Kenny promises Politics of Engagement for young people

The big challenge facing modern politics is engaging young people in the political process.

The worldwide decline in voter turnout - particularly of young people - will have serious consequences for politics, and therefore society.

Fine Gael is tackling the issue head-on by delivering a new kind of politics to young people in Ireland.

A politics of vision and integrity. A politics that puts compassion back into policy. A politics that engages.

We have hospitals announcing cuts in the most basic services, because the Department of Health must balance its budget. No wonder our young people are disgusted by politics. They could ask the Minister for Health: "what price a life?"

In the run-up to the 2002 General Election, polls suggested that only 50 per cent of 18 to 24 year-olds intended to vote.

Reports by the Referendum Commission on the Amsterdam Treaty and the Good Friday Agreement show that turnout of voters under 25 years of age was only 38 per cent.

In the 55-64 age group, it was 75 per cent.

Obviously, young people feel disconnected and it's up to us, the politicians, to convince them they have a stake in the politics of this country.

A single vote can make or break a Government.

A single vote gives you your say at local, national and European level. That's how vital it is.

I want young people to recognise the power of their vote and to use it to make the kind of changes they want to see in public life, be it a health service that values lives over budgets, a transport system that actually works, serious efforts to tackle homelessness and suicide, or a real chance to buy a home of their own.

Fine Gael is focusing on the first-time voter.

In the developed world, voter turnout is declining, but what sets Ireland apart is the turnout of first-time voters.

A study by the Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance in 1999, found that of 15 countries surveyed in the developed world, Ireland had the lowest turnout of first-time voters.

Obviously, this is worrying for representative democracy in this country.

There is a moral imperative on all politicians to represent the aspirations and ideals of young people.

Our young people are passionate about issues - be it the environment, social injustice or inequality. Their passion about the unjust war in Iraq, which the UN refused, repeatedly, to mandate, is a perfect example of that.

They demand sincerity and conviction. They demand that politicians take strong positions.

Regrettably, the scandals of recent years and the shifting of parties to be everything to everyone, mean they view sections of politicians as playing out a cynical political game.

I can assure them Fine Gael is different. We will always put the national interest over party interest. We have the courage, the conviction and the integrity to make the hard choices.

I would like to think that we can demonstrate to young voters that politics really does matter, that political decisions affect their lives and have an impact on the opportunities available to them.