Foundation of the May Street Economic Forum

Our next meetings take place in Urban Soul Café on February 28 and March 27 at 11am. Please join us and help identify actions that will assist us all in delivering a self sustaining economy by 2015.

(Location map)

The Northern Irish economy is not working. Something is wrong, and most of us know it. May Street is not calling for the invasion of sectarian religion, or theocratic grabs for power, but rather for neglected values to be included in the economic debate. Church in the past has abdicated its responsibility to be a voice and protagonist for economic regeneration in our Province. May Street has now become that voice in the market place, no longer prepared to stand on the sidelines, but to recognise the church's God-given mandate to interact in the economic conversation.

The May Street Economic Forum (MSEF) is a think-tank which was set up in March 2007. It has been meeting once a month in the Urban Soul Café to discuss the socio-economic challenges that face Northern Ireland. The meetings have attracted a wide and varied attendance and enjoyed a stimulating range of discussions and debates. MSEF was launched to allow pragmatic and open debate on the economy in a non threatening environment and without reference to party politics.

The Forum has now produced an interim report outlining key points which it feels are crucial to the ongoing debate about the regeneration of the Northern Ireland economy. The main messages can be summarised by saying:

ULSTER SAYS GO!

The economy of Northern Ireland seems to be flat packed. But the resources required for it to develop within the world's new and prevailing competitive markets are in the box.The May Street Economic Forum is firmly of the opinion with the right atmosphere and attitude we can collectively act to develop a self sustaining economy standing on its own merits by 2015. There will never be a better time and we all need to grasp the opportunity for peace and prosperity with both hands, today, here and now!

Other ancillary points are:

1. The Church needs to do the business

Faith by definition is entrepreneurial and church leaders must seek to press forward in the developing of our economy by all means at their disposal. Not only must they engage in the economic conversation but actively create new models of interaction between church and economy.

2. Inner city areas need to have a special focus

Much has been done to pave the way for an economic uplift but certain hotspots and initiatives need to be fuel injected and kindled with more intensity. The inner city needs greater attention and May Street and other indigenous initiatives need to be fervently encouraged.

3. Real-time business needs rail-time travel

The speed and frequency of trains from Belfast to Dublin needs to greatly improved to enhance our global connectivity. We need to invest to achieve a timetable in which trains depart hourly and take less than 90 minutes for the journey.

4. Legal Age for Entrepreneurs to be lowered to 11 plus

The moral and practical benefits of inspiring entrepreneurship and income generation/self reliance in the young is seen as a great foundation stone for the future of the economy.

5. Belfast Rising!

Urgent clarification is needed by the Stormont Executive and the Planning Service as to whether Belfast is to become a medium rise or high rise city.

6. Belfast needs a sales commission

As the public sector goes marching on, Belfast requires a sales commission/collaborative effort to boost the private sector. We need to intensify our efforts to trade goods and services with the wider world, and attract much more foreign direct investment. Selling needs to be revered and encouraged by all along with R&D as traditional manufacturing shifts east to low cost locations.

Keith Drury and Raymond Sexton
Joint Forum Convenors
May Street Economic Forum
May Street Presbyterian Church
Belfast

The May Street Covenant

We wish to reflect deeply on the issues facing our community and the wider world, and we believe we have a special mission to spearhead a forthright, pragmatic and honest discussion on how we can impact the welfare and economic success of Belfast, Ulster (and the Island of Ireland along with its principle Cities).

We are committed to providing an open, welcoming forum for the discussion of all economic issues without reference to ‘The National Question,' as we believe this is now resolved by the acceptance of the principle of consent by all the people of Ireland in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Debate shall be entered into on the essential economic topics of today with the minimum use of certain words that we consider as having a negative impact on the development of economic reconciliation.

Words such as Republican, Unionist, Loyalist, British, Border, Exchequer, Nationalist, Sterling, Euro etc. will be progressively proscribed over an agreed time period and ultimately ‘decommissioned’ from use in the debates as a new progressive vocabulary is developed mutually by the participants.

We aim to draw on the expertise and experience of all willing speakers from across the globe and we will implore them to honour our May Street Covenant in creating a positive economic debate without reference to partisan terminology. Essentially we are declaring a verbal ceasefire within the bounds of the May Street Economic Forum and welcome all to join with us in this great mission of building a healthy and sustainable economic structure for our society which in turn supports the well being of all, especially the under privileged and marginalised.

We can only decide our futures with human integrity and self respect as we develop a vibrant economy and lay to rest the culture of dependency which has so typified life in Northern Ireland. In so doing, we encourage all others within the private and public sectors to embrace the future with true spiritual verve and honesty.

Biblical Theology for The Economic Forum

We believe the Bible teaches:

1. Self dependency rather than dependency on others to be a true and honourable

principle leading to a self sustaining economy (2Thess 3:10-12).

2. Fairness, equity and integrity in business dealings (Lev 19:36, Amos 8:4-7).

3. Start up of new business to be encouraged as a way of generating the economy

and giving people self-worth and value (Deut 15:12-14).

4. A strong and positive cultural identity promotes local confidence and inward

investment. (Psalm 122:6-91Kings 10, Isaiah 60 KJV).

Foundation of the May Street Economic Forum

The May Street Covenant

Biblical Theology for The Economic Forum

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