South Roscommon Ógra protest against Youth Unemployment

In an effort to highlight the ever-increasing problem of unemployment in the midlands, Ógra Shinn Féin activists from the Toby Mannion Cumann in South Roscommon recently placed a banner on the by-pass bridge running over a main road into Athlone. The banner, which reads, '3985 Athlone people on the dole; 3985 reasons for New Government' is part of Ógra's campaign to spark debate around the issue of youth unemployment.

As the numbers joining the dole queue's inflates day by day, Ógra members in the area have insisted that this is just one of a number of actions that will take place across South Roscommon over the coming weeks and months to try and highlight the burning issue. Speaking after the banner had been secured to railing over the constantly-busy Roscommon Road, Ógra spokesperson David McWeeney had this to say:
'In May alone, a further 107 people signed on the dole in the Athlone area, that's an average of 3.5 people a day. It is abundantly clear to young people in South Roscommon that this Fianna Fáil-led government is more interested in bailing out the banks and protecting the wealthy than investing in the Irish people's future as a whole. As the live register figures from last week show, of the 3,985 people who signed on in the Athlone area in May 2010, 21% of those were under 25 years old.


It's time for real change and seeing as this Government is unwilling to initiate a credible jobs plan in order to get Ireland back to work they should step down immediately. That being said, the ousting of the government will mean nothing if, come the next general election, we elect a government comprising of either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. The neo-liberal policies of both these parties will simply drive the cycle of recession-boom-recession-boom.

Recent events have vindicated Sinn Féin's stance on a range of issues, as the recent Honohan and Regling & Watson banking reports have shown, Sinn Féin's policy on the bank guarantee was spot on. Proposals have also been put forward by Sinn Féin to create at least 50,000 jobs for young unemployed in the 26 counties. During the Lisbon Treaty Fianna Fáil told us to vote 'Yes to jobs', and although the treaty was voted in after being forced on the Irish people a second time, we still have no jobs. It seems that this government will never implement a real jobs strategy because it's not a priority for them, they are completely out of touch with ordinary people and all we will get from them is more of the same; false apologies and rhetoric about 'turning corners'. Why not ask all of the lone parents, the workers on lowest wages in society and the homeless what they think of the rhetoric and these heartfelt apologies?'