Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I am not aware of anything that has changed about me apart from when I look in the mirror and see grey hair, which used to be black. I do not feel older intellectually. When I was younger I was more conservative in many ways but my politics have shifted to the left because I have developed an even healthier scepticism of all forms of power and authority as I have gotten older. I should be classified as an anarchist rather than a socialist because my views on authority have become so dimmed by my experiences, whatever about my views on the complexities of a number of issues which, perhaps, have been attuned a little.

I am glad the debate is moving on to ageism and not ageing. One of the most fundamental issues about ageism is we move on from it so quickly to talk about ageing that it immediately becomes a problem. The symptoms of ageism are not illnesses, no more than the symptoms of childhood. The characteristics of a six-month old baby are not an illness and, for example, a great deal of time is spent treating pregnancy as an illness. We should be wary of allowing the medical profession to take over the debate about ageing. We must recognise the process of life's transition as normal and deal with it accordingly. We should address issues as they come up, for example, the problem of adolescent hormones should not be considered an illness while considering the absence of similar hormones in older people a relief to society.

These issues are symptoms of different ages and they should never be allowed to be turned into categories of illnesses because, once that happens, they must be cured whereas many of the issues related to ageing should be experienced and addressed. The categorisation of these symptoms as problems makes life difficult for people as they get older because they begin to feel they are at one remove from society.

We need to recognise joyfully that it is good that people live longer, even though it creates issues that did not exist previously. However, the fact that people live longer should not be a problem for the individuals and, most assuredly, it should not be one for society. The focus, therefore, should be on people's lives and, for example, the question of work.

Ageing needs to be addressed but it is not entirely an accident that at a time our society has significant spare cash, pension fund managers have suddenly discovered a crisis. We need to be careful not to be "shanghaied" into taking actions with the money of individuals and society that are not justified by well-grounded objective evidence.

A number of the reports I have read about the alleged crisis in 2050 are based on negative perceptions of economic growth and incorrect forecasts on population growth, particularly in light of the evidence of the past few years. If Ireland experiences a significant influx of young people of child bearing and child rearing age — this is a horrible phrase — the projections of the age structure of our society in 50 years will be way off the mark. I do not wish to get into a debate with actuaries but when dealing with every issue, the truth should stand up.

I refer to the issue of learning. Changes in technology can lead to the exclusion of older people. For instance, those who cannot handle the Internet have become dependent when it comes to arranging holidays, travel and so on. Therefore, we must make sure a process is built into our lives that not only kicks in at 65 years but is present throughout our lives so people are encouraged, enabled and facilitated to renew their learning and embrace new technologies, otherwise barriers and problems will be created. The same argument applies to recreation. There is no reason to believe that participation in all forms of sport should end when one turns 33 having damaged a knee, a finger and so on. There should be a transition to different levels of activity.

Relationships are also an issue as people get older. There is no reason older people should be condemned to solitude or celibacy. It was not part of the deal and it should not be made, as a result of societal norms or ignorance, part of the deal. With regard to the aesthetic, a country with a limited culture imagines that beauty is the preserve of the young. The great photographers, painters and writers of the world have portrayed older people and ageing with a degree of sensual beauty that is as real as that in younger people. It is a little less superficial but very real for all of that.