Government comments on unemployed youth disgusting - Kelly

A Wexford Sinn Féin Councillor has described comments made by a junior minister attacking young unemployed people as disgusting and highly inappropriate comments from a member of a government supposedly committed to job creation and recovery. Cllr Anthony Kelly challenged local Fine Gael TDs to make their feelings on junior minister Shane McEntee’s comments known and asked that they provide a realistic blueprint for job creation for the seventy thousand young unemployed in the state.

“The comments made by Fine Gael TD Shane McEntee are highly inappropriate from a member of a government committed to job creation and recovery,” Cllr Kelly said. “Currently there are seventy thousand people under the age of twenty five unemployed in this state. Thirty nine percent of those people are out of work for more than a year. This is at a time when it is estimated that fifty thousand people, many of them under thirty, are emigrating every year. For a Fine Gael junior minister to imply that these young people are unwilling to work shows a government which is sadly out of touch with the realities faced by the young unemployed.”

“Deputy McEntee also implied that many young people out of work were spending their benefits on alcohol. This is a disgusting generalisation to make. Imagine what would be said if Deputy McEntee had accused old people of spending their benefits on alcohol. It would be an entirely false and deeply offensive thing to say. Accusing young unemployed people of the same thing is no different. Deputy McEntee owes the seventy thousand young people out of work in Ireland today a sincere apology.”

“This incident has highlighted the dangerous views held by government members about youth unemployment. It would now be apt for the government to bring forward a comprehensive and effective job creation strategy to help get our young people back to work. I’m calling on our local government TDs to make their feelings on Deputy McEntees comments known and to offer us a realistic blueprint for youth job creation.”

“This would be a far more proactive and positive move than attempting to vilify seventy thousand young people who are out of work through no fault of their own.”