Equality Commission Northern Ireland

I still vividly remember the day I received a letter confirming that I had been offered my first job. It was 1972, September, and “the world was my lobster”, to coin Arthur Daley’s immortal words. Jobs are important on a number of levels. Not only do they provide an income and some financial stability, but having a job is also fundamentally tied into everyone’s sense of wellbeing. Holding down a job is a key factor in personal development and social mobility and no-one should be denied the opportunity to engage in productive and rewarding work.

The Council of Europe remains, for many, an organisation which is shrouded in mist and which has discussions and enacts laws “over there” which may have an impact on how we do things “over here”. In fact it was founded in 1949 and now has 47 member states of which 28 are members of the European Union. To date no country has joined the EU that has not first become a member of the Council. More significantly for us, perhaps, is that all Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

This December, instead of focusing on all the traditional preparations for Christmas and New Year, Northern Ireland’s political leaders are committed to serious and difficult discussions in an attempt to resolve the disagreements on key issues which have been making effective government so challenging. If not resolved, this impasse may yet threaten the survival of our political structures in their present form.