The Collins Institute has identified six key principles which we believe can help support the creation of a Just Republic in Ireland. Our starting point is Fine Gael’s Just Society document and the three fundamental principles which it promoted: Freedom of the Individual; Equality of Opportunity; and Social Solidarity.
The Just Society insisted on the vital importance of both “freedom and equality” in creating a fairer and more dynamic Ireland. It saw no inherent “conflict between the public and private sectors, for both can stimulate and aid the other.” The title of the document also emphasised the importance it attached to the role of solidarity in a modern democracy. In examining the possible architecture of a Just Republic, the Institute will also focus on three additional principles: Accountability; Sustainability; and Subsidiarity.