Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn has said that the government’s new “get tough” rhetoric on immigration “means nothing” without action.
His comments on Thursday follow Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris saying on Wednesday that Ireland’s migration numbers “are too high,” and that the State’s asylum seeker system is not working. Mr Harris told reporters that the Government should reconsider existing policies “in a very serious way”.
“One of the reasons I think they are so high is that there are too many people who come to this country and are told they do not have a right to be here, and it is taking too long for them to leave the country,” Mr Harris said.
“But I think we have to be honest, we have to listen to the people of this country, who I believe are saying to us we used to live in a country where 2,000 to 3,000 people sought international protection each year. That number has gone to in or around 20,000; that is a very, very significant increase, and it is too high.”
In response, Ken O’Flynn TD told Gript that the acknowledgement that the system is not working will amount to nothing more than “meaningless political kite-flying, unless there is a decisive course correction in terms of how the state intends to push back against those who would commit Ireland to the pursuit of the same failed policies that have generated the crisis in the first place.”
The Independent Ireland Chairman further said that the statements made by Harris have led him “to fundamentally reassess his voting decision during the recent confidence motion debate that took place in the Dáil on 15 October.”
Earlier this month, the Tánaiste survived a Dáil confidence vote into his handling of the child scoliosis issue, with 94 TDs voting that they had confidence in Harris and and 65 voting that they did not.
The motion was triggered in advance of a planned no-confidence motion brought forward by Aontú leader Peadar Toibín. Mr Toibín said he wanted voters to consider Harris’ record on child scoliosis ahead of going to the polls to vote in the Presidential election.
All three of Independent Ireland’s TDs, Michael Collins, Michael Fitzmaurice, and Ken O’Flynn, voted that they did have confidence in Mr Harris, along with all members of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and government-supporting Independents, Michael Lowry, Marian Harkin, Noel Grealish, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae, Barry Heneghan, Seán Canney, Kevin Boxer Moran, and Gillian Toole.
Today Deputy O’Flynn said: “The Tánaiste will get no thanks from me for finally saying what was blatantly obvious to anyone with half a brain or a pair of eyes in their head. I have been completely consistent on this point for the simple reason that I am not afraid to say the unpopular thing as long as I am of the conviction that it is the right thing to say. I demanded increased security along our borders and points of entry. I have called out the exploitative scam that is the international protection system and I have been roundly condemned for that by the more self-righteous members of the Dáil.”
“We now see the Tánaiste engaged in what is likely to be nothing more than political kite-flying or a desperate attempt to claw back some relevance following the embarrassment of his party’s presidential campaign.”
He also said that Mr Harris was the same man “who sat with his colleagues in the Dail as they accused me of ‘Dog Whistling’ while addressing the unfairness of the immigration system. The turnaround in a few short months is quite remarkable by any standards.”
“But I have to say that following his latest opportunistic remarks on the illegal immigration crisis, I would certainly have no doubt that he is just unfit to drive forward or speak about the kind of reform we need in this area and so many other areas with any kind of credibility,” added the Cork TD.
“In terms of the recent vote, all I can say is that I genuinely opted for, what to me at least, was the most prudent course of action at the time. I can now hold my hand up and accept that my assessment would not be the same today.”
“We need genuine leadership and strong action on the immigration crisis. We need strong and effective leadership at the senior Government level. That will not come from people who are only bounced into such action when the magnitude of a crisis can no longer be ignored.”
Speaking yesterday, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín described Mr Harris’s comments as “a significant u-turn”.
“Over the last five years, Fine Gael has resisted pressure to reduce numbers, and they have resisted pressure to ensure deportations are actioned,” he told RTE News.
The comments have sparked reaction elsewhere, with Social Democrats justice spokesperson Gary Gannon saying that the Government’s handling of this issue had been shambolic.
“They have failed to adequately resource the system or set up a sufficient number of State run reception centres. Now the Tánaiste is cynically trying to blame vulnerable people caught up in that broken system for problems his Government created,” Mr Gannon said.