Anyone hear Aine Ni Conaill from the Immigration Control Platform on Vincent Browne last night?
For anyone that doesn't know ICP aim to reduce the number of immigrants coming into Ireland. They have a particular grievance with asylum seekers who they claim, are being welcomed into Ireland with an open door policy.
Apparently only 392 deportations have taken place since the late ninties.
On the flip side, being an asylum seeker in Ireland ain't much fun. You get your bed and board and a whopping 19 euro a week. You can't work so you sit around all day. I walk past the centre on Wellington Road regularly and they all look withdrawn and absolutely bored to tears. A pool table is about the extent of their entertainment.
Thinking about it this morning I actually think the insanely long time they spend in this limbo should actually seperate genuine asylum seekers from the one's who are chancing their arm. If your life is in danger in your own country youre not going to go back regardless of how long you stay in Ireland.
ICP get hot under the collar about cross-EU immigration as well (read: Poles). The one thing I notice about Poles however, and this goes for most european immigrants, is that they love their country of origin, they are aiming to buy property back there and are only a 150 euro flight away from getting back there if the economy suddenely takes a dive and they all lose their jobs. Poland isn't fucked up like Africa.
Vincent Browne asked Aine Ni Conaill what she thought she thought was a reasonable percentage of non nationals living here. She said 5% making her arguement sound reasonable (apparently we're heading towards 10%). He then asked here what she felt about the Irish going abroad to the U.S. and Britain to which she replied, "the IPC is an organisation. It doesn't have feelings".
VB: but on a personal level, how do you feel about it?
AC: Vincent, Im here as PRO of the organisation. An organisation doesn't have feelings.
We are single issue party. I wouldn't give you the time of day as a person.
There was a long awkward silence before VB laughed and continued.
Radio PR lesson number one - do not insult the presenter.
Bad PR move number two followed soon after as VB was presenting a red rag to a bull. Another participant in the debate was a Nigerian woman called Benedict from Dundalk who is lobbying for immigrants. While she was speaking she seemed to be dodging VB's question about how she ended up here herself finally conceeding that she applied for asylum, had a child here and was granted permission to stay. One debate point to Aine.
Instead of leaving it at that however, Ni Conaill continued to lambast her repeating "she shouldn't even be in the country!". VB asked her if an Irish citizen (i.e. the Nigerian woman's child) should be deported. In so many words she said the child should be. Caught in a trap she started firing out a range of childish arguments and really started to lose it.
I'm always very wary of taking the easy options and dubbing these people racists. But slowly as the show went on, you could sense the absolute outrage in her voice at the invasion of foreigners. I don't think she's worried about the country, immigration just bugs her.
I wouldn't dream of giving ICP a vote but I still think a sensible debate on the issues would be worthwhile. I don't like the idea of deportation but I also don't like the idea of the country being a known easy target for social welfare claimants or the idea of sending people back to fucked up places.
What do citizens of the PROC think?
For anyone that doesn't know ICP aim to reduce the number of immigrants coming into Ireland. They have a particular grievance with asylum seekers who they claim, are being welcomed into Ireland with an open door policy.
Apparently only 392 deportations have taken place since the late ninties.
On the flip side, being an asylum seeker in Ireland ain't much fun. You get your bed and board and a whopping 19 euro a week. You can't work so you sit around all day. I walk past the centre on Wellington Road regularly and they all look withdrawn and absolutely bored to tears. A pool table is about the extent of their entertainment.
Thinking about it this morning I actually think the insanely long time they spend in this limbo should actually seperate genuine asylum seekers from the one's who are chancing their arm. If your life is in danger in your own country youre not going to go back regardless of how long you stay in Ireland.
ICP get hot under the collar about cross-EU immigration as well (read: Poles). The one thing I notice about Poles however, and this goes for most european immigrants, is that they love their country of origin, they are aiming to buy property back there and are only a 150 euro flight away from getting back there if the economy suddenely takes a dive and they all lose their jobs. Poland isn't fucked up like Africa.
Vincent Browne asked Aine Ni Conaill what she thought she thought was a reasonable percentage of non nationals living here. She said 5% making her arguement sound reasonable (apparently we're heading towards 10%). He then asked here what she felt about the Irish going abroad to the U.S. and Britain to which she replied, "the IPC is an organisation. It doesn't have feelings".
VB: but on a personal level, how do you feel about it?
AC: Vincent, Im here as PRO of the organisation. An organisation doesn't have feelings.
We are single issue party. I wouldn't give you the time of day as a person.
There was a long awkward silence before VB laughed and continued.
Radio PR lesson number one - do not insult the presenter.
Bad PR move number two followed soon after as VB was presenting a red rag to a bull. Another participant in the debate was a Nigerian woman called Benedict from Dundalk who is lobbying for immigrants. While she was speaking she seemed to be dodging VB's question about how she ended up here herself finally conceeding that she applied for asylum, had a child here and was granted permission to stay. One debate point to Aine.
Instead of leaving it at that however, Ni Conaill continued to lambast her repeating "she shouldn't even be in the country!". VB asked her if an Irish citizen (i.e. the Nigerian woman's child) should be deported. In so many words she said the child should be. Caught in a trap she started firing out a range of childish arguments and really started to lose it.
I'm always very wary of taking the easy options and dubbing these people racists. But slowly as the show went on, you could sense the absolute outrage in her voice at the invasion of foreigners. I don't think she's worried about the country, immigration just bugs her.
I wouldn't dream of giving ICP a vote but I still think a sensible debate on the issues would be worthwhile. I don't like the idea of deportation but I also don't like the idea of the country being a known easy target for social welfare claimants or the idea of sending people back to fucked up places.
What do citizens of the PROC think?
