The island of strangers - we once were them, now we watch on as they're blamed for everything
WE ARE in a time where we are told that what concerns most people is migration.
Not just here in Ireland, but across Europe, across the world maybe.
Of course, when we say it is what concerns them what we really mean is that most people are worried about it, feel hostile to it, want, in fact, the immigrants to stop arriving in their country.
Here in Ireland it takes the casual, but sinister, refrain of people referring to 'one of our own'.
How long you have to have been here before qualifying as one of our own has never been properly explained to me.
I remember being told a little while ago by an Englishman living here that a woman he worked with never used to talk to him but does now because now there are immigrants here from Africa and Asia so him being English is not suddenly, apparently, that bad.
Now Ireland is laced with irony when it comes to immigration and immigrants.
I've heard casual bigotry against Romanians — that was some twenty years ago — Poles, Nigerians and Ukrainians. They're just getting started on the Indians who have come to work here in the health service.
One woman recently bemoaned the fact that Indian nurses were here because her own daughter was nursing in Australia.
I tried reasoning with her. I asked her had her daughter left because she couldn't get a job or because she didn't like the state of our health service or simply because she wanted to live and nurse in the sun for a while.
But prejudice doesn't trade with reason or logic.
As a parent I can understand her sadness at her child being on the other side of the world but blaming it on a person who took a job her daughter didn't want is simply nonsense.
It is genuinely understandable though that people who experience large migration into an area they are living in will find this an utter alteration to their daily life.
It is alright the leafy suburbs dismissing every concern or worry as that of knuckle dragging racists. People sometimes just don't know what is going on.
We have seen here how badly the government communicates and how this leaves a void for bad actors to spread lies and disinformation and hostility.
I grew up in an immigrant area and on an immigrant street and I can wonder how those older English people must have felt when their streets became increasingly Irish. It was a big change for them, wasn't it?
Not that I make allowances for the prejudice my parents faced but I do see that in those areas where it takes place immigration can cause challenges.
Wasn't Brexit because those who had no direct experience of the changes wrought by immigration, in their workplace and home areas, talked down to those who did?
Of course, anti-migrant bigotry is always nonsensical.
The immigrant, remember, is always getting all the social welfare benefits that exist, and those that don't, and is taking all the jobs, all while being lazy and feckless. Some gymnast the immigrant.
Those of us who come from immigration have looked sadly on at the rising discourse around immigration.
We have watched as people of privilege, people who have had all the advantages society can offer, family wealth, private education, economic privilege, societal access, have used any issues there might be around immigration to endanger the most vulnerable people a society has.
People with so, so, much resenting those with so little.
Anti-immigration sentiment seems such a dereliction of the human spirit, such a hardening of the heart against those most in need, that it is hard not to respond without despair.
But then those of us from immigration, from immigrant families, those who come from those who founded this very newspaper, those disadvantaged Irish who emigrated with nothing, only desiring a better life for their families, we know the truth about immigration.
Beyond the headlines and the demonising we know what immigration is.
We know that it is just people, good, bad, indifferent, people. That is all it is.
When they say island of strangers don't forget that we were those strangers not so long ago and just because they say they like us now it's only so they can dislike someone else.
See More: Europe, Immigration, Ireland
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Irish Post
9 hours ago
- Irish Post
The island of strangers - we once were them, now we watch on as they're blamed for everything
WE ARE in a time where we are told that what concerns most people is migration. Not just here in Ireland, but across Europe, across the world maybe. Of course, when we say it is what concerns them what we really mean is that most people are worried about it, feel hostile to it, want, in fact, the immigrants to stop arriving in their country. Here in Ireland it takes the casual, but sinister, refrain of people referring to 'one of our own'. How long you have to have been here before qualifying as one of our own has never been properly explained to me. I remember being told a little while ago by an Englishman living here that a woman he worked with never used to talk to him but does now because now there are immigrants here from Africa and Asia so him being English is not suddenly, apparently, that bad. Now Ireland is laced with irony when it comes to immigration and immigrants. I've heard casual bigotry against Romanians — that was some twenty years ago — Poles, Nigerians and Ukrainians. They're just getting started on the Indians who have come to work here in the health service. One woman recently bemoaned the fact that Indian nurses were here because her own daughter was nursing in Australia. I tried reasoning with her. I asked her had her daughter left because she couldn't get a job or because she didn't like the state of our health service or simply because she wanted to live and nurse in the sun for a while. But prejudice doesn't trade with reason or logic. As a parent I can understand her sadness at her child being on the other side of the world but blaming it on a person who took a job her daughter didn't want is simply nonsense. It is genuinely understandable though that people who experience large migration into an area they are living in will find this an utter alteration to their daily life. It is alright the leafy suburbs dismissing every concern or worry as that of knuckle dragging racists. People sometimes just don't know what is going on. We have seen here how badly the government communicates and how this leaves a void for bad