
In its response to the Northern Ireland Executive’s request for views on a Bill of Rights, the Workers Party has said that “it is particularly disheartening, given that Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement indicated that a Bill of Rights should form part of a lasting settlement, and after the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission conducted a lengthy consultation and made recommendations to Government on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, that the citizens of Northern Ireland are still waiting”.
The Party’s submission also pointed out that we have now been campaigning for a Bill of Rights for over 50 years.
The Party’s full submission can be found below
The purpose of a Bill of Rights should be to establish and guarantee the relationship between citizens and the state. It must form the basis for democratic rights as the guarantor of the civil liberties of all citizens and of the political rights of all political parties, groups and individuals. It must also expressly guarantee that everyone in Northern Ireland is equal before the law and has equal rights. Such a Bill must enshrine fundamental principles constituting a clear statement about the nature of any political institutions established and operated in Northern Ireland.
See the Party’s full submission below: