April 3, 2024 - 7:00am
Having lost two referendums and a Taoiseach, several politicians are doing a complete 180 on policies they were promoting just a couple of weeks ago.
For example, Taoiseach-in-waiting Simon Harris has vowed that law and order and migration will be among his top concerns upon entering office. Already, he has expressed a willingness to adopt proposals that would see asylum seekers’ applications processed in third countries. This is a swift reversal from his predecessor Leo Varadkar who, among other things, condemned plans by the United Kingdom to process asylum seekers in Rwanda as “shocking” and “wrong”.
The incoming government has also promised to opt into an European Union (EU) migration pact from 2026 that will see international protection applicants detained while their application is being processed. Detention centres and relocations to third countries are the very proposals that Irish government ministers decried as “far-Right” not too long ago.
Acting in lockstep, the main opposition party Sinn Féin has also shifted its rhetoric, attempting to one-up the government on migration. Opposing the EU directive on migration, Sinn Féin has claimed it is opposed to “open borders”. Unsurprisingly, party leader Mary Lou McDonald jumped on the bangwagon too, accusing the two main parties — Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael — of being too deferential to the EU at a recent event.
Having embraced the EU with zealotry after the Brexit vote, viewing it as a step towards a united Ireland, McDonald is now promising to stand up to Brussels dictates. Her party, she has said, would only adopt EU policies “when they are good for Ireland”.
Beyond this, there has been a renewed focus on bread-and-butter issues. Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea stated shortly after the referendum defeat that the government should “focus on housing, health, and law & order, and stop playing to the woke gallery”, and “start listening to the people, stop talking down to them and stop listening to the out-of-touch Greens & NGOs.” Such sentiments were echoed by Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Pa Daly who said of the government’s proposed hate speech bill that “it is abundantly clear that this legislation has been badly thought through and is not fit for purpose.” This comes in spite of the fact that every Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin TD voted for the bill in the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann.
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SubscribeNaïve in the extreme. The Irish uniparty will clearly do what the US, UK and EU countries have done: enact destructive policies, decry those who disagree as ‘far Right’, double down on those policies ( or lack of enforcement of existing rules), finally start to pretend those policies may need changing but do absolutely nothing to slow down, let alone stop, the destruction of their country and its culture.
Yep, that’s the playbook in a nutshell: wring hands, feel the voters’ pain, carry on exactly as before.
I down-voted you in the hope (mis-guided?) that you’re wrong. But the evidence, which is that our elected governments thus far, repeatedly rule in opposition of intelligent middle-class, average-Joe sensibilities, in favour of their destructive woke ideals, seems compellingly in favour of your argument. Uggghh.
Britian should consider kicking North Ireland out of the UK. The question is how much S Ireland would pay for this piece of distressed real estate. What would other countries like China pay for it?
Why would you want to kick N.Ireland out when there is a strong possibility that Ireland, in the event of a euro crisis and EU implosion, might well adopt the £?
Much as I admire your sentiments, I am afraid that Ireland makes too much as a tax haven for US businesses operating in the EU.
I predict this will, in fact, happen. Ireland will reinstitute the Currency Board arrangement after the break-up of the Euro – so a nominal currency that is exchangeable 1:1 with Sterling.
Maybe give Donald Trump a call. Didn’t he offer to buy Greenland?
Spoken like a true, supercilious Englishman. People who think like that tend to reckon that civilisation stops at Watford,
Judging by you, it does
Sell off Northern Ireland to the Chinese. Share the spoils between UK and RoI.They might even pay top dollar if they could establish a massive military Base with plenty of nukes – right in the middle of NATO – a bit like the US in Taiwan.
Ireland is in an invidious position … they have no currency … they are trapped in the EU.
The Euro is a flawed currency and will suffer accordingly as the battle of the currencies commences downwards
I have little faith in the Euro, not just because of the currency, but also because European governments are making it easier for themselves to simply seize personal assets.
The Euro currency is unsustainable … it has 20 Fiscal centres instead of 1.
Ireland’s problems are NOT caused by the EU. The UK left the EU and you have similar issues
Our problems are caused by a foolish ruling class addicted to infinity immigration, and other stupid ideas
Some of the problems are caused by the EU. But you’re right in citing the utterly corrupt and venal politicians, there and here, for making everything much, much worse
I think Richard that what you describe is way down the list of Irish policy failures. But sincerely, I would very much like you to expand on the topic please.
Common sense is slowly creeping back into Irish politics.
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I do not believe them. As we say in Russian “when things go badly in a brothel, it’s not moving the beds, but changing the girls”
That Groucho Marx had too much to say. If he wasn’t pontificating about principles, he was banging on about club memberships. No wonder a lot of people are sceptical about Marxism. For God’s sake, keep his ideas out of Irish politics.
It’s some time ago since the former Irish Labour Party leader quoted that very quote in Dáil Éireann. He was talking about Fianna Fáil at the time.
No. This has the same energy as David Cameron’s “we will reduce net migration to the tens of thousands” pledge. It is a lie aimed at dissolving the steadily growing right populist movement.
Sounds like democracy in action, you lose a vote so you change policy to reflect what your population wants.
a concept Teresa May failed to understand, and one the EU as an institution totally rejects
This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. These ‘leaders’ aren’t gaining principles. They fear losing influence, nothing more.
The WEF plan for Ireland just received a setback, that’s all.
The Irish majority have been striving for Eurotrash status for years. They are finally achieving it, and will soon be a soulless, de-racinated administrative entity; a nation in name only.
There’s only so many of Sauron’s multinational rings of power you can accept before you become a Nazgul.
At the bottom of it all, Ireland will do as it is told to do by the EU. This will include raising the CT rate there .