POLITICS MOTIVATED BY THE FUTURE
On Saturday, East Antrim Democratic Unionist Assembly Member Alastair Ross MLA addressed his annual Party Conference at La Mon Hotel on the issue of engaging young people in politics. Mr Ross said that young people are motivated by creating a more peaceful and prosperous future for themselves, secure in the Union and full of opportunities.
Below is an extract of his speech.
“One of the toughest sections of our community to engage with is younger people. We are not unique in this regard, indeed politicians of all persuasions and from all across the world find it frustrating that younger people feel disengaged with politics and often do not use their democratic right to vote at election time. Whilst we have very active DUP Young Democrats in some constituencies, and groups at Queens University and the University of Ulster at Jordanstown and Coleraine campuses, the majority of young people just don’t see politics as relevant to their lives.
The one recent exception of course is the election of President Obama, for it is claimed that he was successfully elected with the help of the young vote. For the first time in recent history more people under the age of 35 voted than those aged over 65. There are lessons for us to learn, the fact that Obama was able to use modern technologies and social networking sites in order to reach those who perhaps are known as traditionally hard to connect with.
In this regard our Party are leading the way, through online tools such as youtube, twitter, facebook and more interactive online websites, and of course we hosted the breakaway meeting on this very topic at this years conference.
We must also recognise what issues are relevant to a younger generation. We must understand what motivates them to get involved in politics and what issues impact upon their lives. Thankfully those of us under 30 escaped the worst days in our dark past, and whilst I personally experienced the tail end of what we call the Troubles, I am fortunate that in my late teenage years I had more freedom and opportunities than the generation before me.
Politics in Northern Ireland is changing. The issues that come up on the doors is testament to this. Whilst we should never forget our past and where we have come from, our motivation to be involved in politics comes not primarily from the past, but from our desire to create a more prosperous and peaceful future for younger generations.
Our Party is the Party that speaks for younger people in Northern Ireland, whether this is in tackling child poverty, working to address educational underachievement and preserve educational excellence, ensuring that we attract the investment that will create job opportunities for school leavers and graduates, helping young people get onto the property ladder and working to secure a safe and prosperous future for everyone in Northern Ireland.
I am delighted that the Party Officers have agreed to establish a genuinely exciting new forum within the Party that will have younger representatives from across the Province helping to campaign, promote and formulate policies relevant to the younger generation.
It is hoped that we will have young people from a wide range of backgrounds, from those in full time education to those who hold a trade, have recently started work or are already active within the Party. It is often said that we must invest in our younger generation for the future because our young people will be the future political leaders, businessmen and women, doctors, nurses, electricians, builders and teachers of our Province.
We as a Party must continue to build on our reputation as being the voice for young unionists in Northern Ireland, and we must genuinely listen to voices of all sections of our community, and must build our Party and our community for the future we all desire.”
