Economic rights treaty – a signature failure

I HAVE always admired Ireland’s attitude to human rights. That appears to be about to change.

Twenty years ago last month Ireland ratified a legally binding international treaty guaranteeing our fundamental human rights but the Government apparently does not want to sign a new one.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights guarantees us all the right to a fair wage, social security, protection of the family, housing, an adequate standard of living, heath and education.

Given the huge amount they extort from us in various taxes (about €53bn every year until this year), it would seem only fair and relatively simple to provide four million people with those rights.

However, a new international treaty was agreed recently that would allow us to take the Government to the UN if it was not doing everything it could to deliver these rights to us.

Why has the Government not signed it? Don’t they want us to know what our rights are, or are they admitting that they are unwilling or unable to govern along those lines?

Dick Barton

Kevin Street

Tinahely

Co Wicklow