Government must go and policy must change

THIS time last year the number of people on the live register aged under 25 was 48,191.

Just 12 months later, that figure has doubled and as of June 2009, it stands at 91,755.

Overall, this is the 20th successive month that the live register figures have increased.

No government in the history of the state has ever presided over a rate of increase like this. The age of emigration to look for work should be over but thanks to the incompetence of ministers we are going backward when we should be going forward.

Young school-leavers and college graduates all over the country are facing their job prospects being destroyed by this paralysed, incompetent government.

Policy has to be redirected. We must stop the jobs haemorrhage and concentrate on getting people back to work. A focused, coherent and innovative policy departure is needed if we are to rise out of this recession without losing a generation of young people overseas to look for work.

It’s now time for us to give ministers their P45 and bring about the change that is desperately needed for the Irish economy.

Gary Honer

Chairperson

Labour Youth

Ely Place

Dublin 2