Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One cannot become President until the age of 35. This is an important point given what was said previously. I am aware that this issue was looked at in an earlier referendum, but in the spirit of the topic under discussion today it may be something we could look at moving forward.

I could reiterate nearly everything I said in my last contribution about the semantics of the aspiration to give young people the vote for local government elections but I will not. It applies right across the board. I am for giving young people the vote at the age of 16 in all elections. Sinn Féin brought forward a Bill in the last Dáil that sought to enfranchise all Irish citizens with a vote in presidential elections. Part of the Bill proposed to lower the voting age in presidential elections to the age of 16. Sinn Féin is consistent in this and we have put our money where our mouths are in the limited capacity we have in both Houses, to try to ensure people from the age of 16 have the right to be full and equal participants as we seek to tax them and seek to impose upon them laws that are created in this House, which would impact on their lives while we would not trust them to have a vote in return.

While I support the lowering of the voting age across the board, local government elections are probably the front face of politics and they are probably the level at which most people - not just young people - engage with elected representatives. During this debate reference was made to the Youth Forum in Belfast, which does a fantastic job. It is very active and sometimes it puts the elected representatives to shame with the passion, energy, commitment and drive it brings to campaigns and important issues in the city. The Youth Forum really inspires me. There is a notion of béalghrá and platitudes towards young people. The previous contribution was one of the most dishonest political sentiments I have heard expressed in the House. The position is clear for all to see. It is on the record so I will not get into a back and forth with Senator Murnane O'Connor about it; to be honest I actually feel a wee bit sorry for her as a colleague. The Senator has been left in here to fight the so-called good fight on her own. It is telling as to where Fianna Fáil's heads are at in this regard that they cannot come in to stand by the Senator and to try to justify the stance taken today and previously.

I will now turn to the sentiment of the Bill. Young people should have the vote. It is right. I expressed this view earlier. Young people are energised and they are engaged on the political issues of the day, be it at international, national or local level. This Bill seeks to empower young people in the first instance at local government elections. I was 25 years of age when I was appointed as Belfast's youngest Lord Mayor. I think I was 20 or 21 when I first stood in an Assembly election in the North, for Belfast East, in 2007. Young people are engaged, they have been engaged and they will be engaged as we move forward. We have seen this over recent referendum campaigns in this State and I am sure that we will certainly see it in the upcoming referendum campaigns.

As I said earlier, it is about trusting young people. It is not about coming in to the House and giving it the tired old clichés or kicking it down the lane, as we have heard some Members profess. In the spirit of republican politics, this is about enfranchising citizens, empowering and enabling people and giving them a full and equal say in the life of their State and their politics.