Dear Sir, Simon Harris’s argument that Rishi Sunak’s suggestion for Ireland to join the Rwanda scheme amounts to a farcical jest, rather than authentic news, might be appropriate (News, May 3rd). Nevertheless, I think only a humourist of Flann O’Brien’s calibre could capture the absurdity behind the Taoiseach’s plan of re-routing asylum seekers across the 500km unpoliced border and anticipating them to settle there. Yours sincerely,
Dr John Doherty,
Gaoth Dobhair,
County Donegal.
Turning our attention to a controversial situation, the outrages surrounding the mishandling of the Mount Street issue by the authorities drew much criticism. Ms. Barbara Keogh’s initial assertion that the matter was effectively “addressed” seems misinformed. My perspective is that it was merely relocated out of sight – and not without significant cost. Yours sincerely,
Jim O’Sullivan,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.
It’s natural that the relocation of groups of male asylum seekers into smaller communities sparks fears about strain on local services and cultural differences. However, more efforts by State agencies to involve communities in the planning process and show a readiness to negotiate could diminish conflict. Funding could be allocated towards enhancing local services and infrastructure, or supporting long-held community requests. Further, gaining asylum seekers’ involvement in community improvement projects can benefit both parties, enabling integration and mutual acceptance. Yours sincerely,
Paddy Meyler,
Delgany,
County Wicklow.
Lastly, the conclusions that Alex Kane makes should not be unexpected – his point about the open borders was inarguable (“Maybe now the Irish Government will accept that the UK and unionists had a point about open borders”, Opinion & Analysis, May 4th). The insistence of the Irish Government on a phantom border between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland was always going to be a catch-22 situation.
Ever since the UK-Ireland Common Travel Area (CTA) was established, the rules and regulations on immigration control by the Irish Department of Justice have been the same as those upheld by its UK equivalent. The CTA would fail to function if this was not the case, particularly in relation to the unrestricted mobility of individuals in Ireland and across the Irish Sea. This is why the republic doesn’t fall under Schengen. However, this brings us to a problem. Schengen endorses unimpeded mobility amongst the 27 EU nations, but at the cost of installing border control at the external boundaries of the EU. Yet the question remains, where exactly should this border be in our circumstance? Precedence and reason suggest that high-profile UK regions such as Dover, Heathrow and Stranraer should be the ideal locations though the reality seems otherwise.. As a result, makeshift communities in our capital are growing.
Possibly, the moment has arrived for Ireland to join Schengen as an established member state, and shift our border with the UK to Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, Rosslare, etc? Indeed, there’s currently no distinct immigration pathway for arrivals from the UK at Dublin Airport. This unresolved issue stirs up concerns and reveals an underlying hypocrisy, as pointed out rightly by Alex Kane. – Sincerely,
DONAL DENHAM,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.