Foundation Stone: Notes Towards a Constitution for a 21st Century Republic - Couverture souple

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1848402597 ISBN 13 : 9781848402591

Editeur : New Island Books, 2013

Synopsis

Eight decades after it came into force, the Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann 1937) is coming under increasing scrutiny. It was reviewed piecemeal by a Constitutional Convention of citizens and politicians, which had an agenda that avoids dealing with or raising radical proposals, and many argued that it did not tackle the core problems of hte Irish State. In this powerful book, trenchantly introduced by editor Theo Dorgan, eight leading experts argue for the fundamental changes they believe are necessary if we are to make Ireland a real republic, if we are to open the structures of the State to its citizens and improve their lives. Delivered at the 2012 Douglas Hyde Conference, these essays, taken together, add up to a powerful argument for radical reform; in effect, they lay out the foundations for a constitution appropriate to Ireland as a 21st-century Republic.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

In 1949, almost offhandedly, we declared our State a Republic. Remarkably, nobody seems to have thought that this should have prompted a long, cold, hard look at the Constitution. I say remarkably, because the Constitution we still have was not then and is not still in any meaningful sense the constitution of a Republic. The 1937 constitution has remained, with some notable exceptions, remarkably unchanged since it was adopted. In many ways it is a source of pride for the Irish, one of the few European democracies to avoid dictatorship during the Twentieth Century. But that lack of change means that it is now outpaced by modern society and radical revision of the Irish Constitution is now fast becoming not only desirable, but essential. Embracing a wide range of views, Foundation Stone: Notes towards a Constitution For a 21st Century Republic, is a shot across the bows of the ongoing constitution convention. It rejects the cosy and complacent notion that all our constitution needs is a small bit of tweaking, instead proposing bold and radical action.

Revue de presse

'Dorgan comes often to the ordinary, and adds a little bit extra a renewing turn of phrase, an injunction against taking things for granted, an invitation to stop and observe, to notice landmarks on this one-way, once-off journey with a shared inevitable end.' --The Irish Examiner

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: New Island Books
• Date d'édition: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1848402597
• ISBN 13: 9781848402591
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 240
• Éditeur: Dorgan Theo
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible