MEP Urges Youth To 'Think, Talk About And Get Involved In Shaping The Country's future'
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Attending the Young Fine Gael Conference held in the Bridge House Hotel Tullamore last weekend were Cllr. Tommy McKeigue, Brid Lee, Peter Kelly, Cllr. Molly Buckley and Deputy Charlie Flanagan. TT0834
"THE failings of the past in terms of economic mismanagement have left young people carrying the can", Mairead McGuinness MEP for Laois-Offaly and Ireland East told the Young Fine Gael conference in Tullamore on Friday night last during her opening address.
The conference was attended by up to 500 Fine Gael delegates from all over the country. Party leader and Taoiseach Edna Kenny visited the event on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking at the opening of the event Ms McGuinnesss said: ''Youth unemployment is high - too high. Across the EU, more than 5.5 million young people are unemployed or about 22.3% of the entire youth workforce, according to the latest statistics. Spain is the hardest hit with youth unemployment there edging to 50%. Ireland currently has 29% youth unemployment. While there are tentative signs that youth employment may be levelling off across Europe, it is still unacceptable that young people in many member states cannot find work.
'The language of political debate and discussion at EU level has centred on debt reduction and austerity programmes until recent days. But this week in the European Parliament, the debate shifted to that of jobs and growth with a real focus on youth unemployment. The problems of the euro zone and the EU have not gone away, but there is a growing political acceptance that the medicine of austerity alone will not cure the problems and in fact could exacerbate our difficulties.
'We risk losing the support of citizens in these one-sided measures, where they cannot see a better future. There is also a real risk that support for the EU will wane with an increasingly anti-EU sentiment. It is time to change tack and do so rapidly.
'During my time as a Member of the European Parliament, I have seen a sundering of solidarity at EU level. Peripheral member states see the imposition of austerity by the more powerful centre, led by Germany and France. This is an overly simplistic analysis of the situation and ignores the support which is being provided to member states."
Ms McGuinness said it was time to refocus on growing the EU for the benefit of all member states: "This week, Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti made a very welcome contribution to the debate about deepening European integration. He spoke of his responsibility to Italy and his responsibility to the EU as being one and the same thing. He openly criticised the practice of many national governments which point the finger of blame at the EU for decisions which they were part and parcel of making at EU level.
'His promise not to engage in this behaviour was welcome and necessary. Prime Minister Monti spoke about the 'scarce raw material' of public opinion in favour of the EU and the need to proceed with caution. His concern about deepening scepticism about the EU must be heeded, so too must his determination to refocus efforts on European integration,' she concluded.
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