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- Lobbying to make those responsible for failing
to properly implement environmental legislation liable to penalties.
- Integrated agriculture, environmental, waste
and water policies - to end the mounting crisis now being faced
in Ireland
- Habitat protection generally rather than in geographically
isolated pockets, but with leadership and education to show how
this can be done along with maintaining livelihoods.
- Lobbying for sustainable fishery policies for
the EU and development of participatory coastal management plans.
- Change rapidly to sustainable mixed and broadleaf
forestry.
- Max incentives for separation and recycling,
with hazardous waste stored until new safe technology is developed.
- Pollution penalties based on restorative justice
and including withdrawal of subsidies in the case of continued offences.
- Lobby through EU for closing of nuclear power
stations and a rapid shift from fossil fuel energy to 'renewables'.
- Energy tax fund set up to pay the huge Kyoto
Accords fines Ireland will have to pay through the EU.
- WORK AND INCOME
- Incentives for environmentally sustainable businesses.
- More investment in retraining and life-long learning.
- Urgent re-emphasis on indigenous needs-based
local industry, to counter the increasing loss of jobs in multinationals.
- Job-sharing schemes.
- Lobbying for a State-run insurance scheme to
allow survival of small businesses and law reform to end the 'compo
culture'.
- Guaranteed Basic Income as an individual right,
not a handout.
- Fair tax system, shifting emphasis from personal
taxes to indirect taxes (except on essentials) and progressively
introducing environmental taxation.
- Control 'Rip-off Ireland Inc' so that overpricing
does not destroy the tourism industry.
- Re-assessment of all of Ireland's primary resources,
with a view to a strategic national plan for the future, but with
inbuilt environmental protection.
- Support our local Credit Unions.
- Support local barter, LETS and Time Banks.
- POLITICS
- Support local, national and EU politicians who
will do their best to promote all these policies (with monitoring
of effort and success).
- Use the Social Forums, at all levels, to help
bring people into participatory democratic politics.
- Lobby for a non-confrontational committee-based
approach to issues in the Dail, including on rooting out political
and business corruption.
- Recognition that power now lies with the big
corporations, top EU bureaucrats and a caucus of key politicians
and that 'people power' and economic tactics are required, to make
a difference.
- Lobby for a total ban on corporate donations
(and loopholes for corruption)
- Exposing wherever necessary the trend towards
secrecy and befuddling of the public.
- Take the heat out of Northern Ireland politics
through a truth and reconciliation process as in South Africa, across-the-board
disarmament and a multi-choice preferendum election system.
- COMMUNITY
- Self help community organisations emphasised
and supported.
- Social facilities for young people in every area.
- Involvement of the elderly, valuing their experience
again.
- Community sports, arts, culture and where appropriate
the Irish language fully supported.
- HEALTH
- Education both public and in schools about personal
health responsibility and health risks from pollution
- Preventative and community health care emphasised,
with more resources for small local clinics and encouragement of
the complementary health sector.
- EDUCATION
- Lobbying for retention of primary schools (and
community use).
- Education that meets the needs of the youngster
and the community rather than vested interests.
- CRIME
- Lobbying to have the causes of alienation seriously
tackled.
- More community liaison.
- Non-violent crime penalised through community
work and restorative justice instead of prison.
- Violent crime addressed through rehabilitation
in reformed prison system, but avoiding people being put at risk
by early release of psychopaths.
- Isolate and dismantle the drugs gangs through
legalisation and control of all banned substances.
- EQUALITY
- Lobbying to remove any outstanding gender balance
inequities.
- Encourage amicable arrangements for parents who
are separating and their children, rather than legal conflicts and
bureaucratic nightmares.
- All remaining discrimination on the basis of
gender, race, nationality, beliefs, disability, age, minority group
or sexual orientation penalised heavily.
- WORLD ISSUES
|
|
