High asylum seeker numbers are a threat to ‘social cohesion’, says Jim O’Callaghan

by EnvironmentalShift25

36 comments
  1. Another day, another interview with a FFG minister talking about how hard it is to solve the problems they created themselves.

  2. Big Jim is getting ready for a heave against Martin. He knows what way the wind is blowing

  3. FF chasing the votes of the far right by lashing out at the vulnerable. I’m shocked.

  4. It was actually a very good podcast and a bit of a dishonest title from Irish Times.

    Most measured argument about the Asylum/immigration issue I have heard from a senior politician in a long time.

  5. 3-4 years ago a minister saying such a thing would have been unimaginable.

    In fact, it would have been branded racist.

  6. The headline is focused on asylum seekers for some reason (clicks?)

    18,500 asylum seekers into a population of 5.4 million people doesn’t seem nuts.

    And it’s tiny when compared to other migration modes – 2023 figures has asylum at 4.8% of people coming into Ireland.

    We could stop asylum in the morning and it wouldn’t make much of a difference (Banty and the like might shed a tear)

    >In 2023 we processed 270,000 applications for entry into Ireland or other immigration services, including:

    >167,000 applications for visas – 61.8%

    >33,000 applications for temporary protection (related to Ukraine) – 12.2%

    >23,000 citizenship applications – 8.5%

    >**13,000 applications for international protection – 4.81%**

    [https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/collections/migration-the-facts/](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/collections/migration-the-facts/)

  7. The bootboys laying out their political agenda earlier. O Callaghan is like a cobra just waiting to strike and then out comes the poison. Why do people not integrate because the government has made fuck all of an effort.

  8. Well Jim, maybe you should come up with a method to improve the process where people are assessed for suitablity for permanent residence. It’s not like you’re in government or anything.

  9. Political establishment and media were calling Sinn Fein anti-immigrant for saying the same thing less then a year ago

  10. FF twerking to the right.

    ![gif](giphy|yKcqwLcY8MYog5djkg|downsized)

  11. Better late to the party than not to show up , Martin’s reign is over he’s been holed beneath the water line so big Jim is going to be front and centre in next year’s leadership contest

  12. The headline is correct, but it’s the packs of racists that are the problem.

  13. It’s one of those hard decisions to make. I’d be all for taking in everyone we can but at the same time the far right are not going away, we’ve seen right across Europe that if we continue in this way those wankers will get more and more support and over time eventually start to have an elected presence in our government.

    I’d happily put harder immigration restrictions in place when the alternative is having those fascist pieces of shit ever having a chance at power in this country. I have real reason for it too, I live in Coolock and literally had those cunts rioting outside my front door.

  14. America, The UK and France too are responsible for major chaos across the Middle East and Africa, and wars, regime change and instability create refugees. There’s almost zero consequences and we’re told we have to keep calling them the good guys, and then we blame the refugees for wanting to find peace somewhere else. Its a fucked up world.

  15. Great to see mainstream politics having 0 issue with the adoption of dogwhistles and not so subtle racist rhetoric the moment it’s convenient, to avoid facing any admission of their own failures, stupidity, incompetence and greed.

  16. Bit of a clickbatey headline from the IT on this.

  17. Yeah no inequality and government lack of delivery are the real threat.

    At least we know now FF/FG intend to deliver nothing again but try to blame brown faces for it this time.

    Really? Brown faces are pushing DART+South West past 2030 ?

    How, government is running a 10 billion surplus…

  18. Fuck you Jim. Leaning into fear of otherness is a threat to social cohesion. It’s a ball easier to start rolling than to stop too you monumental eejit.

  19. The cycle continues, and the dogs lap it up just like the 1930s

  20. I think baying mobs of racists lobbing petrol bombs are the real threat to social cohesion. 

  21. FFFG have made such a unmitigated mess of housing, healthcare, public transport, renewable energies (energy security) they now have to start pointing the fingers as immigrants as the source of our problems to remain in power. Simon Harris has already made comments to that effect. Micheál Martin I don’t think would stoop so low, but he wont be long for office I think.

    They’ll get away with it too.

  22. FFG shameless in their ability to throw you under the bus today for suggesting X, Y, Z …. and then repeat what you were saying tomorrow.

    Imagine if these people bring in laws that give them excessive censorship powers. You could find yourself not so much thrown under a proverbial bus as thrown into a literal cell. For saying something they would be willing to say themselves if they thought they could personally gain something from it.

  23. We just need an immigration system that is fit for purpose and operating with integrity. It needs to be able to efficiently parse between economic opportunists, genuine refugees and personal immigration. The whole system needs to be streamlined.
    Extremists of any hue who refuse to integrate and adopt Irish values have no business in our country. Your religious beliefs are personal and have no business in the public realm. Ireland is a traditionally Christian country with a pluralist outlook. We have done theocracy and we’re not going back. If you want to fight for your countries and your ideologies go home and do it. Ireland had nothing to do with your sectarian hatreds, and this is no place to be voicing them.

    All immigration should be dependent on the country’s infrastructure capacity and the ability to absorb the migrant numbers without degrading citizens quality of life.

  24. The hands-off approaches of consecutive governments have led to the shit show we are in now. Once again, reactive, not proactive.

  25. The biggest threat to social cohesion by far is ff/fg and their wealthy backers who are squeezing the country dry.

  26. Jim O’Callaghan is a threat to social cohesion given the willingness he’s shown to engage in this kind of dog-whistling.

  27. I know FF have always gone for the absolute cunt vote, but jaysus

  28. Divide and conquer. What a load of populist bullshit. FFG will do anything to ensure corpos get cheap labour and then provoke anti immigration rhetoric in the span of a few years, so the thickos can’t get too angry when they vote for them again next election. 

  29. A population of less than 0.8%/yr represents a threat to social cohesion? Yea, I’m calling that complete fucking bollocks and saying the real threat to social cohesion is the continued failure of government to fix the broken planning system, get people into trades, and invest in infrastructure in the country.

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