Costello compares 1913 Lockout to Government’s commitments to development

23 August 2013

by Cllr Joe Costello

The Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D., has said that Ireland’s overseas aid programme continues to work towards a world where all human beings are freed from extreme poverty, to ensure everybody has access to services, a world free of inequalities related to income, gender, ethnicity, disability, age and location.

The Minister said that the work of Irish Aid, as exemplified in its new policy, ‘One World, One Future’ echoed the principles advanced by workers in 1913 during the Lockout.

Speaking on ‘100 Years of Lockout’ at the ICTU Global Solidarity Summer School in Dublin, he continued:

“In the face of powerful interests, the men and women of Ireland in 1913 stood up for their rights of collective action, dignity and justice. One hundred years on we can examine how we are treating the disempowered and exploited and look at how Ireland, as a state, can support global efforts for decent work, dignity and prosperity.

“Over the last decades, the global agenda to address the same disenfranchisement, poverty and inequality that was at the heart of the Lockout has come a long way.

“The drafting of Ireland’s new policy for international development has offered my Department the opportunity to look back at Ireland’s long experience in the development sector. It enables us to reflect on what we have learnt.

“I can proudly say that our new policy “One World, One Future” has been informed by this fruitful period of reflection. It has at its core our commitment to human rights, equality, decent work and the rights of marginalised people. We, like the workers in 1913, will use our voice, our capacity and our resources to end marginalisation, deprivation, social exclusion, and extreme poverty.”