SDLP Youth is urging television viewers in Ireland and Britain to turn their backs on the new Big Brother series, which is due to hit our screens this week.

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown said: “We are calling on people to boycott Big Brother following the revelation that the company which makes it, Endemol, is planning to produce a programme in the Netherlands in which viewers can influence a donor’s decision over which patient should receive their kidney once they die.

“This proposed Dutch show brings the standards of television to an all-time low. They are capitalising on the plight of a dying person and trivialising the very serious issue of organ donation.

“Alongside SDLP Deputy Leader Alasdair McDonnell, we are asking people to hit Endemol where it hurts- in their viewing figures- by turning off when Big Brother comes on.”

Mr McKeown concluded: “The issue of organ donation is highly sensitive. SDLP Youth encourages everyone to carry an organ donor card so if the worst should happen, at least someone may be offered a new lease of life. Instead of making light of this issue, TV companies should be using their media power to raise the profile of such issues in an effective and tasteful way.”

———–
Radio interview : BBC Radio Foyle - Gary McKeown

SDLP Youth has condemned in the strongest possible terms the stoning todeath of a 17-year-old girl in a so-called ‘honour killing’ in Iraq.

The girl, Du’a Khalil Aswad, who was a member of the minority Kurdish Yezidi religious group, was stoned to death apparently as punishment for her relationship with a Sunni Muslim boy. She was killed by a group of men in the presence of a large crowd in the town of Bashika, near the city of Mosul, northern Iraq.

A video was shot of the murder which shows her being dragged through a crowd before being attacked with a hail of stones and having a concrete slab dropped on her head. It is believed that family members of the girl were among the perpetrators.

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown said: “The murder of this young girl is truly disgusting and it is vital that the Iraqi authorities bring her killers to justice and take immediate action to prevent other such ‘honour killings’.

“Reports of ‘honour’ crimes in Iraq are all too frequent, particularly in the predominantly Kurdish north of the country. The majority of the time it is women and girls who are the victims.

“Every day we hear the terrible news about the dozens of innocent Iraqis being killed in what has become a de facto civil war. However, this horrific violence masks the dreadful treatment of many women in parts the country.”

Mr McKeown also condemned the subsequent summary killing of 23 Yezidi men by a Sunni armed group in retaliation for the murder of the girl.

“These incidents are indicative of the spiralling inter-communal violence which has enveloped Iraq and illustrate the awful horror of daily life for people living there.”

“It’s not enough for government to lecture people about the need to recycle- they need to be thinking of creative ways to actually make it happen,” SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown has stated.

“For example, the government should lead the way on the recycling front by making it compulsory for all civil service offices to recycle,” said Mr McKeown.

“A large proportion of the people working in the north are employed by the government, be it directly through the civil service or indirectly through public bodies. These workplaces produce an inordinate amount of waste each year including paper, cardboard boxes and food wrappers.

“The problem is that even if government employees are green-minded, there is often little they can do about the ridiculous amount of rubbish from their workplaces which ends up in landfill as their employers fail to provide recycling facilities.

“If we are serious about improving the environment, then the lead must be taken from the top. The government should make it compulsory for all state offices and facilities to recycle their waste and encourage employees to think green. This would permeate down through society and create greater awareness of the need to recycle by getting people into the habit of putting their office waste, newspapers, empty tins and glass bottles into the recycling bin rather than the rubbish bin.”

Mr McKeown concluded: “Most people like the idea of recycling in theory, but often think it’s too much bother finding somewhere to get it done. If the government made recycling facilities more readily available, whether in the workplace or at home, it would make it so much easier for people to contribute towards helping the environment.”

