is it true that o'donaghue is so dense light bends around him?

Excelsior · 10-01-2001 02:39PM #1

on the front page of national tabloid in broadsheet drag today, the independent, there was a picture of a moroccan man who had attempted to cut his throat and wrists at his deportation hearing.
beside this, there was a picture of a british oil tanker upon which 4 stowaway moroccans have possibly died in an attempt to get into Ireland.
what do people think about the refugee crisis or the economic immigrant flood or the people from other places coming here for whatever reason phenomenon or whatever we are meant to call it?
is the irish government failing in their duty?
if so, who are they failing, refugees or Irish people?
and what do you think we should do?

Winning Hand · 10-01-2001 06:18PM

The attitude taken by the government p*sses me off. They do f*ck all and give these ppl the run around, does it make them feel like theyre now in the "1st" world now ppl want to come here? They are taking an unprofessional view of it all. I mean all the irish that left over the years got treated better anywhere than what some of the refugees coming here, i mean ffs all the government p*ss off to different countries on paddies day and talk through their ar$es about how great the irish are and their "cead mile failtes" while at the same time closing off the borders to real refugees.

I do however have a problem with ppl coming here on a free ride but then again the irish have been doing that for years now. They actually arrested 4 palistinian businessmen a few weeks back, checking up on business they owned. I say good luck to them in sueing the asses off the government

neuro-praxis · 10-01-2001 07:20PM

You know, a lot of people are seriously angry about the refugees that wash up onto our green (well, brown) isles these days. One group of people in particular that seem to be annoyed about this are the homeless folks that I meet on the streets of Dublin...and they are about the only group whose anger (while still wrong, in my opinion) I can understand.

Nobody else should be complaining. They should be demanding that our damned government do this right. It is about time we became a multi-cultural society - but with the way things are going we shall have a fresh set of divides (currently solidifying) to look forward to. If they genuinely need asylum, we should provide it. Allow them to work and contribute to the economy. Welcome them into our communities (if communities even really exist anymore). Do something right here for once.

We are a nation of begrudgers. This has got to change. This frightened, defensive attitude is prominent in so many of our leaders. I think the absolute truth is that secretly nobody wants their daughter to bring a non-white non-Catholic boy home...

If people claim they need asylum and actually don't...well, I say give them the boot. If they would just like to move here...well, come join the party!

gandalf · 11-01-2001 10:37AM

What I cannot understand is why they don't allow these people to work while they're waiting to get their applications processed when we are apparently screaming for workers in a lot of businesses. Not only will this give these apparent assylum seekers a sense of worth but it would save the tax payer more money by allowing them to fend for themselves.

I think an awful lot of people have forgotten that we werewere emigrating to the US, UK & Germany for financial reasons not so long agao. Whats that about throwing stones in Greenhouses. I used to think that we in Ireland were not very racist I know realise that was because we didn't have alot of people from different cultures here back then.

Gandalf.

Blitzkrieger · 11-01-2001 10:59AM

I think people see a minority abusing the system and automaticaly think all imigrants do. I know the only hostility I have towards them is cos of this.

At the same time though we can't just throw open the door to all the poor and needy of the world - our economy would be back to square one again.

TwoShedsJackson · 11-01-2001 11:09AM

It's going to take at least 20 years before people will accept immigrants, and most will get over idle racism. There will always be a minority of xenophobes who hate anyone or thing different from themselves.

I got a no. 19 bushome last night and scrawled on the back of the seat in front of me was 'Let's make Dublin **** free'. Posters of Samantha Mumba that were in D'Olier Street a few months ago had '**** mutt' written on them.

I believe that bus driver who abused that black bloke is the only person so far to be prosecuted under the Incitment to Hatred Act since it was brought in in 1996 - that may change soon unless people can be educated.

Jak · 11-01-2001 01:38PM

We went over a lot of this in a thread a while back.

Firstly Refugees are not the same as Legal or Illegal immigrants. I think we should take our share in these emergencies and do all we can help.

As regards Illegal immigrants. No we should not accept them.

If people wish to move here, let them go through the proper channels as others have to. Allowing in floods of illegal immigrants does nobody any favours.

If we are going to bring people in, we should have support in place before they get here. Help with language and work skills. Then at least they have a shot at getting a job above begging or the most menial available.

As I have said on a few occasions, money is the great leveler in all this. I have faith that if the majority of immigrants who come here, get decent jobs, work, pay taxes etc., then the majority of the country will accept them without hesitation.

As CT mentioned tho, there will always be some racist half-wits to contend with.

JAK.

neuro-praxis · 11-01-2001 08:01PM

Excelsior and I were discussing that busdriver, who was (is?) on our route...he has always been an extremely unpleasant man that we dreaded encountering. He always succeeded in making the journeys a little crappier.

Anyhoo, we saw him working again a few weeks ago and don't know what to make of this.

TwoShedsJackson · 11-01-2001 10:21PM

Did he actually get a jail sentence? I thought he did, and if so I would have thought that he would still be there. Unfortunately a serious problem with the overcrowded Irish justice system is that people get paroled ridiculously early in many instances.

Victor · 14-01-2001 11:05PM

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by neuro-praxis:
You know, a lot of people are seriously angry about the refugees that wash up onto our green (well, brown) isles these days. One group of people in particular that seem to be annoyed about this are the homeless folks that I meet on the streets of Dublin...and they are about the only group whose anger (while still wrong, in my opinion) I can understand.</font>

I'm sorry to spoil your party, but the reson that homeless people are more prominent these days has little to do with immigrant and asylum seekers. It has a lot more to do with a maturing Irish population.Irish twenty- and thirty-somethings are occupying more accomodation than they (relatively) need. All those young couples with no intention of having a family for years buying 3- and 4-bedroom houses (although some do take lodgers). These people have moved out of similar 3- and 4-bedroom houses which are now occupied by 2 or 3 people.

This has a knock-on effect on the entire range of accomodation that is available to people renting accomodation, students, single people who have moved out of home, single parent families. It just so happens that many a alcoholic or druggie is at the bottom of the list - or is it that a roof over their head comes at the bottom of list for someone with a alcohol or drug problem.

I've known people earning IR£28,000 a year finding it difficult to find a place to rent.

[Nsk]Victor
[NSK]MAC10ASSASSIN

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

I know things about pigeons, Lily

Excelsior · 15-01-2001 09:10AM

you didn't spoil her party. you just completely misunderstood her post and talked about things that ever so slightly off topic.

neuro-praxis · 15-01-2001 10:48PM

Hey Victor - I am not sure how you did it, but you took me up all wrong. Read my post again and see what I was actually saying, man.

neuro-praxis · 15-01-2001 10:57PM

PS - I just HAVE to explain, Victor. I didn't imply that homeless issues were caused by asylum seekers because - well - they aren't...clearly. You don't need to tell me this. I know a number of homeless people because I stop to talk to them when I meet them on the street begging - and each of them has a different tale to tell as to why they are out of a home, and most of them aren't on the housing list anyway.

And I don't believe that it is right to have alcoholics or drug addicts at the bottom of housing lists either - they have as much right to take a place in line as anybody else does. Surely these are the people that need society's help most? Many of them are on waiting lists as it is for rehab centres - but where the heck are they supposed to wait?? On Capel Street bridge for five months?

PS - Sorry Excelsior, for changing your topic. I will shut up now.

is it true that o'donaghue is so dense light bends around him?

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