Entire country must work towards employment retention & creation
Issued : Friday 27 March, 2009
Speech by Nessa Childers MEP
Just look at this week's news. More job losses... 200,000 since the last General Election. And Ireland's credit rating - the measure of how the international world trusts us - is at rock bottom.
There is a connection. Jobs come from investment. Investment depends on trust. Jobs are founded on integrity.
Bank executives may resign but the people ultimately responsible for the economic carnage remain in office. Nothing can be changed by just being angry. But, we simply cannot afford to have these people representing us any more - not in our local councils, not in the Dáil and not in the European Parliament.
Our job - yours, mine - is to stem the tide of job losses and to create new jobs. We will harness every ounce of energy and creativity; every spark of hard work and innovation; every Government Department, State Agency, private company, community group, sports club and, yes, every political party in this country to that end.
It is utterly wrong that those who lose their jobs should fear to lose their homes or their pensions too. A civilised government would provide protections and reassurance.
The Taoiseach says that we must fix the public finances before we can address unemployment. Wrong. We cannot fix the public finances until we have addressed unemployment.
We must show a different face to the world... the new Ireland, the innovative Ireland, the Ireland you and I see around us, not the Ireland represented by the current rotten political and financial elite.
As patriots, we must band together for the greater good. We can overcome this crisis. Real jobs, robust finances, integrity in public life and in business, strong sense of community and common purpose. That is what the Labour Party offers. Let's just get on with it.
Chairperson, friends, I commend the motion to Conference.
