The Workers’ Party has provided the following statement on behalf of all its candidates –

As a prelude to the questions I include a short piece from a pamphlet which we published in response to the publication of the Ryan Report.

“Developing Secularism – The Separation of Church and State:

The position of the Workers Party is set out very succinctly in the following extract from a resolution adopted at our Ard Fheis in 2004.

“The Workers’ Party believes in a society where citizens are free to practise their religious beliefs subject to respect for the rights of others, to change their religious affiliation or to choose not to hold any religious belief. No church or religious belief should be endorsed or conferred with any special rights or privileged position by the state. Politicians, elected to public office, should not use that office to endorse or express religious views or preferences in the course of their public duties.

The Workers’ Party demands complete separation between church and state and by that we mean there is no place for the special position of any church, denomination or religious belief in the public life or institutions of the state. The Workers’ Party is committed to the primacy of a secular democratic society based on principles of equality and justice and supports the need to defend the state against all those who seek privileges and special treatment on the grounds of their religious belief, whatever that belief.

The Workers’ Party believes that it is the duty of the state to create public institutions and spaces which are religiously neutral and this includes schools, hospitals and places of work. Faith based schools, of whatever religion, serve to divide youth and foster difference. The children of the nation should be educated through and in a properly integrated system of education. The state should abolish religious declarations and oaths for public positions including the office of President and judges with immediate effect and should be constantly vigilant against any church-state agreement or arrangement which might attempt to impose a position on political decision-making.”

From: Ryan Report on Institutional Child Abuse (P 6-7)

A Response  and  Proposals for Positive Action

The Workers Party, July 2009

1. Will you work to reform the education system so that all children in your constituency can access publicly-funded schools which have no religious ethos?

Absolutely

2. Would you support a referendum to remove religious references from the Constitution?

Yes

3. Do you believe that blasphemy should be a criminal offence?

No – in fact we believe the recent crime of “Blasphemous Libel” is a major retrograde step.

4. Would you support legislation to prevent hospitals from having a religious ethos?

Yes – for all state funded hospitals
5. If elected, would you vote to ensure that religious bodies are treated the same as other organisations under equality and employment legislation?

Yes

6. Do you believe that religions should have to pay their fair share of tax on income that does not come from charitable activities?

Yes

7. If you wish to provide a brief general statements of your views on the future development of secularisation in Ireland, or to highlight any previous comments you have made on related issues, please do so.

“The Workers’ Party demands complete separation between church and state and by that we mean there is no place for the special position of any church, denomination or religious belief in the public life or institutions of the state. The Workers’ Party is committed to the primacy of a secular democratic society based on principles of equality and justice and supports the need to defend the state against all those who seek privileges and special treatment on the grounds of their religious belief, whatever that belief”.

See above for full section – also check our website www.workerspartyireland.net