SDLP Youth were this morning joined by SDLP Employment and Learning Spokesperson Alex Attwood MLA and other party representatives at Parliament Buildings Stormont to put pressure on the Minster for Employment and Learning Reg Empey to ensure that proper student support packages are put in place for young people progressing to third level education in the North. SDLP Youth believes that there should be no barriers to accessing third level education and many people are put at a huge disadvantage simply due to the financial considerations involved. Speaking today Cllr Matthew McDermott stated:

“It is clear that the fear of debt for thousands of students is putting many off going into third level education. Between 2005 and 2006 the number of students entering third level Institutions in the North has decreased and continues to fall.

In the last assembly SDLP Ministers secured the best student support package on these islands. The SDLP fully underlines our shared goal of an end to student fees and a properly funded system of financing third level education. It is clear that the current financial provision for students is just not good enough. Education, including Further and Higher Education, must be agreed as a priority of this Assembly. Having secured £65 million of funding, the resources were directed at those families on lowest incomes so that over 50% of students now pay no fees; 25% pay partial fees and grants have been reintroduced for those in greatest need.”

SDLP youth believes that financial considerations should not be a block to accessing third level education. We are calling on the Minister for Employment and Learning to ensure that proper, well resourced and long lasting funding streams are put in place so that all students, from whatever background can access and complete third level courses.”

SDLP Employment and Learning Spokesperson Alex Attwood MLA concluded:

“The SDLP hopes to bring a motion on this matter to the Assembly in the very near future. We hope that the Minister responsible will work with the Employment and Learning Committee, the Executive and the Assembly to ensure that a fair and equitable student support package can be delivered.”

——–
Photo Gallery - End Top Up Fees

SDLP Youth Member Clare Muldoon has responded to the motion and debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly discussing the affordable housing crisis.

Ms. Muldoon commented after the debate, “It must be one of the main priorities for the Assembly and the relevant Departments to urgently address the issue of the impossible housing market here in Northern Ireland. It was a relief to hear that the parties seemed united in supporting the motion and identified the issues facing young people trying to get onto the property ladder.”

Northern Ireland has one of the fastest growing housing markets with prices soaring over the past years. Average house prices have risen to £200,000 and keep rising.

“SDLP Youth support the Semple Report and its recommendations and we call upon the Assembly to take accountability and ensure that something is urgently done to rectify the situation.

Ms Muldoon continued, “There must be a multi departmental approach to the strategies needed to improve the affordable housing problem. Focus must be placed on several departments, such as, the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Department of the Environment, the Department of Regional Development and the Department of Social Development with the Assembly ensuring that these departments do not drag their feet on this issue.

“With the huge debt that students are now facing when leaving University it seems impossible that they will ever have a chance to get into the housing market. Renting seems to be the only option. We can’t allow young people to be further disadvantaged by allowing the crisis to worsen. Action must be taken now to provide for the future of the young people in Northern Ireland,” she said.

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong has called on MEPs to support EU legislation to lower roaming charges when the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

He said: “The Austrian initiative will see a price cap put on roaming charges, gradually decreasing in cost over the next three years. It was a deal agreed by EU officials at the eleventh hour after initial opposition from the British and French governments. SDLP Youth are calling on MEPs to support the legislation which could see roaming charges reduced in time for this summer when many people will be travelling abroad.”

“In Northern Ireland, mobile operators over-charging has a huge effect on small businesses that make cross-border calls and people living in border areas. Some European consumers pay up to €12 a minute for pan-European calls. If the legislation is not enacted at this month’s plenary meeting, it will be too late for this summer when the mobile operators make their billions from over-charging tourists.”

SDLP Youth are today once again campaigning for an end to homophobia and all hate crimes. Today, Thursday 17th May, is the International day of action against homophobia (IDAHO).

SDLP Youth member and Lisburn City Councillor Matthew McDermott said “IDAHO gives us a great opportunity to highlight homophobia. Every decent member of our society has an onus upon them to ensure that we make homophobia history.

SDLP Youth are taking this opportunity, not only to address homophobia and hate crimes but also, to highlight one the inequalities within our healthcare system.

