Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like Senator Buttimer, I did my leaving certificate in 1984 but if I am correct, in 1984, we had Ministers who were in their 20s. I think Mary Harney was appointed Minister in the 1980s in her 20s. We gave responsibility to young people. In fact, young people forged this State. They had a citizens' assembly, which Senator Buttimer called for. They assembled outside the GPO and took matters into their own hands. That is what young people are going to do. Before long, the young people here will be on this side of the glass and I do not think it will be in decades. I am hoping some of them will keep me on this side of the glass in the next couple of years - I hope they will pass the word among their fellow Trinity graduates.

I worked with young people in Lebanon in the 1990s. We used to bring 18- and 19-year-old soldiers in the armoured convoys, drop them off at the observation posts at night and give them a 7.62 mm machine gun and 2,000 rounds of ammunition. What does one do if one is hit up by Hezbollah? Fire up the green flare. What does one do if hit up by the Israelis or their proxies? Fire up the red flare. Prevent oneself from being forcibly disarmed. We gave them responsibility and recognised their potential and they rose to every challenge they met because we took them seriously and did not infantilise them. There is no point in having free condoms if one does not have somewhere to go and a roof over one's head.

Do I believe that Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Eamon Ryan are sincere about rectifying this very pressing crisis? I do. When the results of the general election in 2020 came in, on the first working day back here in Leinster House, and I am sure the Taoiseach will not mind me saying this, the Taoiseach invited me in for a conversation. He made me a cup of tea and I felt heard by him. I was very struck by his speech when he assumed the role of Taoiseach. He spoke about his adult children and said that they would hold him to account. I was very struck by that part of his speech. It did give me hope that he is a sincere person who does value young people and wants to have an impact on this social indices and rectify them.

Do I trust Leo Varadkar? When Eoghan was in transition year, we happened to meet Leo Varadkar. He met and interacted with Eoghan on his level and listened to him. In fact, he said, "You can call me Leo". He said, "The rest of them in here will have to call me Taoiseach", so we will take him at his word. It was the same with Mary Lou McDonald.

I accept the positive and constructive responses here but these are the people who have to hear that narrative. We hear about Gen Z, Gen X and Gen Y. They will consider us Generation F for failure if we fail to convince them that we are doing our absolute utmost to help them realise their full human potential and self-actualisation. Housing is one of the cruellest and most pressing challenges. The consequences of it might be expressed in a certain amount of emigration but also at the next general election and the local elections. We need to be very clear in our narrative and public discourse that we will remake and reshape this Republic in the image of those who forged it. They were young people like my grandmother, who was setting fire to police stations in south County Dublin when she was 19. If my daughter, who is 18, suggested that she might do that, I would have a lot to say about it.