Save the banks but lose a generation - Why Fianna Fail's approach wont work!

At the ‘Reclaim the City’ rally in Dublin Cllr. Dessie Ellis challenged the idea that there is no alternative to the current economic mis-strategy. Dessie's speech goes to the heart of the crisis and the needed response. Are we trying to save and rebuild Irish society and an economy to support it or do we just save the economy while Irish society is hollowed out.

A few days ago, organised by the Right to Work Campaign, Sinn Féin Councillor Dessie Ellis said Fianna Fáil cannot claim any economic competence when they are complacently presiding over increasing unemployment.


Councillor Ellis said the biggest lie from the Coalition Government is that there is no alternative to the savage cutbacks and mass unemployment.

Dessie said: “Fianna Fáil cannot claim any economic competence when they are complacently presiding over increasing unemployment. The government is determined to slash public services and put even more people on the dole. Unemployment is not a price worth paying for a negligent Government – it destroys lives and leaves permanent scars on our communities. What this Government fails to accept is that behind every statistic is a personal tragedy.

“Current policy seems to consist of attacking those on low wages and social welfare. This is not just a short sighted policy, it is an anti social one. We are told we need to tighten our belts, cut back, have a lower standard of living while the government bends over backwards to bail out bankers and big business.

"Indeed the greatest contribution of some of our own native entrepreneurs was to piggyback on the genuine growth in the economy by charging us exorbitant amounts for everything from mortgages to rents to pints of lager and paninis while being careful at the same time to ensure that they paid as little tax or wages as possible.

“And these are the patriots whose bacon the so-called ‘Republican Party’ is proposing to save by imposing a massive drop in living standards on the decent people of this country, whose only crime was to work when there was work and suffer the indignity of unemployment when the work was gone.

“However the biggest lie in all of this is that there is no alternative to the cutbacks and the mass unemployment. There is an alternative, SF’s proposals on tackling youth unemployment costed at €1.316 billion would create at least 50,000 jobs.

“Now 1.3 billion might sound like a lot of money but if we compare that to the 25 billion that is being pumped into Anglo, the private piggy bank of some of the most corrupt figures of this State, we can clearly see where the Government’s priorities lie. If the same amount was diverted into Sinn Féin’s job creation package, our proposals could support nearly 1 million jobs.

“In one month, 2938 young people under 25 signed on – the equivalent of nearly 100 people a day. This figure is further dwarfed by the thousands of young people who emigrated from Ireland because this Government are only able to secure jobs for their political and banking cronies.

“We need to make employment a reality for people outside the golden circle.”