Cowen Condemns Government Effort to Demonise Unemployed
Published on: 24 January 2012
Fianna Fáil Social Protection Spokesperson Barry Cowen TD has criticised the comments of Minister Joan Burton in today’s media presenting existing control measures as a ‘crackdown’ on the unemployed.
Deputy Cowen commented, “Unemployment is the single biggest problem that our country faces at the moment. What we need are solutions that create jobs. What we absolutely do not need is the sort of ‘tough on spongers’ Tory rhetoric that we saw this morning from Minister Joan Burton.
“In their ongoing effort to achieve sympathetic headlines at any cost, the Government has sensationalised straightforward control measures that were already in place before they took power.
“The cost for this latest media blitz is high – many people across the country are already struggling to cope with unemployment. The effect of unemployment on self esteem and people’s sense of place in the community is well documented and by encouraging the portrayal of the unemployed as ‘malingerers’ Minister Joan Burton has made a bad situation worse. This approach to politics may have a market in other jurisdictions, but I hope that we can continue to avoid it in Ireland. Isolating the unemployed in this way is deeply insulting to the vast majority of people on the dole who would do anything to get back to work.
“Rather than sensationalising control measures and building on her own flawed and insulting analysis that unemployment is ‘a lifestyle choice’, the Minister and her Government would be better coming up with ways to create jobs and finding ways to help those on the Live Register get into those jobs.”