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

It's just bad management by an out of touch Government and an untouchable senior civil service..

That is an outrageous, disingenuous and arrogant comment. And just goes to show how out of touch some are with current day realities in Ireland.

There are many groups of Irish citizens suffering mostly silently due to lock of investment in all the things we know about. And here we see a disgraceful and insulting comment that 'no resources are being diverted'. Apparently it's all magic money and magic resources and magic time that are being dispensed into looking after the needs of people who've no business being here, who are not Irish citizens and to whom we have very, very limited duty of care.

I am no apologist for Roderic O'Gorman but his department has been left to deal with this problem while the rest of the government looked away. Now it has gotten to the stage where it literally cannot be ignored and is being picked up by international news agencies and the whole of government has to deal with it or at least acknowledge it is a problem. The signs were all there, we are about 2 years behind Germany and Sweden and are going to end up like them unless something drastic does not happen soon to control the numbers coming into Ireland illegally - But what to do with the border we have with a non-EU country ? I do not have the answer but presumably the reason we elect the government is for them to deal with difficult issues on our behalf and in our best interests. It is hard not to conclude that the goverment have failed thusfar.

Where is the evidence that money is being "diverted" because of asylum seekers? The asylum process would be very expensive at the best of times and budgeted for and we are operating a budget surplus of around €8bn per year. Also, money spent on accommodating asylum seekers is still going back into the economy by indirect means.

This is the old Brexity "let's leave the EU and send £350m a week to the NHS instead" stuff being rehashed. I'm not arguing that it is a good thing that money is being spent on all this, but there is no evidence that resources that would have gone to schools and hospitals and essential services etc is not being spent because of the current asylum system situation.

Where are the #2 going?

The next cohort to make piles of money

So we don’t have open borders, except for the open borders that we have.

That’s some genius level logic.

EU law prevents it. EU citizens have freedom of movement to work. If an EU citizen rocks up in Ireland and cannot support themselves, then under EU law, they can be repatriated home.

Just because WE (Ireland) don’t do it, doesn’t mean that it cannot be done.

500 million people in the EU are entitled to come here.

That is more than enough in my view for a tiny island nation.

In my view even that has to stop.

Skilled migrants only.

People that are not dependant on welfare. No more handouts. Time to get real!

That pro migration protest outside the GPO today not getting mention at all on any Irish news so far.

Only checked there on the live GPO camera and it's tiny, more guards than protestors.

Their numbers weren't much better earlier in the day, few tiktok videos showing the counter protestor on the far side of the road being much bigger.

how is irish agriculture being destroyed by the government? is dairy etc. not booming?

The protest numbers have definitely increased today and the more moderate working general public are drifting into it. People who would be right in the FG and FF voting demographic.

Newtownmountkennedy probably played into that as people got a view of how far the state are willing to go with things. Also, the loss of control over our borders and emergence of shanty towns.

This will only get bigger and bigger. Harris and McEntee are finished.

The whole AS process is a bit of a mystery to a lot of people i've asked. What exactly happens at the mount street office and why are so many waiting around there? Is the initial application made there, or is it where interviews with IP officers who make the decision take place?

From what I can gather, applicants can be offered state accommodation but it's not compulsory and once the application is made, the person can live anywhere, eg friends, or sadly, in a tent when nothing else is possible.

So when an initial application is made, does that provide paperwork that allows people stay in the state and claim various supports, ie allowance, med card etc until the application is determined which seemingly can take months. If unsuccessful, an appeal is made and all supports continue - is that the process? Are AS applicants obliged to stay in the state while waiting for a decision?

Should we keep increasing nursing rates to be in line with Saudi Arabia etc?

Where does that end?

For clarity I'm all for nurses being well paid and especially being able to afford rent and housing.