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Putting 'Ireland of the Welcomes' to the Test
national |
rights, freedoms and repression |
feature
Wednesday September 15, 2004 20:55 by seedot
campaigns begin to regularise immigration laws and give security to those already here A report on the campaigns to regularise our immigration laws and provide residency / work rights to some of those currently in Ireland. (photo by redjade - 'Tomso is an Irish Citizen in Hiding' - the irish state has recently deported his mother to nigeria - read his story here)
The recent referendum on citizenship may have changed the constitution but in many ways this is only the start of a debate on immigration in Ireland as legislation on the issue is still in the pipeline. Currently under Irish law any child born on the island is still an Irish citizen, the status of migrants on work visas is starting to be an issue for the trade union movement and the promise by Michael McDowell to 'deal with those currently here' has yet to be fulfilled. A number of campaigning groups have now started to look at the reality for migrants currently in Ireland.
Indeed the impact of immigrants has been found to be universally positive from an economic point of view with growth and wealth having a direct correlation to levels of immigration. John Fitzgerald from the ESRI in a paper delivered last month to the Merriman Summer School (Ireland an Ageing Multicultural Economy: Aug 2004) warned that If Ireland fails to embrace and build on the benefits of becoming a multicultural economy, through allowing appropriate migration in and out, it will rapidly fall behind its competitors. He points to the inefficiencies of the current system of work visas and calls for a transparent, open system both for skilled and unskilled workers. Given that the ESRI is not known as the most radical of groups it is surprising to see that his conclusions open up the possibility that the 'No Borders' policy of those campaigning on Mayday, dismissed at the time by all mainstream political commentators, has an economic justification. This argument should be pursued by all regardless of their positions on the political spectrum. Even those who view the economic sphere as all important have to admit that immigration is good for this country. For those driven by social or moral concerns there can be no excuse for tolerance of the cowardly, insular and economically illiterate policies of our supposedly socially and economically liberal Minister for Justice.
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