The recession that the country finds itself in at present is very real for most people who are feeling the come-down from the Celtic Tiger years, however, it’s young people who will feel the most difficult of consequences according to Fine Gael candidate in the upcoming local election for the Borough Council Darren Murphy.
Darren is just 21 years of age and the youngest contender on any of the party tickets for this year’s local election. He is currently completing his final year exams in Computer Science in UCD. The reality of our economy has not hit him the hardest yet but he is expecting that he and his friends will feel the bitter consequences of the recession as they leave the corridors of their alma mater over the next few days.
Emigration
“Many of us have no jobs and no prospect of jobs. Some of us have secured jobs for the summer including myself, but come September when we would normally be going back to college, there is now nothing. I don’t know what people are going to do.”
Emigration is the obvious answer to many students who are finishing their education this year but it is not always the way young people want to go and this is the saddest part of any recession - young people being forced to leave their home country in search of work abroad.
“None of my peers want to emigrate. But we are leaving college now with nothing material. We are not set up with a wardrobe full of clothes and a house to live in. The dole is not enough to live on and we have no work - that is the reality. We are all fearful of the future and we don’t know what the future holds. This Government is doing nothing to safe-guard jobs for people. We are haemorrhaging jobs at an enormous rate and there are no strategies in place to reinstate people into the workforce and this is the biggest problem,” said Mr Murphy.
Coming from a working class background in the Newpark area, he grew up listening to complaints about the government and the lack of action on issues that were affecting them.
“I decided to run for council because instead of complaining I wanted to do something about it. I believe Fine Gael is the best party going forward and I think we can deal with the current problems.”
Young Fine Gael
Joining Young Fine Gael some five years ago was the first step that Mr Murphy took in his bid to improve things politically. He was aware of its existence and when he looked into it he saw that the organisation had been left fall by the wayside. He decided it was time to revive it for Kilkenny young people. He contacted everyone on the mailing list and began a recruitment drive and they got together for a meeting. Local deputy Phil Hogan and Senator John Paul Phelan have both been supportive of the group and have given them every encouragement to move the association forward.
“Our biggest priority now is jobs. We need to create jobs and Fine Gael has the best policy under which to do this. We believe that there are 100,000 jobs to be created in the field of sustainable energy and through the sale of State assets by 2012. This should be looked at seriously and a plan put in place to see this through.”
Skate Park
Darren is very adamant that facilities for young people are an absolute requirement in Kilkenny. He is happy that the Watershed is in place and provides a great facility as does the bowling alley however, he pointed out that both these facilities cost money.
“I am delighted to see facilities being built in Kilkenny and I’m sure they are being well used but the problem is that they cost. Young people do not have money! That is the bottom line. We need to be creating facilities such as skate- parks and playgrounds where young people and teenagers can go with their skate boards and skate for free. They can do it with friends or they can do it alone. This is not only good exercise but it keeps young people occupied at a sport that they enjoy and it keeps skating confined to one safe area.”
He is concerned however, about funding for the now approved skate park plan for the Closh in Kilkenny.
“Unfortunately, we have left it quite late and although the skate park has been approved - there is now no funding to get it underway. If I get elected I will be putting pressure on the council to prioritise funding for this young people’s facility to get it underway as soon as possible. I don’t believe that this park will encourage anti-social behaviour at all. I think people will use it to skate. These are big modular parks that are up off and the ground and clearly visible - there will be no places to hide or for anti-social behaviour.”
Mr Murphy is also concerned that the council has not offered enough support to youth groups in the area and he would like to see the formation of a formal youth council in Kilkenny.
“I think that these youth groups need to be supported and encouraged by the local authorities and groups like Voice 4 Youth should have been supported. These groups provide good services for young people and they need to be encouraged and given assistance where necessary,”
Drugs
Mr Murphy is well aware of the fact that there is a thriving drugs scene on the streets, bars and clubs in Kilkenny and he says that it is frightening.
“ It is a very sad issue and I’ve seen it devastate peoples’ lives. Drugs are readily available in Kilkenny - it’s scary. They are in the majority of pubs in town and every single person has access to drugs. The Gardai need to do more and be given more resources to do more monitoring. We need more Gardai on the streets and we need to work with the joint policing committee in a bid to curb the drug problem in Kilkenny. We also need to help to rehabilitate people and get their lives back on track. They are affecting every area in Kilkenny.
Canvassing
At the moment Darren is getting out on the doorsteps introducing himself to the electorate, but it’s been tough to date as he has been studying for exams.
“I am going to go at it now for the next three weeks as my exams are finished. I have a lot of work to do but I am optimistic that I will be elected. Joe Cody was the youngest person ever to be elected to Kilkenny Corporation and I hope that I will be the new record breaker! I am just 20 now and will be just 21 by the time the election comes along. I hope I can do it. I think we need to be preparing this economy for the upturn and I think Fine Gael is the party to do this. I want to be a part of that and I hope that I am here and elected to do just that,” he concluded.
