Time for a zero refugee policy? - *Read OP for mod warnings and threadbans - updated 11/5/24*

InAtFullBack

Reading more about this pact: EU reaches agreement on reforming migration laws (rte.ie) and a few standout points in it:

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has welcomed the new EU agreement on migration saying it is "good progress" but added that the Government would have to examine it in detail before deciding whether to opt into it.

It seems then that we've an option not to join the pact. So we've no 'obligations'.

The reform also accelerates the filtering and vetting of asylum-seekers so those deemed ineligible can be quickly sent back to their home country or country of transit.

They have to be sent back, none of this BS self-deportation.

Dozens of charities that help migrants - including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Caritas and Save the Children - have criticised the changes, saying in an open letter during the negotiations that the package would create a "cruel system" that is unworkable.

Great to see the likes of Amnesty peeved off over this.

In the first 11 months of this year, the EU border agency Frontex has registered more than 355,000 irregular border crossings into the bloc, an increase of 17%. The number of asylum-seekers this year could top one million, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.

These are mental crazy numbers, Europe nor Ireland cannot keep on taking in these numbers year after year.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121518179#Comment_121518179

This is talking about refugee resettlement schemes. Different thing to asylum applications. Those people are already declared refugees. We are legally obliged to assess asylum applications under the Geneva convention, and our own domestic legislation, namely the International Protection Act, 2015, and before that the Refugee Act 1996.

lukas8888

Judge instructs Gardai to inform Department of Social Protection about refugees’ illegal ciggie scam https://www.donegaldaily.com/2023/12/18/judge-instructs-gardai-to-inform-department-of-social-welfare-about-refugees-illegal-ciggie-scam/

I presume there's no chance the Department will stop paying them weekly social welfare.

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519623#Comment_121519623

So what is the outcome, are they in jail now or on the next flight back to Ukraine?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121517599#Comment_121517599

You heard the spin on this today - thinly veiled threats against the councillors concerned. That they'll be disciplined etc. I'd reckon the FF bosses will pull in their horns fairly quickly as they know that privately, many FF reps would have similar views but wary about expressing them openly.

lukas8888

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519657#Comment_121519657

Your not serious, This is Ireland where punishment is an outdated concept.Suspended sentence and full social welfare ,Accomadation etc remains as before.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519781#Comment_121519781

I'd reckon the FF bosses will pull in their horns fairly quickly as they know that privately, many FF reps would have similar views but wary about expressing them openly.

Would letting this slide not seem like giving those other reps carte blanche?

I think it'll be more a case of

1800_Ladladlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121518805#Comment_121518805

Globalists. Federalists like the gimps we have now. Denmark banned Convicted criminals from a path to citizenship like, this is common sense really.

Introduced a values test with questions on subjects such as freedom of expression, the relationship between law and religion, you have to get a certain % to pass the test. You also have to have worked for 4 years before getting citizenship, they must not have any debts to the Danish government, and they must attend a ceremony, and shake hands with a local government official at the ceremony. There is a massive emphasis on this as many Mulsim men have refused to shake the hand of a female official at citizenship ceremonies. Who wouldn't want to make sure that those who receive citizenship have settled well in your new society and have embraced your country's values, culture & traditions?

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121518013#Comment_121518013

Seriously? Watched The Tonight Show on Virgin Media, Timmy Dooley FF trying to portray helpless Ukranians in their plight leaving their war-torn country and simultaneously defending their right to go back for Christmas in response to Cormac Lucy, the minute Lucy called the government on it. But, wait for the best part - Dooley doubles down and says he's BEEN to Ukraine to see first hand of what is happening.

FFS, Dooley a rejected politician, 'appointed' a senator, on the backs of taxpayers money flew over to Ukraine, an apparent "war-torn" country.

It's time to call BS on this, we've been had - the war in Ukraine is a damn regional conflict - the vast majority of west Ukraine is safe enough. If it's safe enough for Timmy Dooley to fly in on a whim and spend a few days 'observing' it's safe enough for Ukranians themselves to live and stay there. We know the score here in Ireland where the Northern Ireland struggle rarely spilled south. Same in Ukraine, nothing much happening away from the Russian border.

We've bankrolled Ukranians here to the tune of €3 BILLION and another €5 BILLION earmarked for next year. No doubt we'll pony up money again to 'help rebuild Ukraine'. When is enough enough?

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520266#Comment_121520266

Could probably be the last throw of the dice for FF. They're royally sunk. Everyone on the street knows this. Local councillors will likely break ranks now en-masse and not give two fooks about the bigger FF picture. There's alot of local councillors thinking they'd probably be more likely to get in as an independent in the upcoming local elections.

There is a big disconnect between local councillors and government party members. If I were a local FF councillor I'd be seriously considering my future if I were in anyway young in the political spectrum. There is alot of protest voting coming from the public - something the government party members know only too well. The high-ups in FF must be thinking to let the local councillors take a beating and hopefully by the time the GE comes around the public lash-back will have waned.

