‘Welcome to reality.’ Nolan scathing on Government’s immigration U-turn.

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has said described remarks by Tánaiste Simon Harris that Ireland’s asylum seeker system “is not working” and that the Government should reconsider existing policies “in a very serious way” as an admission by him that “hubris and contempt have been allowed to shape the states response to unprecedented levels of illegal immigration rather than respect for the wishes of the majority who have consistently called for the brakes to be applied.”

Deputy Nolan said that she and handful of other Oireachtas will take no pleasure in the admission by the Tánaiste, despite being “thoroughly vindicated on almost every point of concern I have raised on this area of government policy.”:

 “The fact of the matter is this; communities the length and breadth of this country have suffered for years because of the determination of government parties, alongside the majority of those in so-called opposition, including Sinn Fein, and their NGO allies, to frame anyone who called out this train-wreck for what it is, as far-right and racist. It is that kind of cowardice masquerading as compassion that has led us to this point,” Deputy Nolan said.

“What are we are seeing now is that the obvious collapse of the asylum system has forced a measure of self-reflection when it was more or less unavoidable. To my mind the Tánaiste, the Government and indeed Sinn Fein and others, would do well to get down on their knees and apologise to the people of this country for their full-throated support of not merely dangerous, but stupid and costly policies,” concluded Deputy Nolan.