Farewell to greed, cronyism, a bankrupt country – and Mary Coughlan

I WISH to express my disgust at the the recent comments on emigration by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan. At age 23 I have moved to London to take up a job.

And despite Ms Coughlan’s assertions about my generation, I did not move to enjoy myself. I left my family, friends and all that I hold dear behind because I had no choice.

I moved because my own country has nothing to offer me as a result of the self-interest, greed and the cronyism of those in positions of power in government and financial institutions. These are the people who robbed a whole generation of a future in Ireland and they are still making the decisions about our country. Are we the most compliant nation on earth, or what? I worked hard to get good results in university. When I couldn’t get a job I studied for a further year, hoping a higher diploma in nursing would open doors to employment here. But to no avail. Attitudes to my applications were dismissive at times.

In contrast, hospitals in England are so appreciative of my skills and, my obvious interest in my profession (as indicated by my further studies) that several of them made offers to me.

So I plucked up the courage to say a painful goodbye to my parents and friends. And next year it is highly likely that my brother will have to do the same. It’s one thing for a young person to choose to travel, and I’m all for that. But it’s quite another to feel forced out of your country in order to find work. I feel every taxpayer has a stake in this exodus of highly trained, hard-working and bright young people and I want us all to be angry enough to ensure this never happens again to a generation of Irish people.

The arrogance of Ms Coughlan’s comments goes to show how the Government knows nothing of the struggles of ordinary people to make ends meet. It is time they had a wake-up call.

Sarah Moore

Mitcham Road

West Croydon CR0 3JN,

London