I was speaking with Damien about this a minute ago and figured there was no harm in putting the idea out there as a “lazy web” suggestion.
We in Ireland are about to be bombarded with a near constant stream of party Ard Fheiseanna, as all parties try to turn heads and get noticed in an important election year.
Bar the Extraordinary Ard Fheis set up by Sinn Fein for the end of the month (which will only cover one issue), the first one on the way is Labour’s, which I believe is in February (thanks Keith).
Anyway, my idea is a People’s Ard Fheis (thanks to Damien for the suggested name) to be held a month (or so) before the general election, which would probably make it April or May.
The event would take the exact same form as a political party ard fheis, with motions being put forward, debates being held and votes being taken. The only difference is that all of the above would be done by normal people, not politicians or party members.
There are a number of things to be taken from this event. It would be a great forum for debate, it would be a great way for politically aware people to meet up (and for those who want to become more politically aware to be able to hear a wide range of ideas) and it could also be seen as a great temperature gauge as the country prepares to vote on its next Government.
The reason why I’m putting this forward as a lazy web suggestion is because the idea has just hit my head and it’s something that would require plenty of planning involving plenty of people if it were to succeed.
So, what do you think?
The same thread over at Irishelection.com features a discussion on the idea.