The National Times - Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has dubbed Fine Gael leader Simon Harris a “Thatcherite” after the Tánaiste claimed that long-term unemployment is “not a way of life.” The Sinn Féin social protection spokesperson stated that the Tánaiste has chosen to “stigmatise individuals on the margins of society and cast them as work-shy, rather than answer for his Government’s failures and the serious problems within his own party.”

The Dublin Fingal West TD stated “Simon Harris’ use of his Ard Fheis address to brand the dole a ‘way of life’ and threaten individuals with penalties is a cynical attempt to shift blame. It tells individuals who are out of work that their difficulties are their own fault, while Fine Gael avoids accounting for its own record.” She stated, “this is Thatcherite politics – blame individuals with the least power for the circumstances they face, and use them as a target while the government evades responsibility for its own failures.”

“While it wasn’t surprising to hear the Tánaiste’s comments, it was worrying to learn how little the Minister for Finance knows about the social welfare bill. While I don’t agree with it, there are already proposals in the legislation to increase the penalties for anyone not engaging with job activation services,” she noted. Per O’Reilly, the bill was published on November 6th and is expected to be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday next.

“All the talk of Fine Gael’s internal navel-gazing and uncertainty about its identity was bogus. Simon Harris has shown exactly who Fine Gael are – a right-wing, Thatcherite party that protects the interests of the wealthy and privileged while punching down on the most vulnerable in society,” she stated. The Sinn Féin TD stated “I note there is no mention of taxing vulture funds or making housing affordable, but Simon Harris found time to punch down on the tiny fraction of the working-age population that are long-term unemployed.”

“Long-term unemployment does not emerge in a vacuum. Deprivation, a lack of opportunity, leaving education at a young age without the qualifications or support to move forward, and too few routes into decent work can all shape a person’s prospects,” she stated. Statistics from economists have shown that greyhound racing and horse racing funding costs the Irish state over individuals on long-term unemployment.

O’Reilly stated “after 15 years in government, Fine Gael cannot wash its hands of these problems or pretend they are simply a matter of individual choice. It has failed to tackle the underlying causes, and now Simon Harris is blaming the individuals left to live with the consequences.” “Fine Gael likes to boast about full employment. But that boast is little comfort to individuals still locked out of work, or to families struggling with housing costs, bills and the cost of living. This government has failed to meet those challenges, and Simon Harris has offered no serious plan to fix them,” she stated.

She stressed that “social protection is a safety net, not a political punching bag. A government serious about tackling long-term unemployment would address deprivation, keep young individuals engaged in education, and invest in employment services, accessible training and decent jobs. Harris’s answer is to threaten individuals who already have the least power. That is not leadership – it is blame dressed up as policy.” “Irish families and workers need government policies to make daily life affordable, not primetime platitudes from the Tánaiste.”

S.O'brien--TNT