20 December 2018 An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Dept of An Taoiseach Government Buildings Merrion St Upper Dublin 2 20 December 2018 Taoiseach, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are essential for our democracy to function. However in Ireland we are facing increasing …
Protecting civil society while regulating political advertising
Our democracy depends on voters being able to present and receive correct information about politics. The State should protect that. The State should also protect people when they work together for the common good. Government should facilitate the participation of …
Electoral Act stifling NGOs says EU Rights Agency
Dublin, 11 October 2018 The Irish Electoral Act has been strongly criticised by a broad coalition of NGOs and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. The coalition of NGOs has published a policy paper with proposed amendments to the law and …
Ivan Cooper: the Electoral Act is “muzzling” civil society
Ivan Cooper is Director of Public Policy with the Wheel. He gave this address calling for reform of the Electoral Act on 6 July 2018. As anyone paying attention to current affairs will be aware, there are very good reasons why …
Outcome of Amnesty case highlights flaws in Electoral Act
This op-ed by Liam Herrick appeared in the Irish Times on 31 July 2018 For community and voluntary organisations across Ireland, yesterday’s settlement of the court proceedings between Amnesty International Ireland and the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPOC) brought …
Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy on the importance of charities’ ability to advocate for change
Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy is the founder of Focus Ireland. She spoke at a press conference organised by ICCL on 6 July 2018. This is a very important debate in Ireland today. I want to speak about the area known …
ICCL welcomes Amnesty result; calls on Government to amend unclear law
Dublin, 31 July 2018 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) today welcomes the outcome of the legal challenge taken by Amnesty International Ireland against the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPOC). SIPOC has agreed to fully retract its demand …
Civil society organisations under threat at home whilst Foreign Affairs champions civil society abroad
Dublin, 6 July 2018 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), along with a coalition of other leading civil society organisations, this morning held a press conference to mark the adoption of a landmark Irish-led resolution on the importance …
NGOs call for greater protection of domestic civil society as Foreign Affairs launches resolution at UN
Dublin, 6 July 2018 Five civil society organisations will today hold a press conference to welcome the approval by the UN Human Rights Council of an Irish-led resolution on civil society space, and to call for the principles to be …
Sipo and the Chilling Effect on Civil Society
Article by Hugh O’Connell and Barry J. Whyte in the Sunday Business Post on 4 March 2018 Towards the end of the last century, a series of political corruption scandals evoked the prescient remarks of Fianna Fáil’s George Colley in …