I have joined a truly liberal party and am not in hock to a slavish ideology, writes Colm O'Gorman, clarifying his political position
Sometimes people actually mean what they say. Sometimes people make decisions to take on a piece of work because they believe in it, and sometimes the ways in which a person's actions and words are interpreted and opined upon tell us more about the commentator than the subject of the comment.
Last week I announced my decision to seek election to Dáil Éireann. Not in itself an extraordinary decision for a person who has been active politically for a number of years but one that has resulted in much comment.
In his most recent column in this newspaper, Vincent Browne expressed disappointment that I have not set out clearly what I believe in politically. I welcome the opportunity to clarify for Vincent and other commentators the issues that seem to have caused them so much consternation.
I believe that politics should not be about personality but about principles, so in my response to Vincent I will focus upon my own principles rather than upon any personal comments he might have made.
I believe that we each, as citizens of this republican democracy, have a duty to play whatever part we can in the development of our society. I believe in respect, equality and justice. I believe that government should be grounded in those principles, that politics is not the sole territory of professional politicians and those who report or comment upon them, but rather a system that must exist to serve the people who, as citizens, are the State.
I believe that courage and innovation must be the stuff of our future rather than any consensus of vested interests which disregards the rights and needs of citizens and stifles democracy and social justice.
I believe that government must work to serve all of the people; and not just those with the loudest voice or the largest bank balance. I believe that if we are to become the nation that we might be, a nation which offers a high quality of life and, most importantly, equality of regard to all of its people, we must each be prepared to work towards that future with determination and with an openness to question old ideologies that have not served us well.
Politically, I am deeply rooted in the principles of equality. For me equality demands that each person should have available to them the opportunities to pursue the healthy fulfilment of their own life's purpose.
I do not believe that equality means that we should all be the same; that every one of us should be forced to work towards the same aspirations, be they economic or personal. I do not believe that equality means we should all have the same amount of money; personally, I do not aspire to great wealth but neither do I dismiss or disrespect those who do.
I recognise that we must retain and build upon our economic success if we are to resource the kinds of services and infrastructure that our people deserve. I believe that equality cherishes diversity; that society should embrace difference. I believe that we are each entitled to equality of regard; that no one citizen is more valid or worthy than another.
In an Ireland flushed with our economic success, what matters now is how we use our new-found wealth to ensure that each of our citizens benefits from that success and that those who may be marginalised are not left behind. We must work to ensure that each of us is able to be part of this new Ireland in ways that respect who we are without demanding that we all aspire to be the same.
I believe that the State has a responsibility to recognise and vindicate the rights of its citizens and I believe that we each as citizens have responsibilities to each other both individually and collectively. In that regard, I believe that it is the duty of the State to ensure that it works to properly reflect the balance between those rights and responsibilities in both the development and implementation of policy and legislation.
I believe that the Progressive Democrats is a party which not only holds many of the same principles, but one which is open to having its own views and ideals informed by its members.
It is, for instance, the only party which under its constitution does not apply the whip to votes which are a matter of conscience.
It is a liberal party; its members share beliefs and values that are independent of Civil War politics, class, race or social background. It believes in opportunity for every person, whatever their background or starting point in life. It doesn't just espouse liberalism, it is liberal: it trusts and respects individual freedom.
I believe that the slavish following of any ideology at the expense of ideals is jaded and demands to be challenged. I believe that we should be cynical without becoming a slave to cynicism, idealistic without becoming entrapped in a strait-jacket of failed ideology that leaves us unable to listen to different views, to respect the integrity of others. I believe that there is something profoundly illiberal about an approach which attacks the person, rather than challenging and informing the opinion.
These are the things I hold true, the things which I believe. They have been fundamental to my work in recent years and will remain central to what I do in the future.
It must be of concern to anyone who cares about this nation and about democracy that politics has become so devalued. In a nation born of ideals based upon the right of its people to determine their own destiny, we should all be concerned that so many of us feel so disengaged with politics.
Surely, all of us who believe in Ireland as a republican democracy, who believe in the goodness of our people and the possibilities for our future, would wish to work to see politics re-engage with people?
Can it be okay that some of us have become so cynical that we cannot even allow for the possibility that when someone enters politics speaking of their desire to be purposeful, to work to see change where change is needed, they might actually mean it? Why is it that some can only see negative reasons for a choice based upon conviction, rather than allow for the possibility that the conviction might be real and healthy and positive? Is it the case that the corruption which infected Irish politics has caused such deep cynicism among those who rightly worked to uncover and report upon it, that they have now themselves become infected by that cynicism and are unable to perceive anything of value or positive in the motives of public representatives?
It is important that challenging questions are asked. God knows I have worked to develop a healthy cynicism of my own, to be open to recognise the negative motivations of others rather then blind to those motives for fear of having to confront them. Healthy cynicism should cause us to ask the questions that need to be asked. It should not however cause us to lose hope, to abandon belief in the possibility of the goodness of others.
We need our cynics, but perhaps they need a dose of idealism too, perhaps they need to rediscover that sometimes people are motivated by integrity and a sense of purpose. Above all, perhaps they might remember that it is a person's deeds rather than their words that speak of who they are.
In seeking to judge my future I would ask that they be informed by my past, not only by the words I have yet to speak but also by the things that I have already done.