The new Fianna Fáil / Fine Gael / Independent draft Programme for Government released today strongly emphasises the Government’s intention to fight the “scourge” of “misinformation” and “disinformation”, mentioning the issue a total of 9 times.
“Democracy is under threat globally from increasing extremism as well as the spread of misinformation and disinformation,” the document reads.
“Ireland has one of the longest democratic traditions of any country in the world. However we cannot take that freedom for granted. We must protect Irish democracy to ensure it remains resilient, transparent and free from outside interference.”
FIGHTING “MISINFORMATION”
A number of specific plans are outlined to achieve this, including empowering the Electoral Commission to “tackle the scourge of online disinformation and misinformation” around election time, and saying that the Government will “counter disinformation through regulation and support for trusted public information sources.”
The Programme also says that the Government will “Launch national and local community campaigns to highlight the positive impacts of migration and to challenge disinformation,” and that they will fund a “National Counter Disinformation Strategy”, among other similar measures.
The Government goes on to say that they will “Resource and implement the new EU Online Safety Framework to protect vulnerable groups from online harm, and tackle disinformation”, and also “Support the development and rollout of the EU’s Democracy Shield to combat the disinformation and malign online manipulation waged by foreign powers in Europe.”
ANTI-RACIST “UNCONSCIOUS BIAS” TRAINING WITHIN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
While the document makes no specific mention of “hate speech” laws, it does have a section on using “sustained” action to “eliminate racism”, including through “unconscious bias” training within the education system, which it says will help to suppress “extremist views”.
“This Government will continue to implement training programmes within our education system to address racism and unconscious bias, fostering a more inclusive environment for all students and reducing susceptibility to extremist views,” the Programme reads.
The Government also say they intend to “Promote and fund intercultural events and activities nationwide, celebrating diversity and encouraging understanding among different communities.”
IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM POLICY
The Programme says that the Government will “continue to invest in English language classes for people seeking international protection,” and that they will “enforce policies to protect migrants from exploitation and abuse, highlighting the social and economic benefits of migration to counter anti-immigration sentiments.”
“[We will] develop community-led initiatives to foster connections between migrants and local populations, particularly in areas receiving a high number of new arrivals, to build strong community ties,” they add.
The Programme further outlines plans to establish a new “Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration”, and says the Government will “Implement stronger border security” through a variety of measures.
These include “increasing the collection of fingerprints and photographs from new arrivals, enhancing our ability to verify identities,” and ensuring that “applicants are provided with accommodation with restrictions on their movement to ensure the integrity of the process.”
“[We will] ensure that people who arrive here from safe countries, with false or no documents, or who have crossed borders illegally are subject to an accelerated processing system so that decisions are made quickly,” the document reads.
“Any applicant whose international protection application has been refused in another EU member state will be subject to an accelerated hearing under an inadmissibility procedure. Those who are processed under the border procedure will not be authorised to enter Ireland. Their applications, appeals and removal decisions must be processed within three months.”
FINDING WAYS TO SUPPORT NGOs
In addition to this, under the heading of “Early Years Educators”, the programme says its plan is to find ways to support “nonprofit” groups, i.e. NGOs.
“[We will] explore ways to better support nonprofit, community and social enterprise
organisations,” the document reads.
SPHE AND SEX EDUCATION
The document makes no mention of the controversial sex education curriculum, except to say that the Government will “Continue to implement the SPHE/RSE curricula and provide resources and training for their effective delivery.”
GOVERNMENT “COMMITTED” TO CARBON TAX INCREASES
The Government also say they are “committed” to continuing with annual carbon tax increases.
“We are committed to using the carbon tax as a key tool to encourage a shift away from fossil fuels and invest in a sustainable future,” the document reads.
“This approach ensures those who are most vulnerable receive targeted support, making the transition fair and equitable. This Government will continue with the planned carbon tax increases, aligning with recommendations from the Climate Change Advisory Council and scientific experts.”
The Government say that they will use carbon tax revenues “to fund social welfare measures, agri-environmental schemes and retrofitting.”
IDENTITY QUOTAS FOR POLITICS
The Programme also says that it aims to “actively promote the inclusion of women and minorities in all political roles, fostering a more diverse political landscape,” and also to “Implement initiatives to promote the recruitment and retention of women in the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána, including to senior positions.”
The incoming Government also says that their aim is to “develop a way to advance gender budgeting,” and to “promote the target of at least 40% for representation of each gender on boards” to ensure “gender balance”.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUMS?
Notably, the 2020 Programme for Government committed to holding three referendums – one on extending the franchise at presidential elections to Irish citizens living outside the State; one on Article 41.2 of the Constitution (which took place last year in the form of the Family and Care referendums); and inserting a ‘right to housing’ into the Constitution.
In this new draft Programme for Government, no proposed referendums or Constitutional changes are mentioned – likely due to the major defeat of the Family and Care referendums last year.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING OF MEDIA
On the issue of the media, the Government says their intention is to prop up national and local media with State-funding, and that they will “Ensure stable, sufficient funding for RTÉ and other public service broadcasters to maintain quality programming and public trust.”
They also say they will “Ensure accessible funding for local radio and print media to support the provision of objective news and current affairs content”.
NEW PRISONS
As part of the drive to increase Ireland’s prison capacity, the Government plans to construct a new prison at Thornton Hall, expanding the existing prison capacity by 1,500 spaces, and considering the need for a new ‘Women’s Open Prison’.
OTHER MEASURES
You can read more about these measures and others in the full draft document, which can be found here.