What I believe in politics

1. Affirming the value of politics and law

Abuses of political office for improper personal gain need to be firmly combated. But politics itself remains an honourable profession. Politicians are neither wholly angels nor wholly devils - they are citizens who have been assigned the task of working in the field of public administration. This is necessary, important and honourable profession and I totally reject the "anti-politician" agenda which sees every expense as a waste and every conference as a junket, for example.

On DLR County Council I have worked to ensure a review of councillors' expenses so that the right balance is struck in terms of facilitating legitimate conferences and avoiding waste.

Ill-informed blanket criticism of politicians is second only to ill-informed blanket criticism of lawyers. This is a stance I also reject utterly. The justice system needs reform - there is no question about that. But the system is only partly the creation of lawyers. Law however is essential to civilisation - we need to affirm the value of a society that operates in accordance with legal constraints. We need a society firmly based on the rule of law. We need an international community that also operates on the basis of the rule of law.

2. Making institutions work more democratically

I believe that as far as possible, institutions whether public or private ought to operate in a transparent and inclusive manner.

As far as possible, and subject to necessary exceptions in the public interest, they should make information about their activities freely available. It was a privilege for me in the 1990s to have been an adviser in the Government that introduced the Freedom of Information Act, an Act that has proved its value ever since.

On DLR County Council I have argued for the publication of much non-confidential information that has remained obscure. For example I campaigned for publication of lists of residents associations in the County. I have intervened on numerous occasions to have the Council put more information on its website so that the public can have greater access.

Institutions need to be inclusive and democratic. They should not operate on the basis of cliques and golden circles - another reason for the importance of the rule of law.

On DLR County Council I have frequently argued for greater consultation - on the road safety plan for example and on changes to the development levies schemes. In both cases, consultation was opposed by the Manager and FG/FF.

Institutions also need to be accountable. It is one of the tragedies of local government that over 90% of decisions are made by an unelected official, the City or County Manager, who is not accountable to anyone except in very limited circumstances. We need to reform this system and to cherish and promote the few mechanisms that allow Managers, or quangos, to be held accountable - such as the Ombudsman's Office which has done fantastic work under Emily O'Reilly.

Had the State been pervaded by a spirit of democratic equality, I believe that the scandalous rip-off of the bank bailout would never have got off the ground.

3. Efficient government

I believe that the public sector should operate as efficiently as the private sector if not more so given the level of public accountability that should obtain.

That belief has driven my own interest in statute law revision - the process whereby old laws are comprehensively reviewed and either retained or repealed as appropriate - and I am delighted that this project has been reaffirmed in the Programme for Government 2011-2016.

On DLR County Council I have been deeply engaged with the process of making the council work more efficiently and I proposed a review to streamline council standing orders in order to make meetings run more efficiently, which led to major changes to procedures adopted in 2011.

I have also argued for efficient carrying out of council functions such as commercial water charge collection given the unacceptably high rate of non-collection and the burden this places on companies that do pay up.

4. Affirming the value of the individual

Society needs to acknowledge the fundamental dignity and rights of the individual, whose opportunities should be determined, and whose ideas should be judged, on merit not on background, wealth or group membership.

It will recognise the rights of the individual, including the right to meaningful employment and access to health services.

A focus on the rights of the individual also helps to combat a narrow and old-fashioned nationalism. On our own divided island, I have advocated fully recognising both the Irish and British identity - welcoming The Queen of England to our State for example and giving British citizens the right to vote in referenda.

With a merits-based approach to life opportunities we must reject unjustified and wrongful discrimination. I have strongly opposed the existing Guardianship Act which denies equal rights to unmarried fathers - in my view the single most outrageous piece of discrimination on our statute book. Any other form of unjustified discrimination should also be opposed - for example the ridiculous reference in the Constitution to women's role in the home.

A caring society will reach out to those most vulnerable, whether at home or abroad - in global terms our commitments to the least developed countries remain important. It must oppose discrimination, deliberate marginalisation and bullying.

A human-centred society must operate on the principle of tolerance - it must accommodate differing approaches where possible and avoid imposing compulsorily what is best promoted voluntarily. By way of example, I opposed the absurd legislation - since reformed as a result of a Labour Party initiative - which required lawyers to pass an exam in Irish before they could qualify.

A mature society needs maverick voices, and the ragamuffin irreverence of the young. Such a society must treat people with a certain measure of respect even where they have come into conflict with authority or law. President Obama's treatment of Bradley Manning in custody, for example, is a sickening abuse of human rights and I utterly oppose it.

An individual-centred society is a creative society that cherishes the arts and artists, that celebrates its history and heritage, that promotes literacy, education, libraries, publishing, academic endeavour. It recognises the past, celebrating genealogy, heraldry, culture, architecture and the built environment. It promotes planning that is based on the long term needs of the area rather than short term profit.

On DLR County Council I have been campaigning for the restoration of the landmark Gateway sculpture in Dun Laoghaire, against what I regard as a provincial view that objects to it aesthetically. I have also secured the adoption of a new protocol to expand the register of protected structures.

Along with other Labour councillors I have strongly supported sustainable development rather than the developer-led agenda of overdevelopment promoted in the main by FG and FF.

A free society promotes choice and individual economic freedom and the social democratic market.

An inclusive society is a secular society which observes a certain separation of church and state, and which does not sacrifice the individual on the altar of ideology. I strongly opposed the recent blasphemy law, and the inclusion of blasphemy in the Constitution.

With human rights come responsibilities of course, and I believe that the charter of rights in Articles 40-45 of the Constitution also needs to be balanced by a charter of responsibilities - society depends on citizens recognising the rights of others.

The responsibility on every member of the community to respect the rights of others, particularly the vulnerable, requires us to combat anti-social behaviour and requires rebalancing criminal law further against the criminal, a subject I worked on strenuously as a member of the Balance in Criminal Law Review Group. I was delighted that our report was implemented by the Criminal Procedure Act 2010, now in force. The same principle requires democratic states to combat terrorism and to promote democratic reform abroad by lawful, appropriate and effective means.

5. Caring for all creation

We need to be concerned for all living things, and for the wider environment. It is not inaccurate to speak of the rights of animals to be treated humanely for example. We need to engage with nature in a rational and scientific way, through zoos and museums but also through the work of science generally.

On DLR County Council I have encouraged the work of the biodiversity officer and called for development of this role. I have called publicly for the full re-opening of the Natural History Museum.

A personal manifesto like this must of necessity leave much out - that is not because other areas are less important, it is because no-one can focus equally on all areas, and the above are some of my major themes to date. A full list of Labour policies is available on www.labour.ie