The Ideas Campaign is a grassroots initiative in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
asking ordinary people for ideas to stimulate economic activity.
The origins of the campaign can be traced back to the TV appearance by businesswoman
Aileen O'Toole on a special edition of the current affairs programme
Prime Time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
on
RTÉ
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
about the state of the Irish economy in January 2009.
She argued in the programme that the current focus on economic problems meant that positive, practical ideas for economic growth were being overlooked.
In response to her appearance, Prime Time did a follow-up programme on 5 March 2009, on which she launched the Ideas Campaign.
The submission for ideas closed at the end of March 2009 and centres on a website - IdeasCampaign.ie - on which ordinary citizens can submit their ideas to stimulate economic growth.
Some 1,750 ideas were submitted in the campaign's first week
The ideas were then reviewed by an advisory group and distilled into a report. The action plan was released on the 14 May. Read the ful
Ideas Campaign Action Plan
The
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
,
Brian Cowen
Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
, issued a statement on 8 March 2009 that he would ensure that the report will be "fast-tracked to the Cabinet sub-committee on Economic Renewal for assessment and implementation, where appropriate".
On Tuesday 21 July 2009 the Irish Government announced its response to the Ideas Campaign. A total of 17 of the 44 ideas included in the campaign’s Action Plan, in areas such as active citizenship, the
knowledge economy
The knowledge economy, or knowledge-based economy, is an economic system in which the production of goods and services is based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to advancement in technical and scientific innovation. ...
, tourism and government finances, are to be implemented on the recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal.
Minister Conor Lenihan announces Government response to the Ideas Campaign
References
{{reflist
External links
The Ideas Campaign
– official website for the campaign
Economy of the Republic of Ireland