Irish Times: 2/3rds Favour Tighter Immigration Policy

by Frank Adam - private citizen Tue Dec 23, 2008 17:43

There is something immensely odd to this thread....
After all there are 35 million US citizens of Irish descent or connection.
In UK 7 million inclusive the million Irish who form the largest first generation immigrant community in the UK. Then there are the Australian millions of Irish descent....
It would be most interesting social realism to read what the "native Americans" and the Australian Aborigines make of so many Irish "Zionists" on their patches, especially as the US self vision is to create God's kingdom on Earth?
Imagine: For a people so generously received and settled so widely across the world is it not shocking Ireland can not in turn lift the lamp before the golden door for some of the huddled masses yearning to be free and send the tempest tost to me...

by Sean Og Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:04

In 1939 when a few people were trying to get the then Irish FF Govt

[ which was always anxious to develop the economy ]

to admit persecuted Jews from Austria and Germany with industrial and

professional skills to enter Ireland Sean Lemass said " lets us have as few Jews

as we can get away with , but as much of their machinery and expertise

as we can get "

Thats how the Castlebar Cap / Hat Companies started with 3 Jews .

There were many other cases when Jews could have got in here to study

but Lemass and his staff took great delight in trying to prove that some of them were

not bone fide students so were condemned to death in German occupied Europe

[a few years back I met two of his former secretaries at a hotel in Glen of the Downs

who even then were proud of their actions in "sending them back "

on his behalf ,]

Maybe our present problems are Gods way of rewarding this enlightened country

for the sins of our forefathers

by redjade Fri Dec 19, 2008 17:09

''The Government advisory body on racism is being disbanded at the time when racist incidents are on the increase and attitudes are hardening as a result of the recession, its director said yesterday.

Philip Watt of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) said that reported incidents of racism had increased from 66 in 2004 to almost 200 so far this year.''

[....]

NCCRI chairwoman Anastasia Crickley yesterday said she was dismayed by the weakening of supports to address racism. She instanced the large cuts in the budgets of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission in addition to the cuts that effectively shut down the NCCRI. Like Mr Watt, Ms Crickley said there was evidence that the global downturn could lead to the scapegoating of migrants and minorities.

more at
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1218/1....html

blogishness here: http://LMV.hu/redjade

by redjade Sun Dec 07, 2008 17:05

Government integration policy has been "effectively emasculated" with the winding up of two bodies set up to tackle racism and promote interculturalism, the chairwoman of the National Action Plan Against Racism (NPAR) has said.

Speaking yesterday at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards, Lucy Gaffney said the absence of these bodies will "leave a void at the heart of the Government's efforts in tackling racism" and undermines "our ability to respond to the needs of the new society".

[....]

The NCCRI, which employs 13 people, has played a prominent role in advising governmental and other bodies, recording racist incidents and researching immigration and social integration.

Immigrant and voluntary groups have strongly criticised the Government's decision to withdraw funding from the NCCRI.

more at
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1128/1....html

blogishness here: http://LMV.hu/redjade

by redjade Fri Oct 17, 2008 16:47

''Immigrant and voluntary groups have strongly criticised the Government's decision to withdraw funding from the State's advisory body on racism and intercultural affairs.

It was announced in the Budget that State funding of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) is to cease and that some of its functions are to be absorbed by the office of Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan.

[.....] Although the body receives one-third of its funding from the EU and research funds, the loss of its €500,000 annual Government grant throws its future and that of its 13 staff into question.''

more at
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1016/1....html

Personally, I never understood how a 'Non-Governmental Organisation' (NGO) could depend on funds from the Government. NCCRI is not unique in this respect.

also read....

''The Irish Refugee Council expressed disappointment that there was no increase in the weekly allowance for asylum seekers, which stands at €19.10 for adults and €9.60 for children. Chief executive Robin Hanan said this was the only social welfare payment never to have been improved since it was introduced in 2000.''
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1015/1....html

by toni Sun Sep 14, 2008 01:19

We are not in a legal position to limit immigration from other EU countries. However, there is no question that only immigrants with vital skills which are in shortage within Ireland should be allowed in from outside the EU.

By the way, I don't buy the nonsense about a Polish surgeon working at a petrol pump unless he has been struck-off in Poland. Surgeons with many years medical training behind them find ready employment internationally provided they have the relevant language skills. Perhaps your "surgeon" is a tree surgeon or doesn't speak English (an understandable requirement for practice here!)

by Don't disgrace Ireland ! Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:03

Restriction of Immigration is not the way, it would only get us a bad name throughout the EU and the world.

There is no need for such restriction in any case as immigrants leave voluntary due to the economic depression - and few will seek to enter Ireland too.

A larger population actually favours economic recovery.

I'm happy anyway - recently I needed a clean-install on my computer. A nice Polish chap did the job for half the price of the local techie.

And he did it better.

What's more, he spent five hours in my house working on the spot, fabulous job, whereas the local techie would take away my computer for ten days and charge me double for the privilege.

These people are wakening such lazy Irish up, and no harm at all in that, they are introducing a more competitive edge to Ireland too.

My Polish technician - a computer science graduate of the University of Warsaw, he's working on the petrol pumps beyond on the Dublin Road :-)

His friend also works on the pumps there - he's a qualified surgeon :-)