Yep. We can then decide if we want to continue consuming that media.
In this particular case there was a joke, a pun of sorts, but certainly no ridicule.
Catherine Day Report promising accommodation to all asylum seekers
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In this particular case there was a joke, a pun of sorts, but certainly no ridicule.
I must be the only one who doesn't get it so?
Howth Head
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Just had a look at the latest IPAS stats. As of March 2025 there are just over 33,000 people in a mix of IPAS centres, emergency accommodation (i.e hotels etc) and at the Citywest transit hub.
According to the Catherine Day recommendations and the Dept of Integration plan - they should all be "housed in the community" and "integrated "within a few months. (Note that the plan didn't differentiate between those who are successful in the process and those whose claims are rejected. It referred to "applicants" only.) Almost all who arrive get to stay here.
To put that number into perspective, 33,000 is the entire population of both Sligo town and Gorey town!
How on earth can the State cope with housing those numbers arriving into the State from the four corners of the world? Were there any adults in the room when this insane policy was introduced?
As mentioned previously, this plan to "end Direct Provision" has never been publicly or formally abandoned - so the policy remains in place as far as those arriving (and the NGOs) are concerned. (Although the Irish Times reported last year that it had been "quietly shelved" - so why not make that official?)
www.irishtimes.com
*Note: That said - there was a re-structuring of the original plan with a barely disguised recognition that it was unworkable - but the promise of long term accommodation remains.
www.gov.ie
Since the publication of the White Paper there has been an exponential growth in applications for International Protection with over 30,000 new arrivals since January 2022. This increase has placed significant pressure on the department’s capacity to source viable accommodation for new arrivals in 2023.
In this context there is a recognition that the underlying assumptions on which the White Paper was based needed to be re-examined as it was originally based on 3,500 new arrivals each year. In this regard a review of the implementation approach for the White Paper was initiated which has included inputs from the White Paper Programme Board and the External Advisory Group.
According to the Catherine Day recommendations and the Dept of Integration plan - they should all be "housed in the community" and "integrated "within a few months. (Note that the plan didn't differentiate between those who are successful in the process and those whose claims are rejected. It referred to "applicants" only.) Almost all who arrive get to stay here.
To put that number into perspective, 33,000 is the entire population of both Sligo town and Gorey town!
How on earth can the State cope with housing those numbers arriving into the State from the four corners of the world? Were there any adults in the room when this insane policy was introduced?
As mentioned previously, this plan to "end Direct Provision" has never been publicly or formally abandoned - so the policy remains in place as far as those arriving (and the NGOs) are concerned. (Although the Irish Times reported last year that it had been "quietly shelved" - so why not make that official?)
Government has quietly shelved its plan to end direct provision
The new Comprehensive Accommodations Strategy For International Protection Applicants looks like direct provision by another name
*Note: That said - there was a re-structuring of the original plan with a barely disguised recognition that it was unworkable - but the promise of long term accommodation remains.
Government agrees new comprehensive accommodation strategy for International Protection applicants
The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall
www.gov.ie
Since the publication of the White Paper there has been an exponential growth in applications for International Protection with over 30,000 new arrivals since January 2022. This increase has placed significant pressure on the department’s capacity to source viable accommodation for new arrivals in 2023.
In this context there is a recognition that the underlying assumptions on which the White Paper was based needed to be re-examined as it was originally based on 3,500 new arrivals each year. In this regard a review of the implementation approach for the White Paper was initiated which has included inputs from the White Paper Programme Board and the External Advisory Group.
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I read the comment as being a offensive ridicule of Irish families being considered overly fertile (when in reality it was the power of the Catholic church and resulting lack of education in and access to contraception)...mocking an immigrant family in the situation many Irish immigrant families found themselves in other countries at one time.I must be the only one who doesn't get it so?
Without knowing the facts, it is possible for a family to be able to support themselves and then for something to happen to them to make that no longer the case. And that is why we have social supports. And our social supports are open to abuse in many many ways, but anecdote does not equal evidence as we are all aware, so discussing one or two particular cases is probably not helpful or will not give us any insight.
Dr Strangelove
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I think (and also hope) that 2021 was peak influence of the NGO sector in Ireland.
More generally you can look at numbers of claimants for international protection and see three occasions when it fell precipitously:
2004 - when McDowell ended birthright citizenship
2008-12 - when there were no jobs in the formal economy never mind the informal one
2020-21- when very few flights landed at Dublin Airport and there were no jobs
These obvious dots have never been joined to my knowledge by anyone in Ireland’s media and NGO class. Some cynical civil servants understand it perfectly however.
Irish policy or the European legislation that demands it?
Offence is taken, not given. You took offence at the comment, as you are fully entitled to do. It's not something I would have said but there's a big gap between that and saying that nobody should say it.
You might also just be overthinking the whole thing.
Yea, hard cases make bad laws and all that.
That's the great thing about humour; if it's not for you then you can simply ignore it and move on.I must be the only one who doesn't get it so?
I find the predictability and stupidity of Mrs. Browns Boys and Only Fools and Horses offensive but I wouldn't dream of stopping other people enjoying it.
We need the workforce. Maybe the institutions of the State doing their jobs properly so that housing can be built is the solution.
Thanks for explaining how humour works.
You're welcomeThanks for explaining how humour works.
Edit; is that how humour works?
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I would argue that a comment like that was not at all humorous - if an immigrant were found drunk, or having taken part in a fight, other stereotypes of Irish people and Irish immigrants, would someone have made the comment in the same line and would anyone have found that funny?
And you are fully entitled to that view.
It very much depends on how good the joke was, what the context was and the intent of the person who said it.
A work colleague of mine made a very funny stereotypical joke about Indian people last week. It was funny partially because of the delivery, partially because of the context and partially because he's Indian.
Can we get back on topic (giving out about asylum seekers) and leave the discussion about the nature of humour for another thread?
I wish that was true but from what I can see policy around "homelessness" is effectively set by those involved in the homelessness industry and housing policy is still ideologically driven; rent controls, the State turning private houses into social housing, no evictions; all policies which make the problem worse.
Howth Head
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What you say above is absolutely correct. It's a massive industry - with something like 27 different NGOs involved (in addition to state and local authority bodies.)
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