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

I beg everyone in this thread who wants a change, please please please don't vote for Government parties, be it local or European elections

This is one of the most important elections we've had.

You don't have to vote for far right parties, there's load of other parties/independents that have legitimate issues with immigration.

That's exactly what soup kitchens do, bad example!

They feed everyone, whether they need it or not, people don't have to prove their need. It's a bad example.

When somebody agrees to appear on national television and give their views, they are addressing the nation. If one addresses the nation, one can expect the nation to respond.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/new-towns-for-migrant-camps-identified-nationwide-as-dublins-grand-canal-tents-cleared-for-third-time-this-month/a371029696.html

"A secret memo reveals the six new camps earmarked to house record levels of asylum-seekers are Columb Barracks in Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Ballymullen in Tralee, Co Kerry; a site in Athlone, Co Westmeath; and Thornton Hall, Ballyogan and Crooksling in Dublin."

MY GOD what the **** is happening to our country!!! All caused this by this horrible horrible government

The problem is that the Government have backed themselves into a corner here. They have not only created this mess, they've actively encouraged it.

FG and FF are also dependent on the Greens for support and we already know the likes of Ryan, Martin and O'Gorman don't live in the real world. They are one-issue ideologues who have demonstrated time and again that they have no notion of how the realities of politics, economics, and public engagement work, hence their blunt policy decisions across energy, transport and yes immigration.

The other problem I increasingly believe is the age and lack of experience generally of many of our senior politicians. Look at Harris himself: no qualifications, no prior experience beyond being a FG staffer for Frances Fitzgerald, and entered the political system at a young enough age to be completely captured by it.

McEntee, our Minister for Justice (FFS!) is much the same: elected originally on a sympathy vote, no experience beyond working as a staffer for her father, another one who has been wholly captured by FG politics since 2010 in her mid-20s.

O'Gorman has a bit of a career behind him at least but all in academia. Involved with the Greens from his early 20s. Not a great combination for making wide-ranging and far-reaching state policies.

Leo Varadkar: well, many of these problems and those responsible for them can be laid squarely at his feet. History (if there's any justice/balance) will not be kind to the soundbite/movie quote/trend chasing Taoiseach. Like Bertie though, he's run for cover before the real problems and fall out starts.

Now though that the "be grand"/"nothing to see here"/"we have obligations"/"shut up you far-right racists" approach is no longer working though they have a real problem. The damage is already done and the natives are restless as they feel and see the effects in their local communities. You have to give them credit for that I suppose - it takes a LOT for the Irish to actively stand up for themselves. The last time was in 2014 for the Irish Water debacle, before that it was back in the 90s with the anti-drugs protests and in the wake of the Veronica Guerin murder.

In paralell, they have increasingly handed over more and more control over the running of the country to the EU in return for some attaboys (insert that pic of Sarkozy and Enda Kenny here) and jobs for the feckless. Similarly to what I said above regarding Leo, how our membership of the club will be percieved in the fullness of time will be interesting.

So now we have a situation where they have invited tens/hundreds of thousands of randomers from halfway across the continent/planet to our small island and unsurprisingly they've been taken up on their offer but because we have a cohort of immature, inexperienced and dangerously unsuitable or ideologically driven "leaders", the completely forseeable problems that have resulted have been magnified a hundredfold.

They don't know HOW to fix it. McEntee embarasses herself everytime she opens her mouth, O'Gorman has gone into hiding, Harris is trying to emulate his predecessor by saying all the right things and tinkering at the edges (but he's not as good at playing the media as his predecessor was), and the problems worsen by the day.

As I said before, we are now into damage control. Those here will not be going back unless voluntarily (even if we mandate through the courts that they should), and the demographics and fabric of our communities and society as a whole are changing rapidly - too rapidly which is why the services can't keep up, the public are being ignored and marginalised to the point of using the Gardai as enforcers (because THAT worked out so well with the Irish Water meter installations!), and the general mood of the country is becoming ever darker.

We can't even build a bloody children's hospital without a scandal but we can (somehow) repurpose every vacant building or field to house anyone with a sad story?? (before they're then quietly moved on into local authority housing). No wonder that people who are struggling to pay their bills, keep or even find a home, and who certainly aren't feeling the benefits of our suppposed prosperity are questioning it!

I think it's going to get worse before it gets better unfortunately. While an increasing number of ordinary people are happy to speak up about their concerns, it hasn't reached a critical mass yet - that's where the upcoming elections come in and why I keep saying it's so important that people get out and make their voices heard. It's the only way we have any chance of reducing the damage that's already being done, and managing the long-term effects and changes that are already underway.

The alternative is several years of increased political instability, social discontent and unrest, increased polarisation and division in our formerly easy-going and tolerant society, and all the other negatives that have already been seen in the UK and Europe.

Again, it's time to take it seriously folks. Speak up (in the right way) and make sure that your voices are heard on election day.

Well said

What political parties are going to 'solve' the asylum question…..do you have any particular ones in mind?

none but we need to start processing as quickly as possible and if they have no country to go back to we pay a third country to take them and the failed asylum economic migrant can go home from there. This whole thing is gotten out of control.

FFS. Why would I lie. Ridiculous.

I posted that I didn't hear of her before. I didn't. Now I know more about her, I revised my opinion. Do you even read posts?

Because your raison d'etre is deflect/obfuscate.

As usual, all things that couldn't be done are now all of a sudden possible.

The only thing we can do, and it's the only way to stop it. No payments, no housing. That's it. They will keep coming unless we do this.