Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 May 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

Changing Attitudes towards the European Union: Discussion

2:00 pm

Photo of Eric ByrneEric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the young people for their honesty. I see the word “synergies” and although I am on this committee I am still trying to understand what it means to be involved in the debate about the European semester.

It is very convoluted terminology that is used in Europe; most politicians would agree that it is very difficult to come to terms with it. I congratulate the witnesses on their work and hope they enjoyed their trip to Riga and other places. We go to those places as well as part of the European project - maybe one day we will bump into each other again.

I have one passing comment for Active Retirement Ireland. I have a bee in my bonnet about our collective attitude to aging and what it means to be old. Every time I have a birthday I say to myself, "my God, they are talking about me". Really, in this day and age should we be classifying 50, 55, 65 and 66 year olds as old people? I am amazed at the number of 100th, 90th or 92nd birthdays I am invited to as a politician. My pastime is climbing mountains and every Sunday I can be found doing anything from four to eight hours in the mountains. I will not tell my age - the witnesses can probably guess by my baldy head.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.