Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - News - The Government’s Draft Budget needs to be revised to make building a peaceful society a central theme

01 March 2011

Article by Duncan Morrow, CEO, Community Relations Council. Edited version appeared in Belfast Telegraph on 28th February 2011.

The Executive has just completed its consultation process on the draft budget which has yet to be agreed before the Assembly is dissolved next month in preparation for elections and a new Assembly. It does not take a genius to recognise that these are difficult financial times that require efficiency and effectiveness savings as well as ensuring the delivery of essential services.

But difficult times are an opportunity to focus on necessary priorities. This could be an historic opportunity to apply resources and change practices to the overarching task of building a shared society based on equality, trust building, mutual respect and real justice across our communities. It is still hard to see that this has been put at the heart of the draft budget.

There does not appear to be any evidence that the recent Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI) consultation, or even the peace process of 16 years, has had a direct and measurable impact on departmental spending plans for the next four years or that there is any serious planning for tackling the costs of division in the long run. There is thus a risk that this vital issue, along with the potential savings which could be achieved in sharing services, is still seen as ‘irrelevant’ to key financial and political decisions.

In our consultation response Community Relations Council comes from the position that there is an urgent need to agree a budget that demonstrates that a rhetorical commitment to a shared and better future is matched by a willingness to apply resources to this difficult and long-term task. We are worried that there is no explicit or direct link of peace-building to the overall draft budget or any proposal of a strategy for shared resources to the goals of new investment, creating sustainable communities, tackling disadvantage and improving education. There does not appear to be any link made between the economics of conflict transformation and the economics of prosperity, including the role safe and secure communities have in attracting inward investment and the manner in which segregation continues to act as a barrier to mobility, connectivity and employment opportunities.

Building a shared society needs to be at the heart of economic regeneration if it is to be successful. Three interrelated priorities must all be addressed: attracting people, investment and creativity (economics); building a just society within the rule of law (safety and justice); and addressing the legacy of the past and embedding trust, safety and partnership. As of now the Executive’s budget does not appear to recognize that division is a central element of economic policy.

Events last summer around parades and protests reminded governments across the world of the risks of visiting Northern Ireland and resulted in warnings from a number of governments ‘to avoid all protests and demonstrations as they may turn violent’. This kind of cycle continues to undermine attempts to generate a sustainable industry here.

Attracting and competing for reliable investment cannot succeed with a reputation for instability and division. The need to address the risk of violence, conflict and potential instability is therefore not a diversion but an investment in all our futures, without which we will continue to find it difficult to escape the cycle of dependency and underlying recession. We need to examine how government spending can proactively prevent problems from developing at an early opportunity, rather than relying on quick reaction.

Sustainable peace will clearly require years of focused work by the Assembly and Executive. But we do need to set the direction and invest resources for the development of a normal civic society. It will require action in almost every departmental area, including Justice, Economic Development, Planning, Social Development, Rural Affairs, Education and Culture. It appears that this kind of joined-up approach is still too hard. But a serious budget has to have serious goals shared by all.

The draft budget should be adjusted to recognise the interconnectedness between prosperity and creating a stable society. And on top of that, we need a Programme for Government and a budget in which building a peaceful society is a central theme. Some things just don’t go away, you know.