Ukrainian refugees in Ireland - Megathread

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118970733#Comment_118970733

You keep repeating the same nonsense.

Can you not live without a phone? What happens if you don't have a phone? Do you die? Lose your job? Lose all your friends?

Im going to have to leave it there. You don't want a home badly enough to give up luxury lifestyle. This is the biggest difference between 80s and now. We were happy to do without so we could have a home. We waited until we had the mortgage and could afford luxury items

Multipass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118970368#Comment_118970368

So the people who have been 10 years or more on the housing list just need to wait another 2 or 3, when the Ukrainians who jumped the list may or may not decide to go home. I doubt very much that many of them will leave a council house until they’ve finished paying off their mortgage in Ukraine with Irish money anyway.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118970895#Comment_118970895

It's worth remembering that these aren't the typical refugee we'd normally get. These are for the most part well educated. Many are professional people. I can see plenty getting jobs & paying tax. I know some that have done this already. That's not to suggest that a huge amount of them will be on welfare.

These are the perfect age to pay my state pension when the time comes. I certainly hope many willing to work & pay tax do stay.

What I am annoyed about is all the plans for homes the government are planning now. New homes, unused homes, fair deal homes etc. What gets me is that they should have done this 10 years ago for Irish people.

tommybrees

What makes this Ukraine situation even worse is that there's heaps of Latinos coming in every week also to work, sorry I mean "study english" and from groups I seen on Facebook there's absolutely nowhere for them to stay either.

How many people work in emigration in Ireland and what do they actually do week to week does anybody no?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971189#Comment_118971189

The rent in Dublin Facebook group is pretty heartbreaking to read sometimes. There are some really desperate people out there

i rented my spare room a while back and got almost 100dms within 4 or 5 hours, some of them just plain begging. I couldn’t even reply to all

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971112#Comment_118971112

I was trying to make this point earlier. Some people won't make the same sacrifice we made to get a home. Some are willing but others want it handed to them.

tommybrees

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971215#Comment_118971215

I could of been one of them, not a peep from the media about it though.

And they pay alot of money to come here.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971112#Comment_118971112

It’s the people that contribute nothing that have that ingrained entitlement. Not the ones paying for it. We just want fair play and a chance for a people to aspire

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971189#Comment_118971189

Hand out visas by the looks of things. No questions asked

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971112#Comment_118971112

Many of my peers are of house-buying, family-formation age. This entitlement that you speak of isn’t something I recognize. I see people working long hours in intellectually challenging jobs, trying to scrape together enough to get a mortgage.

These are mostly really great, hard-working people who can’t catch a break in the current housing market. Sure they might have a Netflix subscription and/or a gym membership. Cancelling these small luxuries will not make any material difference to their situation.

I say this as somebody who is fortunate to be a high earner with a house. The only difference between me and my peers is that I happen to work in a very in-demand industry with high salaries. Most of my peers aren’t as fortunate and are struggling. Adding an indeterminate number of new people into an already dysfunctional housing market, is catastrophic for many people in their 20s and 30s.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971312#Comment_118971312

That English language migration channel is an utter scam. It’s been ruthlessly exploited by shoddy ‘language schools’, unscrupulous employers, and primarily Brazilian ‘students’. They have no business being here and the sooner this channel is shut down, the better.

airy fairy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971387#Comment_118971387

Exactly.

All the but but but....I have cut back, I still have some luxuries like Netflix and Sky, but surely I'm entitled to have them? €50 pm isn't going to make a difference 🙄 Surely I'm entitled to vote a government in and they do the job...eh, no you're not, get feet on the streets and demand change, not roll over on the bed and wait for the next Netflix movie to start🙄 so many moaners. And the Ukrainian situation is just another situation in the mix that the country is happy to accept, because it's easier than fighting against injustice.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971463#Comment_118971463

This is why I suggest that the refugees are doing us a favour in the long run. The government are at last acting on ideas put forward 10 years ago to increase the housing stock.

There are almost quarter of a million vacant properties in Ireland. At least there was in the 2016 census. The housing crisis could be sorted with enough will from the government.

keoclassic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971518#Comment_118971518

Oh come off it! What complete drivil!

airy fairy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971518#Comment_118971518

If they're suggesting these things now, then they're making an arse of the way they're talking about it.

The government are looking at vacant homes, fair deal houses, unfinished houses...FOR UKRAINIANS. It's this kind of narrative that is pissing people off. Why couldn't it be done for those who need it, in turn, off a list, first in line gets it and so on. What's basically being said to the Irish now is, hold on, stay in line, move over, these people should get housing first, these people are getting medical cards first, there's a waiting list to renew an Irish driving licence, but hold on, if you're Ukrainian we'll do a quick swap for you.

Seriously, there's only so much of what seems to be preferential treatment to be tolerated.

Mike Murdock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118971350#Comment_118971350

It was meant to have been shut down. Until the hospitality industry had a quiet word with the Government...

