A vote for the People’s Candidates is a vote for the empowerment of the voters in any constituency.
A .PDF copy of this document can be downloaded here.
A vote for anyone in a Political Party is a vote for the empowerment of the Party ‘whip’ – it is to surrender the right of Constituencies to be represented and give control over the people’s mandate to private clubs of vested interests.
We are all INDEPENDENT candidates, answerable to nobody other than the electorate – we have confirmed this by our signing of THE PEOPLE’S CONTRACT.
Candidates with a Track Record
People’s Candidates are individuals who have shown their personal commitment to the people through their active citizenship.
With The People’s Convention we have been to the fore against the imposition of additional Water Charges.
In Cork, we organised most of the protest marches, we stood against Water Meter installations and built what has become the Boycott of Irish Water by the majority of households.
In our work to ensure that the wishes of the people were represented we collected over 24,000 signatures in Cork city and county and presented these to Local and National Government.
We have held information stalls for the people every week for nearly 5 years now, in the city centre and at other locations in city and county.
The individuals who are now the People’s Candidates have been to the fore in many areas – including on issues such as Property and Water Taxes, Homelessness, Tenants Rights and on other issues.
We have been professional in our approach to community involvement, including having individuals professionally trained as providers of Civic Information.
The Community Resource Centre, Ionad an Phobail, on Douglas Street was setup by The People’s Convention 3 years ago to provide supports to anyone who is organising in our communities and as an advise centre for those in need.
A Track Record matched with the Ideas for Change
The People’s Candidates stand for the empowerment of the people, not any vested interests or Political Party club.
We do not proclaim to have the answer to every question or problem in our society, however, we are sure about one thing… that is, whose right it is to make the decisions.
With THE PEOPLE’S CONTRACT we set-out the ideas, and practical direction, that provide the basis for the Empowerment of the People – something which our electoral system and laws have failed to do since the very foundation of our state.
The MANIFESTO of the People’s Candidates is different from all others in this elections, because:
- We do not offer any pre-decided policy to the electorate.
- Our promise is that people will be represented, not any Political Party or other vested interests.
- We are explaining what is needed in our society in order that the people be empowered.
- We promise, in the short term, that constituents will be engaged with to build a broad system of ongoing consultation where the people themselves determine how they will be represented.
- We promise that the people will have the say on all policy decisions, on an issue-by-issue basis.
- Our manifesto respects the people by acknowledging our sovereign right to decide the policy of our own state.
- We promise to defend the people’s rights and interests where they are imposed upon or denied – as we have already been doing.
It is hoped that the MANIFESTO of People’s Candidates addresses the disaffection in which people hold our current political process and the behaviour of the Party system in particular.
The People’s Candidates are for:
- Organised consultations in our Constituencies.
- Local decision making to provide mandate to our Public Representatives.
- Local supervision of the work of our TD’s.
- Elimination of the Political Party ‘whip’.
- Support the Right of the Electors to Re-call / Unelect existed TDs.
- Implementation of a constituency wide system of consultation and representation means that it is the voters who have the say on each issue.