Ógra repsonds to Emigration crisis

In an effort to highlight the extremely high emigration figures which emerged from a recent ERSI report, Ógra Shinn Féin participated in a week of action across the 26 counties of Ireland last week.




















Ógra activists at Knock (above) and Galway (below) airports








































Ógra activists at Cork Airport.

Activists rallied and leafletted at Sligo, Knock, Cork and Galway Airports as well as Rosslare Harbour in a series of co-ordinated actions throughout the week. The actions were carried out by local areas at sea-ports and airports in a week which saw fresh unemployment figures come out for the 26 counties showing the highest level of unemployment in over 16 years.





















Ógra and Sinn Féin members at Rosslare port, Wexford

The emigration issue is inextricably linked to the jobs crises and therefore is an essential part of Ógra's on-going youth unemployment campaign.

Speaking following the actions, Ógra Shinn Féin National Organiser, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire had this to say ':
'The most recent ERSI report on emigration statistics predicts that approximately 70,000 people have left this state in the twelve months before April 2010, that's about 192 people every single day. One of the most striking aspects about the new figures is that this is the first time Ireland has had a net outflow of people since 1995. The fact is that despite efforts being made in the media to claim that the recession is now over, young people, many of whom are highly skilled, are leaving this country in their droves as work dries up. Successive Fianna Fáil-led governments have shown themselves to be utterly uninterested in the lives of young people as well as the unemployed, the elderly and those generally outside the elite political circle.'



















Ógra and SF members at Batt O Keeffe's constituency office, North West Cork

'Furthermore, the new unemployment figures which emerged during the middle of last week have been shown, unsurprisingly, to be a continuation of the worsening trend that has marked live register statistics in the past months. A further 13,942 signed on in July raising the live register figure to a massive 466,824 people, 13.7% of the population, a percentage not reached in almost two decades. The governments policies are directly responsible for this shocking state of affairs, and every Fianna Fáil or Green Party elected representative is responsible for this governments unwillingness to tackle the growing problem of youth unemployment, in which the recent increase in emigration statistics is rooted.

Our activists across the country have undertaken these actions this week to highlight the obvious inaction by the government on youth unemployment which, in turn, has had a massive effect on the numbers of able and willing young people leaving the state.




















We want to encourage young people to get angry, to get active, and to fightback. These actions are part of a sustained campaign to keep youth unemployment on the agenda and to show the government that young people will not be ignored.''