Immigration to Ireland - policies, challenges, and solutions *Read OP before posting*

14 years ago, I could have bought my deceased Granny's house in a south Dublin surburb at age 24 for 265k on a single teacher's income. My one big regret in my life is that I didn't buy that house. Not a hope I could buy that house today...500k+ now. +renovations cost at today's prices. Has my salary doubled? Not a chance.

What has changed in that 14 years??? Seriously, too much and too fast.

I'm not against helping genuine refugees nor beneficial immigration but I am against it on a mass, uncontrolled scale. We are seeing the impact of this now, 15-20 years later. The crunch has been here the last 5 years. Whether you want to admit that or not, is your choice but it's completely unsustainable. What a mess.

I just don't understand though how you are drawing these dots together. The housing crisis is a straight up consequence of poor supply planning for our both population growth and urbanisation. It also has a fair bit to do with Ireland's economic culture moving towards property ownership as an investment. The Irish government actively encouraged and facilitated the operation of vulture funds in the State, and indeed cuckoo funds that have driven up prices and frozen out first time buyers. Did refugees and migrants cause that?

The government effectively stopped building social housing during the boom. Did refugees and migrants cause that?

10,000 housing units were built in 2014 versus the 90,000 built in 2006. Did refugees and migrants cause that? Did they cause the collapse of house building during the recession? Did they cause Covid and the cessation of home building at that time? Are they responsible for the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the dramatic increase of costs that followed? Are they responsible for inflation and interest rates?

No. But instead of pointing to the actual policy decisions and prevailing economic conditions that have led us here, you are simply playing the game of saying that somehow the lack of supply is caused by the demand — and specifically demand driven by migration? Pull the other one.

Our health service couldn't

Seems it still cant cope, so I doubt the health service benefits from mass uncontrolled immigration.

50% of our health service workers are immigrants.

As our population expands, the healthcare sector requires more manpower, leading to a search for cost-effective labour, often sourced from immigrants. However, this reliance on cheaper immigrant labour raises ethical concerns. It's troubling that our citizens seek work abroad while we simultaneously recruit healthcare workers from underprivileged countries where their skills are desperately needed.

In the past, with a smaller population, our healthcare system managed to meet the needs of the people adequately. While there were occasional fluctuations due to workforce movements, appointments and services were generally accessible. While not necessarily world-class, the system functioned effectively.

However, the current situation is starkly different. With a growing population, the demands on our healthcare system have surged. Instead of addressing these demands with sustainable solutions, we're resorting to hiring low-wage workers to cope. This approach has turned our healthcare system into a fragile house of cards, teetering on the brink of failure.

Reducing immigration to a manageable flow will not only alleviate the strain on our healthcare system but also on all our social structures.

Varadkar coming up on NT discussing why most voters think that the country is going in wrong direction

Immigration since the Nice Treaty has been way higher than anything in living memory, massively higher.

Anyone who says that hasn't been the major factor in causing the housing crisis is lying. It's inconvenient, and it may seem quite rude to mention it, but unfortunately it is the truth.

There's also the fact that immigration to Ireland is entirely unpredictable, which makes planning impossible. In 2000 no one knew so many people would have immigrated here by 2006. In 2006 no one knew that would go in the other direction for seven years. In 2013 no one knew there would be huge inward migration once more.

Ireland is always going to have a massive issue with immigration unless policy changes.

Why but? Why dismiss the actions of 23 acts of arson to be ignored?

No. Its not excusable or justifiable.

While no one supports such actions, what recourse do individuals have when their voices go unheard? When elected officials persist in disregarding the legitimate concerns of those they are elected to represent? These are often the catalyst for civil unrest, revolutions, and various forms of social decay.

You appear to overlook our history, where groups of individuals have resorted to drastic measures, such as taking over the GPO, to assert their political beliefs. This phenomenon is not unique to our country; it occurs globally when people feel marginalized and voiceless. While one may choose to deny it, the reality of such actions is a consistent feature in both our own and world history.

These people are not attacking the forces of the state, but places of accommodation for defenceless and vulnerable people. There is nothing 'noble' about hating on refugees and asylum seekers.