actors to spread lies and disinformation and hostility. I grew up in an immigrant area and on an immigrant street and I can wonder how those older English people must have felt when their streets became increasingly Irish. It was a big change for them, wasn't it? Not that I make allowances for the prejudice my parents faced but I do see that in those areas where it takes place immigration can cause challenges. Wasn't Brexit because those who had no direct experience of the changes wrought by immigration, in their workplace and home areas, talked down to those who did? Of course, anti-migrant bigotry is always nonsensical. The immigrant, remember, is always getting all the social welfare benefits that exist, and those that don't, and is taking all the jobs, all while being lazy and feckless. Some gymnast the immigrant. Those of us who come from immigration have looked sadly on at the rising discourse around immigration. We have watched as people of privilege, people who have had all the advantages society can offer, family wealth, private education, economic privilege, societal access, have used any issues there might be around immigration to endanger the most vulnerable people a society has. People with so, so, much resenting those with so little. Anti-immigration sentiment seems such a dereliction of the human spirit, such a hardening of the heart against those most in need, that it is hard not to respond without despair. But then those of us from immigration, from immigrant families, those who come from those who founded this very newspaper, those disadvantaged Irish who emigrated with nothing, only desiring a better life for their families, we know the truth about immigration. Beyond the headlines and the demonising we know what immigration is. We know that it is just people, good, bad, indifferent, people. That is all it is. When they say island of strangers don't forget that we were those strangers not so long ago and just because they say they like us now it's only so they can dislike someone else. See More: Europe, Immigration, Ireland
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Supplementary register recommended for Seanad elections
A review by An Coimisiún Toghcháin of the conduct of the Seanad elections last January has made a number of recommendations to improve the electoral process for the upper house. Chief among those is a recommendation to introduce a supplementary register ahead of the next election. Unlike Dáil elections, current law does not allow for a supplementary Seanad register, meaning there is one fixed deadline that people must be registered by or risk missing out on their Seanad vote. The review also recommends improved checks on the register of electors to ensure accuracy. The Comisiún said issues with incorrect addresses and deceased electors remaining on the register likely contribute to perceived low turnouts. Another recommendation is for the inclusion of a standardised stamp or watermark on all ballot papers before they are issued and amending legislation to allow individuals decline a nomination or withdraw their own nomination. It also recommends all announcements in count centres are delivered in English, Irish and Irish Sign language and a review of procedure regarding the delivery of Seanad ballot papers by registered post. The Seanad with its 60 members has a unique electoral system. Six senators are elected by the Higher Education constituency and 43 through vocational panels, with only TDs, outgoing Senators and local councillors entitled to vote. The remaining 11 are nominated by the taoiseach of the day. The upper house has constitutionally defined roles in the consideration and passing of legislation and initiating bills.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
I fought Taliban and ended up homeless – now my hometown is prioritising Afghan refugees over me… the system is broken
VETERAN George Ford spilled blood fighting to give the people of Afghanistan their freedom. The hero Para had to use a wheelchair after being shot on a tour of the brutal Helmand province aged 21. Advertisement 4 Veteran George Ford has spent the past two years sofa surfing and living with his mum Credit: Rachel Elkin 4 A migrant family seen leaving a 4-star hotel in Bracknell Credit: David Dyson When he got back to the UK, he dreamed of living a simple life in his home town of Bracknell, Berks, but like many traumatised ex-military he fell into addiction and lost his rented home when his long-term relationship broke up. He has spent the past two years sofa surfing and living with his mum after the local authority failed to find him a home — despite welcoming 300 Afghans who, ironically, George had tried to liberate. The families are being George, 35, said: 'I don't have a problem with them helping Afghans. They deserve help and respect. Advertisement 'But surely the Government should also be helping those who served the country first? 'I don't understand how some of the families have made it into the UK at all because I've seen a few outside the hotel and some of them don't even speak English, so I'm not sure how they helped our missions. 'A lot of them are fighting-age males and it's alarming because nobody has seen the women or children meant to be with them. 'I just want some stability in life after everything I've been through.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Speaking about the situation, Reform MP Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in 'all-inclusive resorts' paid £700M a year of YOUR money 'The Armed Forces Covenant is meant to honour our veterans, not be ignored in favour of unvetted arrivals who can't even speak English. Our heroes deserve better.' George's plight comes nine months after PM Keir Starmer vowed British war heroes living on the streets will be guaranteed a house, declaring 'homes will be there for heroes'. Bracknell council agreed to take part in the scheme to house hundreds of Afghans in The Bracknell Hotel, with free food, employment advice, benefits and private healthcare, after they were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Advertisement They are not classed as illegal immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees because they either helped the UK mission, with many working as translators, or fled the country because they had been deemed at risk from the Taliban. But the move has provoked fury among local residents and veterans who claim they are left living in run-down, cramped homes. Local independent councillor John Edwards asked families about their experiences on Facebook — and was stunned when a Labour colleague threatened to report him to police. 