Posted by Elaine Byrne

Derek Scally in today’s Irish Times on ‘Ireland needs a national forum for cogent debate.’

In particular he writes about:

“Three years on, the country is crying out for meaningful public debate beyond media bun fights and political soundbites. This debate needs a home, a place where civil society and politics meet. We have our highly regarded summer schools, but what about the rest of the year? We had a National Forum on Europe, why not one on Ireland? Whether fixed institution or roadshow, it must be open to all and should be funded by a public-private model.

Such a forum will only come to life when people demand it and see it for what it is: a must-have for national cohesion, something we can no longer afford to do without.”

Is this a Citizens’ Assembly by another name as outlined by Prof Ken Carty in Trinity last week?