Mr Mc Dermott said “It is distressing to learn that 10% of our population can’t give blood simply due to their sexual orientation. The health service, are continually seeking blood donors due to shortages. However the National Blood Service will not accept any blood donations from any man that has ever had sex with another man. This does not take into consideration any part of their sexual history or health.

“I personally believe that this ban is no longer justified. A policy should be adopted that is based on actual risk and not sexual orientation. This policy is clearly discriminatory considering the fact that more heterosexual men than gay men are newly diagnosed with HIV each year.

Concluding Matthew said “SDLP youth demand that the health service and new health minister Michael McGimpsey to re-examine their policy and launch an immediate review.

————–
Notes to editors:

Sweden has already lifted the ban on blood donations from MSM men

USA and many other western countries are currently reviewing their policy on this issue

To mark this day SDLP youth will be flying a Rainbow flag from SDLP party headquarters and also distributing leaflets and petitions calling for a review of the MSM blood ban.

For more information on IDAHO please visit the website IDAHO

For more information please contact Cllr Matthew McDermott on 07900514066 or SDLP press office on 02890521364

Time is running out for people to get behind their county and vote for it to be included on the first ever All-Ireland Monopoly board, SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown has warned. The board will feature counties of Ireland rather than street names or landmark locations.

Mr. McKeown said: “There are 32 counties in Ireland, but only 22 spaces on a Monopoly board. That means that a number of Irish counties will be disappointed to find themselves left off the new board.

“However, people living in the northern counties of Ireland can make sure that their homelands are not excluded by logging onto www.monopoly.ie and voting for their county to be featured on the new All-Ireland Monopoly board which will be released in October.”

“Voting ends on 25th May and unlike most elections each person can cast one vote each day- the more votes a county gets, the further up the leader board it goes. Currently most northern counties are heading for failure, so I urge people to click online and vote along with their friends to make a mark and support their counties.”

Mr. McKeown concluded: “Although it’s only a bit of fun, it’ll certainly do no harm for the profile of northern counties if we can get them featured on the Monopoly board.”

–
www.monopoly.ie

SDLP Youth Member Clare Muldoon has responded to new figures released by Save the Children showing how desperate poverty is facing our young people.

Miss Muldoon said, “It is shocking to learn that 1 in 4 children here live in Poverty, and considering that Northern Ireland has the youngest population of any region in the United Kingdom, these figures are even more alarming. Approximately 27% of our population are under 18.”

“With 100,000 children currently living in poverty it is essential that the Assembly addresses this issue immediately. There has been a reduction in the amount of children living in Poverty in Northern Ireland but so much more has to be done.

“The New Assembly must take action and ensure that continual reduction and even speedier reduction to the amounts of Children living in Poverty is attained.”

The newly restored Northern Ireland Assembly must immediately address the disgracefully low employment figures in the north, SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown has said.

“Employment levels for the north as a whole are unacceptably low, but certain areas are faring particularly badly. People are being forced to abandon their hometowns and villages to look for decent employment. This is destroying many areas of the north with the brain drain taking skilled workers and young families out of these communities.

“This could spell disaster for cities such as Derry and Newry, and also for rural areas of the north, as young people are forced to leave for Belfast, Dublin or further a field. It is vital that the assembly addresses this issue immediately by providing funding for employment and training in the areas worst affected.

Mr. McKeown added: “A GMB trade union study published this month found that the employment level for people of working age in Northern Ireland is only 68.7%. This falls well behind figures for areas such as South East England where the rate is 79%.”

“Not only are these figures bad enough, but many of the worst employment levels are found in border areas such as Derry, Newry and Mourne, Omagh and Fermanagh. Strabane has an employment rate of only 50.6%. This bears out fears that people are being forced to relocate to find employment.”

Mr. McKeown concluded: “It is time that the north of Ireland, and in particular those areas outside of Greater Belfast, are given their fair share of jobs and investment. For too long it has been left to hard working people in these communities to keep the local economy alive- now the assembly must play its part in creating jobs in all areas of the north.”