Burden of austerity falls on the young

The pain of more fees and the dole queue is not what young people expected from the money the Government had in the ‘boom’, writes Róisín Healy

WHEN I was in secondary school my teachers and family assured me I was lucky to be heading to college and not into the jobs market. That was two years ago, and now with almost half of my degree under my belt, my luck has apparently run out. Remaining in college will bleed me dry financially if the Government has its way. What are my alternatives? Joining a dole queue or scraping together the money for a one-way ticket to God-knows-where.

I have my whole life ahead of me and, of course, I have plans, dreams and ambitions. My course of study has verified for me that I want to be a journalist, hopefully for a national newspaper but I’m willing to work my way up.

Like anyone I want to travel and have a career. I’m sure at some stage I’ll want to settle down and maybe one day I’ll start a family. I want to grow old and see my family and friends lead happy and healthy lives. Nothing I have said is impossible but for the first time in my life my future is not in my hands.

There will be an empty chair at the dinner table this Christmas; perhaps every Christmas from now on. My aunt bade farewell to her only son Conor just last week. The college graduate is now working on a Canadian ski slope. When I reminisce about growing up with Conor, I remember his excitement when going to Irish college every summer, his love of GAA and how he knew the words to more Irish songs then I know now. Despite his obvious love of Ireland, his country had no future to offer him. The disaster in our economy has separated our family. More heartbreaking is that there are families dealing with much worse.

Conor is just one face among thousands who chose to emigrate rather than join a dole queue. Jobs, business and prudent budgeting are what will save this country. The Government has announced their budgetary guidelines for the next four years; cut, cut, cut. Savings will be made, and many of the measures posed in the National Recovery Plan are logical and commendable.

Labour activation measures to combat the employment trap are positive actions that will prove sustainable over time. Even though social welfare is to be cut, the development of a single social assistance payment will provide savings for the Government, while also providing an incentive for those dependent on these payments to rejoin the workforce. It may seem harsh, but by reducing the number of people dependent on welfare payments, future budgetary cuts will not be as devastating.

There are other depressing and frightening proposals. Brian Cowen’s government have decided €700m needs to be cut from the health budget next year. Our health system will not be able to cope. Quality of service will decline and people will suffer. Scandals involving misdiagnoses and X-ray mix-ups may become more prevalent. How can a system improve with less money, fewer employees and reduced facilities? It is logical to expect the worst from this particular cut. The number of in-patient beds is to be reduced.

I have experienced the indignity and discomfort of sleeping on a hospital trolley. You feel exposed, vulnerable and completely insignificant. No one should feel that way when they are sick.

Every family in Ireland has been touched by cancer. Cancer services are overburdened as it is, and waiting lists are dangerously long. Every day counts when it comes to the lethal disease. How much more unnecessary waiting and suffering are we expected to put up with? The politicians elected to represent us are putting the health of our loved ones at risk. What exactly are our taxes paying for? I think Irish taxpayers will agree that healthcare provision is more pertinent to our lives than bailing out banks. Pension cuts for the politicians who have failed the vulnerable would be a much more favourable option.

I have friends who are studying to be nurses, engineers, scientists and teachers. These are respectable professions that require hard work and dedication. They embarked on definite career paths. They have dreams, they have ambitions and they have paid what was necessary to get where they are today. More fees and an employment crisis did not feature in these plans. When it came to my education my mother has always said, “we’ll find a way.” But I know there are parents who do not prioritise education in this way. One of my friends is putting herself through college. She works two jobs. What are her options? Should she give up college and work for a few years? Does the Government expect her to just forget about how much time and money she has put into her education and start from scratch?

It is such a waste for someone who is pursuing third-level education, trying to better themselves and build a career, to have to give up for monetary reasons. If there has ever been anything I needed, such as maths grinds, revision books, or even when I decided to move away from home for college, I have always known that my parents would do all in their power to make it happen for me. But as I amend my plans for the future because of this crisis, I have come to the hard realisation that the support of my parents and the hard work I have put in just won’t be enough anymore.

The Government handles enormous sums of money. They have dealt with a recession before. Ireland has experienced economic depression and mass emigration before. I find it so hard to fathom how during the ‘boom’ years it never occurred to our political leaders to save some money for a rainy day.

Have they never heard that history repeats itself? It is disappointing and shameful that not one of our political representatives is willing to be held accountable for ruining the future of our country. They say that the recession and the economic downturn are world phenomena beyond the control of our Government. I can see an end to the crisis; but it is a long way down the line and will cost us so much more than money. Our sovereignty is worth more of a fight and should be prioritised over the jobs of politicians who are neither honest nor effective.

My generation was raised to be ambitious. We do not want to have our future decided for us.

* Róisín Healy, a student at the University of Limerick, is 19 and from Donoughmore, Co Cork.