Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-15-Speech-4-028"
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"en.20071115.3.4-028"2
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"Madam President, when I initially heard about the process of social reality stocktaking, I was delighted that someone wanted to hold a real discussion on the state of society.
Unfortunately, upon reading the documents from the Commission, I was disappointed to find that the stocktaking process was not looking at social reality but at economic indicators.
I am not convinced that economic indicators are a reliable measure of social reality. If they were, the improved economic status of Ireland over the last decades should be matched by improvements in social cohesion, rather than the rise in serious crime, addiction, suicide, alienation, family dysfunction, exclusion and loneliness that we actually see.
We would not just ask if a person is employed; we would ask if they are valued, connected and nourished physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, and we would check whether the respect for this person extended to every person, regardless of age, size, ability, colour or any other characteristic.
To properly take stock of social reality, we would also look at the sustainability of the natural habitat of the human person: the family. With this in mind, we would not just look at the gap between rich and poor, but the gap left by family breakdown and social isolation.
To understand social reality, we must start with the reality of the human person that makes up society. I will give you just one example, and I hope it will illustrate the contradictory results we get if we look at the money and if we look at the man or woman. We all agree that women should have the right to work and find equality when they do. But when we exert economic pressure on women who would like to stay at home with a young baby to work rather than care for the child and push them into the workforce, we register a very high rate of employment and assume that this means a healthier social reality. However, if we look at the baby, hardwired for immediate maternal input, and see the loss he or she suffers, which scientists tell us will be neurological and lifelong, then we have to question whether this high employment really translates as an indicator of a healthy social reality.
The irony of short-term thinking, of focusing exclusively on the economics of a society, is that it is the welfare of the people and the family at a human level that ultimately has the greatest impact on the economics.
Look at the cost of a troubled people to the exchequer. Think of the cost of crime, drugs, dropping out, etc. Economic growth can be gobbled up by the growth of social problems. The word ‘economics’ comes from the Greek for management of the home. Economics should serve all people, helping them to be at home in their communities, at home in themselves.
If we get this right, we will have a very healthy social reality of which to take stock in the future."@en1
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