4 Afghan families are being put up in a four-star hotels Credit: David Dyson Advertisement 4 George was shot on a tour of the brutal Helmand province aged 21 Credit: Getty He said that he was not surprised that George had met Afghans who could not speak English and questioned how thorough the vetting had been on the new arrivals. The councillor added: 'I did a Freedom of Information request and no information about the vetting process was ever shared with the council and it didn't ask questions. 'The process may well have been sound, but the authority has done nothing to check if it was robust enough to keep residents safe.' Advertisement George joined the military aged 17 and was on his second tour of Afghanistan on Remembrance Day in 2010 when his platoon was ambushed and came under fire from the Taliban. He said: 'We were patrolling and went into a village under cover of darkness, hunting a Taliban commander, but were ambushed. Platoon ambushed 'I was in the open and was running across to get myself into cover when I felt this high-velocity round hit my leg. 'At first I thought I'd stepped on an IED because, when I landed, I couldn't see anything. Advertisement 'My section commander saved my life by dragging me to safety and placing a tourniquet on my leg. 'An American helicopter flew in to pick me up and I had to be revived twice on the way to Camp Bastion.' George was medically discharged and underwent 13 operations, some 14 hours long, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. When he returned home to Bracknell, he suffered from severe PTSD and started self-medicating with drugs. Advertisement Brutally honest about his spiral, he said: 'I was too embarrassed to reach out for help and started doing drugs. It took me to hell and I ended up losing everything I had. 'I lost all the internal riches of life because I'd been through a lot of trauma and just wasn't addressing it. 'I was in a wheelchair for a year, then on crutches. It was really hard on my body, but I lost my way. 'I've since realised my mistakes and have found God. I am a different person and just want to move on and make a fresh start.' Advertisement One veteran who served in Afghanistan told me he and his two young daughters live in a one-bedroom flat. George Ford George split from his long-term girlfriend, who he rented a property with, in 2023 and has been living with friends and his mum ever since. Bracknell Forest Council has signed the Armed Forces Covenant designed to help soldiers, but says that 'it does not guarantee immediate entitlement to housing'. George said: 'I'm a proud guy, but they are making me feel like I've got a begging bowl out. 'I can't afford to rent property around here because a tiny bedsit costs about £1,400 a month and I need a two-bedroom house based on medical grounds, so my family can come and help me if they need to. Advertisement 'I'm not asking for special treatment. I'm just asking to be treated as if I served my Queen and country. 'I don't have any issue with Afghans being given help — so long as veterans are given the same consideration. 'When I approached the council, I realised how little support there is for other veterans and I even offered to work with them to put measures in place, but I was turned down.' George's mum Michelle, 57, has watched her son struggle physically and mentally since his return from Afghanistan. Advertisement 'Heartbreaking stories' She said: 'When he first got home, he had a machine in his stomach which cleaned his blood and he struggled massively to get upstairs. The council offered him a flat in a high rise at the time, but it was in a terrible area with drug addicts and needles everywhere. He deserved more than that. 'We love each other, but George is a 35-year-old man and he doesn't want to be at home with his mum.' Cllr Edwards believes veterans should be entitled to the same support packages as the Afghans. Advertisement He said: 'I was on a briefing call to explain what was happening with the Afghans. 'They've been given a four-star hotel, all their food catered for, all their bills paid. 'They get private-delivered healthcare — it's not Bupa, but it's outside the NHS and avoids waiting times — and there's wraparound care and support, yet veterans who served our country are not being given the same package. 'I put out a post on a community Facebook group asking what support local residents and veterans received and some of the stories I got back were heartbreaking. Advertisement 'One veteran who served in Afghanistan told me he and his two young daughters live in a one-bedroom flat. I've always maintained that these people should be treated with dignity and respect, but this isn't about them — it's about policy. George Ford 'Then a local Labour councillor said she had reported me to the police and MoD. 'There has to be equality and parity here. The differences in the way people are treated is what is causing division, not the fact Afghan people are being helped. 'I've always maintained that these people should be treated with dignity and respect, but this isn't about them — it's about policy. Advertisement 'The council says the scheme is being funded by the Government, but it's all taxpayers' money regardless. It's unfair.' A Bracknell Forest Council spokesman said: 'Mr Ford is currently on the housing register as eligible for a one-bedroom property. His eligibility is based on the medical and care evidence that he provided to us. 'Our records show that Mr Ford has applied for several properties outside of his eligibility criteria, but has not applied for any one-bedroom properties. 'Our new housing policy prioritises veterans, and Mr Ford will continue to be supported to apply for properties on our online portal based on his eligibility. Advertisement 'The council has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, which means that our Armed Forces community is treated equally and fairly. However, it does not guarantee immediate entitlement to housing.' Read more on the Irish Sun But George said: 'The council has ignored everything I've been saying and the medical paperwork. They've not been helpful in any way. 'They are ignoring the basis of the Armed Forces Covenant, which states they should provide housing. It's total neglect.'
