Jobs Plan will give real hope to lost generation

Deputy Seán Crowe speaking at the launch of his party’s jobs launch said that the plan would give real hope to a lost generation that sees emigration as the only option open to them. Crowe said that 200,000 people had emigrated in the last three years and that Sinn Féin jobs plan was fully costed and could create 156,000 jobs.

Speaking at the launch Seán Crowe TD said:

“This job stimulus package sets out a comprehensive plan for making youth employment a national priority; assisting businesses and manufacturing; developing the agri-food sector; reforming the existing enterprise agencies; promoting co-operatives and much more.

“Unemployment hurts citizens, drives families into poverty and despair, leads to increased suicide numbers, the loss of the family home, and huge social problems for communities. It forces many of our brightest and best young people to flee to Canada, Australia and other parts of the globe. 200,000 have left Ireland over the last three years looking for work. Emigration is not a solution. Neither is more austerity measures.

“In recent years Sinn Féin has produced a series of alternative budget proposals that contain practical, effective and innovative proposals to reduce the deficit, create growth in the economy, get people back to work and target youth unemployment.

“These are socially responsible and realisable proposals.

“Our Jobs Plan puts forward a detailed jobs stimulus strategy that will invest €13 billion into job creation and retention, and in our view could actually create an average of 156,000 short and long term jobs.

“We know that the money is there; in the National Pension Reserve Fund, the European Investment Bank, the private pension sector, and in the money the government plans to cut from its capital budget spend.

“This doesn’t have to be complicated but it does require vision and leadership.

“The other optionl is for the government to continue to fritter away the money in the NPRF; put money into toxic banks, and pay off unguaranteed bondholders, while older citizens lose home care supports, and there is one reduction after another in wages; support for lone parents; carers; citizens with disabilities; the blind and the unemployed.

“Fine Gael and Labour have no strategic vision of how to invest the money in the National Pension Reserve Fund in a way that can help the economy in the long term.
Sinn Féin has a jobs plan that can work and give people new hope and opportunities.

“It is a thoughtful, rational, well developed and costed plan that will use the available resources in an intelligent – smart way.

“There will be those who disagree with our proposals. That’s fine. Let them do so constructively or provide their alternative.”

The link to Sinn Féin Jobs Plan can be found on their website here: – http://www.sinnfein.ie/files/2012/SF-Jobs-Doc-web.pdf