Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

By now it should be absolutely clear to all but the most wilfully blind that there is no longer a mere disconnect between the Government and our people on the issues of immigration, migration, and asylum. There is in fact a chasm between public and private opinion and the policy of the Government. Opinion poll after opinion poll confirms this. Indeed, I tried to warn the Government of this in June 2022 during Leaders' Questions with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. At that time, I urged the Government of our need as a society to find some way of exploring in an adult, pragmatic and constructive way, the profound challenges that we were being confronted with in terms of unsustainable levels of inward migration and asylum into this State and, in particular, the impact this was having on housing and the availability of emergency accommodation.

The situation since then has become immeasurably worse. Record inward migration is taking place in the same context as record-breaking homelessness. The cold hard reality of these statistics reveals that the breaking point has not just been reached but has been shattered. However, instead of rising to the challenge last June, and acknowledging that these were issues of emerging and growing concern, I was met with finger-wagging arrogance from a Minister who misinterpreted what I said, and who then went on to accuse me of somehow representing a threat to social cohesion. That pattern of talking down to communities, and blatantly misrepresenting public representatives who dared to broach the issue, has continued to this very day. It is unacceptable.

The message went out loud and clear last June; dare to open your mouth on this issue, even here in a Chamber supposedly at the heart of democratic and open debate, and you will be framed as some type of crypto far-right racist. It is terrifying to contemplate that the Government has yet to learn the lesson that parents of small children learn very early on, which is that prohibiting questions does nothing to prevent them from being asked. As a public representative, I will certainly continue to ask the questions on behalf of my constituents in Laois and Offaly.

Here we are again attempting, perhaps in vain, to try to force a debate on this increasingly socially contentious issue. We know this issue is sensitive. I will not stand here and let the view go out that compassion is only to be found among TDs in every other seat, bar these ones. There is no monopoly on compassion when it comes to these issues. We know we are talking about real people in difficult and very often horrendous situations, but we also know that we cannot go on silencing the Opposition or drowning out critical and constructive voices or, worse, accusing people of hate speech merely because some people disagree with their point of view or remarks. That is not fair and is open to interpretation.

Not everyone speaks or communicates in gilded and politically refined terms. Sometimes communities and people speak in the raw voice of anger and frustration. To listen to some people, however, you would believe that anyone who wants a voice and opinion on these issues must first get clearance from the PR units of the Government parties or the advocacy NGOs. That is not right in a democratic republic. We should be able to have constructive debate and have the views of all our constituents throughout the State heard loud and clear. The NGOs do not represent all our constituents.

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