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

Explain why they need 220 a week (assuming a single person) to live given they have no bills to pay. If it’s a family they are making even more although everything is supplied to them.

There must be many Ukrainians building up their bank accounts back home courtesy of Ireland. We’re giving them full s/w on the assumption they have no access to cash even though no doubt many have cash in Ukraine accounts they can access online.

Laughable stuff

People are getting annoyed because they’re being given a lot of cash IN ADDITION to getting everything paid for them. I.e. there is no need for them to receive that amount of cash as they have no expenses. What the hell do you think this is? A free money camp or something

I’m glad to have you on the thread for the sake of balance but my god you talk some nonsense sometimes. Again trying to paint every dissenter as a mean begrudger.

How about you actually substantiate the need for them to receive €220 a week? And don’t even try mentioning our cost of living - it doesn’t apply to them. Their costs are covered.

Is the discussion really about whether Ukrainian refugees receive €220 a week or €100? I would have thought the issue of shortage of accommodation was far more important (and I wouldn't even be bothered if I heard their weekly payment was going to be reduced to €100 or €80 a week or whatever, it seems a bit of a red herring...almost like some clickbait thing the Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph would be on about in the UK).

Well, the media have picked up on Healy Rae so far, so they must have it

You are still not answering the questions or points put to you, and don't think that you're inference of "racism" has gone unnoticed as you try to move the goalposts again by dragging in direct provision recipients and what they get.

So I'll be very clear with you how I feel about your points. Regular readers will have heard me say this so apologies in advance!

It's not my problem or my country's problem to solve the ills of the world. Ukraine was invaded by an aggressive neighbour and I have every sympathy for the victims (on both sides really) of that conflict - BUT Ireland did not cause it, has no historical legacy or responsibility in the region, and certainly isn't responsible for dealing with the fallout now.

Our Government have, without any mandate, overcommitted our country to accepting and providing for "refugees" of this conflict with disastrous consequences for the natives and citizens of this country, and less than ideal circumstances for the new arrivals themselves.

In the process they have made Irish people second class citizens in their own country through the bypassing of normal rules and processes around planning and accommodation, welfare qualification and rates/entitlements, medical card and public health access and so on. These rules and hoops that a citizen must jump through at great length and often great stress and frustration have been completely bypassed for people with no ties, no contributions and no loyalties to this country.

Ireland has become a magnet for everyone with a sad story by virtue of the rewards on offer and the lax controls and consequences surrounding them. It's not just Ukrainians, but almost every other continent and region that has people "fleeing" here in search of a better life at this stage.

That wouldn't be so bad in itself, IF we had the resources, work, housing and social infrastructure to support it with a robust and efficient entry, review and outcome process governing it - but we don't, and now we have a free for all and a country collapsing under the pressure. Not just in the provision of services, but social cohesion and stability has been negatively impacted by this situation and in some respects is probably already beyond salvation at this point.

So no, when it comes down to it, I don't care as much about these problems of others as I do about our country and its future - particularly when it comes to what my child will inherit in the next decade or so when he becomes an adult. It'll be a very different Ireland than I grew up in, and while that's certainly not a bad thing in many respects (no one would call for a return to the dark, repressive days under the Catholic Church), there are serious problems already starting to emerge that will only get worse as the next few years roll on.

My loyalty and concern is to my family, my community and my country - not to randomers showing up to take advantage of our hard work and efforts and who are being not only facilitated but bumped to the top of the line in the process.

We have more than enough long standing and critical issues and failures in this country that successive Governments have failed to deal with in my lifetime, and which have worsened dramatically in the last decade of so.

For all our supposed wealth and prosperity, the gap between the haves and have nots has never been wider, and adults in their 30s and 40s have been forced back to their parents (assuming they have them) or are trapped in massively overpriced rental accommodation run by foreign investment funds because they can't afford or even find a home of their own. Health care has been on the brink for decades and every winter brings the threat of collapse but now even private insurance (not cheap either) isn't a guarantee of avoiding that debacle either.

I could go on but whomever is benefitting from this prosperity, it's not the average citizen anyway. It's unaccountable politicians who have done away with any illusion of alternative through Confidence and Supply and outright coalition, it's lobby/interest groups and NGOs who have created an entire industry around draining the public purse, and it's a vocal, noisy minority of crusaders who are blindly supporting all of this to the point of turkeys voting for Christmas.

