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Human Rights Pact
as Irish Bill of Rights
Mr. Sean MacBride, S.C., suggested last night that the
European Convention on Human Rights and the machi-
nery it provides should be used to safeguard the mino-
rity rights in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
After indicting both parts of the country for having
"a shocking record of both ignorance and lack of initi-
ative in the field of human rights", he said that in any
settlement of the present Anglo-Irish conflict there
would have to be provision for the protection of the
minorities we had.
Speaking on "The Rights of Man", he told a meeting
of Tuairim in Cork : "On the one view, it may be the
nationalist minority in the North or on another view,
it may be the Unionist or Protestant minority in a
united Ireland" that will have to be protected.
"Whatever settlement we have," he said, "there will
be a substantial minority; it will be necessary to give
constitutional safeguards for this minority in the nature
of a Bill of Rights.
The European Convention as a Bill of Rights
"We have, in the European Convention, a ready-
made Bill of Rights which should apply to the whole of
Ireland. It already does apply, in name at least. Why
not, by a solemn declaration make its provision enforce-
able by the Courts in Ireland and provide for a right of
appeal to the European Commission and Court of
Human Rights? We have a ready-made instrument
and machinery there. Why not examine now the man-
ner in which it could serve to protect minority rights
in Ireland? As it stands, the Convention and its organs
can be used.
"If necessary a simple Covenant could given the
Commission and Court of Human Rights special func-
tions in regard to minority rights in Ireland."
We had a shocking record of both ignorance and
lack of initiative in the field of human rights. This
applied to all our administrations, North and South.
The periods since 1922 during which we have not had
political internment or Special Courts in the North or
the South had been very few and far between.
"I often wonder whether much of the violence from
which we suffer, does not stem, at least in part, from
the disregard of our Governments for the protection of
human rights and from the apparent degradation of
political standards, often in high places," Mr. MacBride
said.
He described the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights of 1948 as one of the most important landmarks
in the history of mankind, more important even than
the Magna Carta, because it was universally accepted
and because it was much more detailed and compre-
hensive than the earlier declarations of human liberty.
Convention not ratified
At the United Nations, our country had voted for the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights and the International Convention on
the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination.
But for some unknown and unstated reason, our Govern-
ment had failed to ratify any of these three Conventions.
"This is particularly reactionery in the case of the
Convention on Racialism which has been ratified by
the Holy See and by Great Britain," he said.
Britain's ratification is in the name of Northern
Ireland also; so we have a situation in which racial
discriminaion is outlawed under international law in
Britain and Northern Ireland, but not in the Republic.
This is harmful to Ireland internationally."
Neither of the two Human Rights Covenants had
been ratified by either Ireland or Great Britain. "Why
this reticence? Is it because we do not wish to imple-
ment the protection of the human rights proclaimed in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," Mr. Mac-
Bride asked. "Britain has signed the Human Rights
convention but not ratified them. But we have not even
signed them much less ratified them."
Irish Times
(20th September 1972)
Solicitors' Golfing Society
Autumn Outing (Mullingar, 30/9/1972)
Captain's
(T. D. Shaw)
Prize
Winner, B. Kirby (14), 5 up.
Runner-up, G. Walsh (13), all square.
St. Patrick's Plate
(Handicap 12 and Over)
Winner, B. G. Donnelly (9), 1 up.
Runner-up, J. M. O'Donnell (10), 2 down.
Veteran's Cup
Winner, S. N. Mahon (17), 1 down.
Runner-up, W. A. Tormey (14), 2 down.
First nine, A. O'Carroll (4), all square.
Second nine, James Kelly (10), all square—last six.
Competitors from more than Thirty Miles Prize
Winner, Noel Tanham (13), 2 down.
Best Score by Lot
Winner, E. J. Margetson (14), 4 down.
Appointments
Mr. Michael O'Beirne, Deputy Solicitor, Irish Land
Commission, has been appointed Solicitor to the
Irish Land Commission in succession to Mr. James
Geary, who has retired.
Mr. Liam Lysaght, Deputy Chief State Solicitor, has
been appointed Chief State Solicitor in succession to
Mr. Donough O'Donovan, who has retired.
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