It's not beyond any political party to use a cohort as a mudguard. Immigration policy is going to be front and centre in 2024, the hope is the local elections will be the protest vote and take the heat off the Dail. I think this is the long-game and other parties will demonstrate similar moves.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520773#Comment_121520773

Its not front and centre at all, if no mainstream party offers an alternative approach.

And they don't.

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520777#Comment_121520777

Dismiss away, 75% of the Irish public don't agree with current immigration policy, 48% will not make that sentiment known in public.

This is a MASSIVE issue.

The left have lost the country and are not reading the dressing room.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520783#Comment_121520783

And whom are the 75% going to vote for, in order to accuratley reflect their opinion on immigration?

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520773#Comment_121520773

Immigration policy is going to be front and centre in 2024, the hope is the local elections will be the protest vote and take the heat off the Dail.

Conversely there must be a fear lurking in the back of the minds of the established parties that the local elections could be the precursor to a breakthrough for immigration-control advocates in the general election. I think they're fairly confident if there was a general election in the morning immigration would not have a major impact, maybe a few more independents get in than otherwise. But the locals might unleash the dragon by providing an example of voters picking candidates primarily on the basis of their position on immigration.

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520788#Comment_121520788

Anyone but a main political party.

There is a massive blind-side out there, the main political parties are cock-sure that they have voters for life after a couple of successful social matters campaigns, but those campaigns are well in the rear-view mirror now.

The same voters who voted for social change are now parents of teenage offspring who are balking at:

• The price of rental accommodation for their kids going to college in a couple of years time
• The price for them renting their first home when they qualify and get a job
• The price of a home for their kids to call a home

The link between mass-immigration and the cost of the above is now well established. Housing is overflowing with issues, immigration is the tap that needs to be turned off.

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520793#Comment_121520793

I can see the angle allright, lets use the locals as a litmus test and then plan for the GE depending on how it goes.

mrslancaster

Interesting stats here, it looks like we have a higher percentage of non national residents than most of our EU neighbours and the data is from 2022 so doesn't include the additional 140,000 that arrived in 2023 but our politicians are not one bit concerned and want more immigration of all kinds, ipa, refugees, working visas. Astonishing to see that the native population of Luxembourg is now just 50% - in 1961 the non-national percentage was just 13% so a huge change in just 60 years.

Also curious that the next few countries on the list with very high percentages just happen to be the smaller states in the EU.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/266170/share-of-foreign-nationals-in-eu-member-states/

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520802#Comment_121520802

And people voting for independents up and down the country, will have what impact on the local election?

How many independents do you think will be elected as a result and how many seats will the major parties lose?

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520807#Comment_121520807

And people voting for independents up and down the country, will have what impact on the local election?

Established parties loosing their grip on power obviously!!!

How many independents do you think will be elected as a result and how many seats will the major parties lose?

Alot. There will probably be a decent proportion of ex-FF and ex-FG in the mix too.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520808#Comment_121520808

Seats still have to be filled, regardless of how many folks vote.

Protest votes to an odd independent here and there will do nothing to change the make up of the Dail.

To effect a change, a mainstream party, capable of winning a large amount of seats, would need to campaign for change.

That simply isnt happening.

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520814#Comment_121520814

You asked me about the locals, I responded in kind. You then flip-flop to the make up of the next Dail. You are not reading what I'm saying.

But since you alluded about the next Dail - there is one of three things going to happen - Political parties bruised in the local elections will either:

• a) keep going post local elections thinking the damage is done and the public have 'vented'
• b) change party policy on immigration
• c) Parties do nothing, continuing on as is, and we'll have a cabbal of independents and reduced members from political parties resulting in a dail stalemate.

At the moment I think all of the big three political parties are hedging on a first, c second (a hung dail and another vote) and lastly b.

But there is a good bit of water to go yet... don't rule out SF going for B, they appear to be slowly warming to it, very slowly though.

Oh, and to your last remark - it will happen.

Coolcormack1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520773#Comment_121520773

There will be a lot of sorry we missed you leaflets dropping next yr when they go canvassing for the local elections and a general election.no party is going to want to deal with the punters at the doorstep.can’t be talking to all those far right people

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520749#Comment_121520749

Yes.

I suggest reducing UKR refugees here from 100,000 to 50,000, and helping to provide the other 50k with accomm in western UKR.

Montage of Feck

Maybe FF could try being a left leaning, mild nationalist party for once, they do claim to be the republican party after all.

InAtFullBack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521126#Comment_121521126

Indeed, and the other tactic of just sending the canvassers to the door while the politician stands out on the road appearing to be busy talking to another person (another canvasser) or on the phone.

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520788#Comment_121520788

Aontu

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520807#Comment_121520807

How many of the independents are really independent and not just peed off members of the larger parties. Just look at their voting record in the Dail and you will see that most of them have supported the government on every single vote in the Dail. A lot of them are just waiting to be asked back into the party.

horse7

Finally the EU seems to be waking up to the problem, https://youtu.be/rwikTGDe_JU?si=lJN1jRHqJP_KXKAN