Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I am reluctant to intervene in such a contribution because it is not merely passionate but also educational to hear a first-hand account of some of the realities for young people in Ireland, in particular disabled young people. Senator Clonan's commitment to those with disability is not simply personal; it is ideological. I admire him greatly for what he has done, the stances he has taken and the voice he is for those who are disabled in Ireland. Their's is a bleak situation.

I was reminded by my parliamentary assistant today that, in 2017, I wrote an article about the crisis not merely of homelessness but hopelessness among the younger generation in Ireland. It does not just apply to those with disability; it applies right across the younger generation in Ireland. As the motion mentions, the intention to emigrate and escape what appears to be a particularly unattractive future is a reality. It is a political reality. We as a community should not underestimate the voice of youth. Those politicians who are blithely sailing into the next general election are going to find out, to their cost, how serious it is to disappoint an entire generation. My generation is comparatively wealthier and the younger generation comparatively poorer than when I was a young man first interested in politics many years ago.

When I was a young child going to school, we had a cleaning lady in our house. The reason we had a cleaning lady is her husband had lost his job during the cement strike in the 1960s and she had to go out to work and she came to our house to work. She became a real friend of our family. She used to make my lunch every day when I came back from school, and she explained her family circumstances. I want to put on the record of this House that her daughter, who was a good secondary student, left school at the age of 16 to take a job in a sewing factory in Ballyfermot. Her boyfriend got an apprenticeship at the age of 17 in CIÉ and the pair of them could, by the time they got married at 18 or 19 - I have forgotten the exact age they were - put down a deposit on a house in Tallaght where they had a family of seven children. He was working and she looked after the children at home. Everything has changed utterly. Whether that was a good circumstance or a bad one, that is what they aspired to. They had their own home. No youngsters now have any parallel expectation of home ownership. It is not an ideological point, but if we say to an entire generation, which is the problem for the Government, that they are not going to have a proprietary or economic interest in their community, they might as well emigrate because there is nothing here with high rents, housing shortages and the like. If the Government does not address their agenda, it should not be surprised if the result is a very savage condemnation in political terms. One might talk about the opportunism and populism of those who offer apparently simple remedies to their problems, but if the Government is not seen to address them itself with conviction, and a determination and radicalism to deal with their futures, the result is going to be very serious for the democratic future of this country.Those politicians who think a good budget will see them through are going to be sorely disappointed.