In the spirit of integration being a two-way process...

[northmallexile]

...this (http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0514/breaking63.htm) is an interesting development, and hopefully, a positive one. There's the potential to get things done right, here.

[miahp]

I agree totally and should be responded to positively. The experience in some countries has been that racial tensions usually arise from the time a 2nd generation ( children of immigrants ) begin to demand equality of opportunity, etc. in the country in which they have been born.

[daithi81]

Good idea i suppose.

[STEVIEG]

Yup, good idea

[pudgee]

Did anyone hear Issah Huseini ar an radio the other week? He was saying that when he answers the door to canvassers they just say 'oh sorry' and toddle off, just assuming he doesn't have a vote.

Eejits.

[northmallexile]

Did anyone hear Issah Huseini ar an radio the other week? He was saying that when he answers the door to canvassers they just say 'oh sorry' and toddle off, just assuming he doesn't have a vote.

Eejits.

Eejits indeed. I wonder does Moosajee Bhamjee have the same problem?

[starchaser]

good move. you dont want to end up with the ghettos that they have in France or the UK. you dont want to make the same mistakes that they did - and this initiative is a good start. cheered me up reading about this.

although i have some reservations.

1. "The NCP is presently funded by the European Refugee Fund."
so its not an NGO, and does the EUs bidding. therefore its not truely independent.

2. Who is Issah Husseini. i must admit that doesnt sound like an Ghanan African name. Why would an African guy have an Arabic name?

3. Over dependence on government being the solution, and i quote, from Mr Husseini himself:
"but it is a two-way process which requires leadership by Government."

no it doesnt. its a two way process that involves everyone. not just the government.

4. Who elected Mr Husseini? we already have a representation system - its called democracy. as in , you vote for a TD. and you make representations to your TD - thats what everyone else does. mightn't efforts like this actually start to piss off the indigenous Irish, and thus you might end up with the "favoured treatment" stuff that we have in the UK ( and thus you end up with BNP councillors getting elected... not nice. you dont want to go down THAT route...)


so, i'm all in favour of the efforts, but i'm a bit suspect that this could be another one of those "law of unintended consequences" affairs , where you end up with more segregation rather than less.

we just have to be very careful about any group that suddenly emerges and claims to speak for some minority.

Ireland has one of the most democratic voting systems in the entire western world - we shouldnt piss around with it. if you want to integrate , get involved with the democracy that is already there. if that doesnt work, form a party. and if you dont want to form a party - join a trade union. there are already the mechanisms in place to integrate. use them.

i really dont want to see Ireland having loads of pressure groups that only end up creating *more* segregation rather than less (hello Muslim Parliament of Britain, and the Black Police Officers Association - no , i'm not joking - it really does exist)

[starchaser]

Did anyone hear Issah Huseini ar an radio the other week? He was saying that when he answers the door to canvassers they just say 'oh sorry' and toddle off, just assuming he doesn't have a vote.

Eejits.

bit of a problem there alright. Irish politics needs to wake up a bit and realise that we're in the 21st century now.