Ten of Swords

Mod - Can we get back on topic please and keep posts centered on the Ukrainian refugees, thread has been going off topic for a number of pages at this stage

ATR72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118970757#Comment_118970757

You want to talk about the 80s do you? Okay. What about all the Irish people who left? Kilburn in London was the 33rd county because of how many Irish people left the country. Netflix and having a phone is not luxury. You are seriously out of touch. And cutting both won't make rent or buying a house any more affordable for young people.

Anyway, back to Ukraine. I don't think anyone has an issue with taking refugees but the anger is understandable. The government has spent years saying they couldn't do anything but that has been proven wrong.

zell12

Powder keg to be lit! 60k+ households already on lists for years

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/vacant-social-homes-to-be-made-available-for-ukrainian-refugees-1.4860830

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-40858124.html

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972293#Comment_118972293

Governmental and public service screwups hiding in plain sight for years? Well colour me shocked. And Martin restates no cap. Genius. The last paragraph at the end of the Times article is interesting:

A Behaviour & Attitudes survey for the Sunday Times at the weekend found that more than half of those polled would be willing to take a Ukrainian refugee into their home if they had room.

I'd like to see the breakdown of that survey, but going by that a fairly large percentage of the Irish population wouldn't be willing to take a Ukrainian refugee into their home room or not and those that would be willing had the caveat/reality/excuse of if they had room. So how many are left that are willing and have room?

Fann Linn

Can someone please explain to me why all the stops are being pulled to provide housing, in MM words, for any amount of Ukrainians, why Eamonn Ryan is now promising rural transport to all the far flung corners of this country to enable Ukrainians to commute, for the same person to also erase the need for proper licensing checks and for quick transfer of Ukranian drivers licence to Irish. Why medical card applications which were normally a 13/14 page nightmare, can now suddenly be compressed to less than 3 pages and be issued without any GPs stamp or signature. Why dole can be rewarded immediately to all and sundry and yet every other person, creed or nationality has to jump through hoops to receive same?

I really cannot fathom why this sea change is happening and everything including perceived use of emergency powers for this one group of people.

Totally mystified.

MintyMagnum

Or animal quarantine

Mobius2021

It was only a few weeks when I had a meeting with an independent financial advisor about one of my pensions and we ended up taking about everything. The main topic was how uncertain things are at the moment regarding the global economy, how unpredictable it is. A lot of economic commentators are a bit unsure of the future.

Fast forward to today and our government are gone full Celtic Tiger, the boom is back mode with them being happy to take unlimited numbers of refugees over a short period of time.

That's the bit I don't get and it's what annoys me - our financial situation and public services cannot be that strong, especially given COVID.

So does this make me reasonably concerned or just a heartless racist? It's only a matter of time before people's concerns will become more apparent and the powers that be will need to brand those people racists.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972293#Comment_118972293

Interesting bit from the examiner you quoted:

A Behaviour & Attitudes survey for the Sunday Times at the weekend found that more than half of those polled would be willing to take a Ukrainian refugee into their home if they had room

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972362#Comment_118972362

But, but, women and children...[insert tears here]. OK that's me being cynical, but that's part of it. Most of it IMHO was our government grandstanding for the optics in the EU with a side nod at the UK who welcomed eff all, their longstanding puzzling credo that Ireland needs millions more people, and the Irish people 100% naturally wanting to help a horrendous humanitarian emergency on our doorstep,* but with nobody actually thinking about the consequences in the short, medium and longterm. Consequences that have come home to roost whle the warm fuzzies are getting colder by the week.

*and with people who look like us of course. That's muy importante. When dead Syrian kids were washing up on Greek beaches we got the sadz and avatars on twitter changed and something must be done! But few actual fúcks were given, our government didn't open up the country to them with no caps, free medical cards, full social welfare and driving licences no questions asked. No sirree bob. I dread to contemplate the number of dead Black African kids it would take to illicit a similar response.

Fann Linn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972388#Comment_118972388

Also from that same article from the Times itself is that a majority of those polled want a cap on the number of refugees brought in.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972388#Comment_118972388

And just under half wouldn't whether they had room or not. And the over half that would gave the condition if they had room. A variation on "oh I'd help if I could". So how many actual people are willing to take someone in and have room?

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972140#Comment_118972140

I don't think anyone has an issue with taking refugees but the anger is understandable

You obviously haven't read much of the thread.

The anger is predictably misguided and in certain circles intentionally so.

lawred2

The Instagram moment has passed and now the virtue signallers have all been caught offside facing the reality of sharing their home with people with complex needs who have experienced god knows what in warzone and a war that sees no end in the immediate term.

It's no wonder the offers are evaporating.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972451#Comment_118972451

I don't believe they are evaporating to any great extent. The Red Cross made a mess of this. For some strange reason they went public with 3000 uncountable. Many of these they only rang once. When that person tried to ring them back they got through to the army & not the Red Cross. There is no way on the pledge portal to remove your pledge if you got fed up waiting & sourced your own refugee through Facebook. To date more have been housed in a room in a home through Facebook than through the Red Cross

I've no doubt some have had a change of mind or son / daughter have moved back since the pledge but the vast majority of pledges were genuine & will house refugees