Thanks to these various groups, the concerns, questions and interests of the electorate (and not just in Ireland) have been marginalised, demonised and just outright ignored for reasons that we STILL don't have a clear understanding of, or what the ultimate end goals are.

I for one am far more concerned about these issues and the effects on the country of being seen as a soft touch, easily exploited and manipulated and the "good boys" of Europe than I am worried about being seen as "racist" or "xenophobic" or "far right" - or whatever other nonsense and meaningless term is tossed around by the aforementioned turkeys.

Again I said years ago on this site that these issues and policies would become the most important and critical issue yet, and here we find ourselves.

It might sound dramatic to say this, but it'll be our children and theirs who deal with the consequences of the decisions we make (or stand by being made) and who will judge us for it.

And it won't be a good verdict.

Well you know I think we should be getting bogged down in amounts here ie the amounts of money, mine, yours and all the citizens of this republics taxes being squandered by public representatives like O gorman and mcentee(how in heavens name did they ever get into such positions of power?) and the rest of the enablers in government, squandering money like drunken sailors home on leave who have forgotten that their primary role was to look after the welfare of the citizens of this state, in chief the most vulnerable of society... So yes maybe we should get bogged down in amounts cos it's our amounts, our taxes being shelled out willy-nilly for what reason God only knows to the absolute detriment of the generations that will follow us, what sort of society will be left to our grandchildren? It won't be all chumbaya and holding hands in a great big happy melting pot I assure you that, look around Europe to see what's coming down the line, we'll be no different and of course the working classes will pay the price as usual in the end ........ When the bill comes in

Ukrainian passports will soon be a valuable passport .. in Ireland.

I laughed. People are getting "bogged down" with amounts are they? In a country that has a 5 year waiting list for little children with scoliosis, their breathing being compromised every single day as their spine curves more an more! No homes for ordinary low income workers including our kids who we put through school and college, who are now emigrating because they cant live in the country of their birth. Nursing homes closing down to become refugee centers so where do our elderly parents go if they become immobile or have dementia?

I do hope you are joking with your posts? Otherwise do you not have children, grandchildren, parents? Can you not look around you and see what's happening while we piss billions away on welcoming refugees and asylum seekers. According to a report in the Irish Times yesterday on an article written by DCU professor "Irish could be a minority ethnic group by 2050". This is no country for Irish anymore.

What party will you be voting for at the next general election out of interest?

Ethinic Irish people is now down to 77%, those with Irish Citizenship is 84%

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpsr/censusofpopulation2022-summaryresults/migrationanddiversity/

Yes, I heard about that and you can see posts about it on twitter.

Apparently Gript reported it as they have a copy before the "mistake" was corrected and the list redacted. It was on a submission to the Public Accounts Committee by the General secretary of Roddy's Department!

And also here

This information has been out since yesterday, so is in the public domain, and if it is true the cost of housing Ukrainian and IPAS for the first half of this year was €860 million! Bear in mind that is accommodation only and not welfare, food or other costs.

To answer Kaisers question about who is making bank out of this, well you can be sure it's not the man in the street. It's a goldmine for international corporations, hedge funds, the Healy Raes etc of this country. Seeing as the Healy Raes are making money out of this, I wonder are any other politicians making money out of this? To me that would raise major concerns about conflicts of interest. All that before we get onto value for money, or whether this is sustainable in the short term, never mind the medium or long term. The amounts are eye watering.

I posted earlier in the year about the former ESB building in East Wall costing €125,000 a month as reported in the Sunday Times. Also about mafia clans and other criminal organisations getting involved and possibly using this as a way of laundering money. We need transparency in order to be able to have a reasoned discussion about this as it affects every citizen of this country whether it's in competing for accommodation, access to welfare or medical services and many other ways.

I never once mentioned anything about racism in any of these posts about Ukrainian refugees or the payments that they receive. The point I was making about the €38 vs €220 payments is that should probably be more of a general discussion point than comparing the €220 to what Ukrainian refugees in other EU states receive.

In light of your other points, can I ask what political party do you intend voting for at the next general election? The reason I ask is I see numerous points being made about asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees in this thread but no indication of a remedy or which party the commentators here see as being the one who is going to address their concerns.

12% +++ I do not believe for one minute that that figure is accurate. You just have to go out and about and you can see that it is far more than that. 5 out of 15 in my office alone.