The Minister for Justice has this morning published his long-awaited Immigration Bill.
It's a huge piece of legislation which doesn't so much overhaul the current unfair, inefficient, non-rights-based regime as put it on a statutory footing (in such a way as to nonetheless leave him an unacceptable amount of discretion in many crucial matters). There is absolutely no chance of it clearing the Oireachtas before the election - unless the Minister intends rushing it through with little or no debate, something I don't think even he would have the neck to do.
So why publish it now? Clearly there is one reason, and one reason only: to use it as part of his election manifesto. To tell voters that if they return him and his party colleagues to office, this xenophobe's charter will become law. It is campaigning on the issue of immigration and thus effectively, unavoidably, playing the race card - something that violates at least the spirit of the anti-racism protocol that all 26 County parties signed up to before the last elections.
Shameful. But not in the least surprising.
Showing posts with label Michael McDowell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael McDowell. Show all posts
I've had a glance through the newly-published heads of McDowell's Immigration Bill and, unsurprisingly, it's a depressing read. There can be little doubt that the minister has an eye on the general election and, having been so successful at creating foreign bogeymen via the citizenship referendum, subsequent comments about "cock and bull stories", etc., is now trying to show how tough he is on them.
One unfortunate thing that jumped out at me immediately is the requirement that all foreign nationals carry ID cards. What a recipe for racial profiling and harassment that is. Non-whites are obviously going to be the primary targets - and what happens when a bored Garda looking for something to do challenges a naturalised Irish citizen for their ID? Of course, as a citizen, they won't have one, but how will they prove it? Effectively, if they want to avoid the (inevitable) hassle, they will be forced to carry proof of their citizenship! This will constitute discrimination against Irish citizens on the basis of their race or ethnic origin - which is not only inherently obnoxious but probably also illegal, under the Equal Status Acts.
I didn't notice anything in the heads of the bill about family reunification, which is frankly unbelievable. As everyone who works in the immigration sector knows, this is a massive issue. At present, only refugees and non-Irish EU nationals have a statutory right to have their spouses and minor children live here with them - even Irish citizens don't have that right! McDowell has consistently fobbed off Parliamentary Questions on the subject, saying that he would deal with all of this in the upcoming legislation - so where is it?
**
On another note, I was sorry but not altogether surprised to hear the news that Daily Ireland is to cease publication. The truth is that it never lived up to its potential - too parochial, and with frequently baffling editorial decisions. I thought its columnists, its foreign news and its Celtic coverage were good and, of course, it was always refreshing to get through a whole Irish newspaper without the SF bashing that all the others are so fond of. Shame it didn't work out but I have to say that its creators really only have themselves to blame.
One unfortunate thing that jumped out at me immediately is the requirement that all foreign nationals carry ID cards. What a recipe for racial profiling and harassment that is. Non-whites are obviously going to be the primary targets - and what happens when a bored Garda looking for something to do challenges a naturalised Irish citizen for their ID? Of course, as a citizen, they won't have one, but how will they prove it? Effectively, if they want to avoid the (inevitable) hassle, they will be forced to carry proof of their citizenship! This will constitute discrimination against Irish citizens on the basis of their race or ethnic origin - which is not only inherently obnoxious but probably also illegal, under the Equal Status Acts.
I didn't notice anything in the heads of the bill about family reunification, which is frankly unbelievable. As everyone who works in the immigration sector knows, this is a massive issue. At present, only refugees and non-Irish EU nationals have a statutory right to have their spouses and minor children live here with them - even Irish citizens don't have that right! McDowell has consistently fobbed off Parliamentary Questions on the subject, saying that he would deal with all of this in the upcoming legislation - so where is it?
**
On another note, I was sorry but not altogether surprised to hear the news that Daily Ireland is to cease publication. The truth is that it never lived up to its potential - too parochial, and with frequently baffling editorial decisions. I thought its columnists, its foreign news and its Celtic coverage were good and, of course, it was always refreshing to get through a whole Irish newspaper without the SF bashing that all the others are so fond of. Shame it didn't work out but I have to say that its creators really only have themselves to blame.
"You Couldn't Make It Up" Department
The Ceann Comhairle has disallowed requests to adjourn the Dáil to discuss the unconstitutionality of the Minister's actions on the grounds that ... it's not an appropriate forum for serious allegations of this kind.
Oh the irony.
Oh the irony.
On McDowell
I haven't intended not to post lately, but things get very busy for me this time of year. I don't even have time for this post! But it needs to be said.
Regardless of whether Frank Connolly actually has "questions to answer", regardless of whether he's guilty at all, those who are defending Michael McDowell's actions should ask themselves this question: what has McDowell achieved? If Connolly did break the law, he is no nearer to being brought to justice. If anything the opposite is probably true: if the DPP does ever decide to prosecute, he'll have a very strong case to argue that his right to a fair trial has been compromised.
McDowell can't possibly be unaware of this, so the intention can only have been to stain Connolly's character. The release of this information, and use of Dáil privilege for this purpose, is simply indefensible. And by engaging in such petty, vindictive behaviour, McDowell has primarily succeeded in staining his own.
He should resign.
Regardless of whether Frank Connolly actually has "questions to answer", regardless of whether he's guilty at all, those who are defending Michael McDowell's actions should ask themselves this question: what has McDowell achieved? If Connolly did break the law, he is no nearer to being brought to justice. If anything the opposite is probably true: if the DPP does ever decide to prosecute, he'll have a very strong case to argue that his right to a fair trial has been compromised.
McDowell can't possibly be unaware of this, so the intention can only have been to stain Connolly's character. The release of this information, and use of Dáil privilege for this purpose, is simply indefensible. And by engaging in such petty, vindictive behaviour, McDowell has primarily succeeded in staining his own.
He should resign.
On this Alec Reid business
Agreed that Father Reid's comments were over the top, insulting to the decent unionist people (of whom I have no doubt there are many), and all that. But so too is some of the reaction over the top - and hypocritical. Where was all this outrage when Michael McDowell compared Daily Ireland to the Volkischer Beobachter?
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