Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What we have heard today is highly disingenuous in respect of young people. It is insulting. I ask people to not insult the intelligence of young people. We speak about encouraging and helping young people but we are not listening to them. We are certainly not hearing them. They say that they do not want a referendum; they want to have the votes. We have the power to do that here and now, and we are not doing it. By not doing that we say to them that we do not trust or respect them - end of story. One should not insult their intelligence with a promise that something will happen in the future.

There is a practical aspect to people having a vote at the age of 16 and 17, especially in rural areas. If a young person goes on the electoral register at the age of 16 while he or she still at school and still at the home address, there is a better chance of that person voting as he or she goes through the life cycle. We should not be afraid of it but there is a fear. Why will people not change things? It is often because they are afraid of it. The fear comes from possibility that the status quomight change and the order of society might, in some way, change to cause discomfort to those who have all the power. As a mother of a 14 year old and a 16 year old it really disheartens me today to hear these are other young people being patronised around this issue. It is very plain and simple; young people should be trusted to vote and people should be encouraged to vote and have a say in their society. Otherwise one should forget about it and rather than giving them the words and they should simply be told it is not going to be done. One should at least be honest.