I was listening to an Irishman talking about immigration...

[TreasonousBastard]

the other day. Some NPR show, don't remember which one.

The EU is dealing with a policy of open immigration across all EU members, and Ireland, with it's extremly strong economy, has been welcoming immigrants for some time now. As with the past experience of Germany and Switzerland with "guest workers," Ireland's present experience is being looked at closely.

The major immigrant group in Ireland has been Poles, with close to a million or so of them there. The problem is not bringing in workers, which are needed, but that employers have been using them to beat down wages and benefits. There is no question of illegality, since the Poles are all legal and invited in, but they are still a class that employers find they are able to beat up regularly for the usual reasons of skill levels, language problems, and just because they can get away with it.

The Irishman, whose name and position I don't remember, was adamant that the answer was not in regulating the influx of Poles, or anyone else, but in regulating the working conditions and the employers.

[Fenris]

1. That does seem to be a logical answer.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. It does, but if feisty little Ireland isn't...

properly addressing the problem, I fear we aren't going to do all that well.

[napi21]

2. I don't quite understand how they're working that in the EU.

My son lives in Sicily, and they are part of the EU, but his girlfriend is from Romania, and was on a visitor visa but it expired. She's still in Italy, but she can't get a drivers license or a job because if they find her, she'll be deported.

Now, my son is looking into a better job in Switzerland, and he said the girlfriend would have no problem there.

I'll have to ask him for more info, and see if I can understand just what's going on.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. I'm not sure Romania is in "the club"...

although I remember seeing Romanians all over Germany last time I was there.

Assuming Romanians aren't in the free immigration zone, each EU country deals with them individually and some, like Italy, have enough of their own problems.

[sam sarrha]

3. same thing is happening with the Mexican Migrants where i have lived when

there is a large influx of them.. I lived in Delhi Calif.. the mexican population went from 10% to 87% and everything went straight to hell.. for both Mexicans and GreenGo's

[DrRang]

4. Read recently that approx. 25,000 Irish immigrants are leaving the

U.S. Northeast because they're freaked out at all the Homeland Security nonsense and the increased danger of being deported. Going home to Ireland where the jobs are better anyway.

[brook]

5. And yet

there are some of the same problems in Ireland as we've experienced. Prudential moving call centre to India.

[brook]

6. If we are to be truly 'global'...

it would seem that a policy that provided authentic local living wages would go a long way to stabilze
a working class and produce a more stable 'world'. But, I dream.

Interesting take on the Polish migration to Ireland here.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. That article is about Northern Ireland...

which is still part of Great Britain and has enough problems that aren't entirely Irish. The guy I was listening to was from the other part of the island, which seems to be doing quite well.

Not that the Republic of Ireland won't see similar problems eventually...

[brook]

10. Yes. I know.

I'm aware. The pattern of corporations moving on to cheaper pastures - has the same impact wherever it happens.