According to Article 28.3.3.of the Constitution of Ireland, a state of emergency can be declared to secure the public safety and the preservation of the state in time of war or armed rebellion.
A state of emergency gives total power to the Oireachtas to enact laws deemed essential for this purpose. This was done in 1939 at the start of the Second World War.
I argue that Ireland is now under such threat due to economic factors that a state of “financial emergency” should be declared as soon as possible.
It would then be possible to deal immediately with the deliberately contrived tangle of self protective contract laws that politicians, professionals, trade unions and the Civil Service concocted over the years which, they insist, make it impossible to radically reduce the cost to the nation of paying their super sized salaries, expenses, bonuses and pensions ----- even in these desperate times.
A state of financial emergency could be also be used to do a house clearing of the miles of red tape which act as a stranglehold on enterprises old and new across all sectors. One published example illustrates the point: A truck delivering new cars from east to west has to get 4 licences at a cost of 250 each to travel through 4 counties. The extra paper work, cost and time wasted is indefensible. It represents more work for bureaucrats, of course, at the citizen’s expense.
Also at home, it would clear the way to legislate in favour of those trapped in negative equity.
On the international front, a declaration of a state of financial emergency would finally demonstrate to the world Ireland’s determination to reform its economy which currently threatens financial stability in the EU.
A referendum would be required to insert “threats to the economy” along with war and armed rebellion in Article 28.3.3. in the Constitution [ if it isn’t already in there somewhere].Examples exist in other countries.
The next government could do this quickly and, if passed, Ireland could be in a far healthier financial space by the middle of 2011.
Even our new Taoiseach might at last be earning less than the president of America.
If elected to Dail Eireann I will try to persuade enough Independents to unite on this issue to make it happen.
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