Cori asks voters to back those who prioritise 'common good'

WELFARE STATE:THE CONFERENCE of Religious in Ireland (Cori) has urged voters to support candidates in the upcoming elections who will prioritise the "common good" over the market and protect the welfare state.

The Catholic agency, that campaigns on issues of poverty and social exclusion, said the current economic crisis was partly rooted in a philosophy of individualism that failed to recognise the importance of community.

In a briefing document published yesterday ahead of next month’s European and local elections, Cori Justice said the prevalence of market-centred policies had meant people were now evaluated principally in economic terms, and the market was seen as “the key place of advancement and development”.

“Those who are elected in the upcoming elections need to recognise that solutions based on the market alone will not solve the present series of crises,” it said.

Cori director Fr Seán Healy said recent economic pressures following from the collapse of much of the world’s financial system had led to growing calls for a reduction in social welfare rates and the cutting back of social services.

He said many of these calls were based on spurious claims that Ireland’s welfare rates were among the most generous in Europe, which was not supported by the data.

“The incoming European Parliament should give priority to ensuring the welfare state is protected and promoted.”

He said not enough had been done in the EU to address the scale of poverty and social exclusion.

The fact that one in every sixth person remained at risk of poverty in such a wealthy part of the world was a “major indictment” of the Union’s priorities.

Fr Healy said the delivering of “real social cohesion across the Union” should be an EU priority in the coming five years.

“Those elected to the European Parliament will be in a strong position to ensure this priority is addressed effectively.”

He urged voters not to be complacent about the importance of local government in Ireland, which, he said, was often ”overlooked or dismissed as irrelevant”.

He said government at national level had failed to decentralise many decision-making functions and the resources required to ensure that these authorities could maximise their potential.