"Migrants going to Ireland," states Rishi Sunak PM

100 officers! Like policing a colander. This is theatre

The Gardai have been deployed to the border. Let's see how that goes down.

Totally agree. C4 news did a piece last night and they interviewed an asylum seeker camping outside the International Protection Office in Dublin. They guy had been in the UK for 17 years and his application had got no where. I mean 17 years to process someone is outrageous and this poor soul stuck in the system in limbo, he was so depressed it was horrible, people forget there are real people behind all these headlines that just want to get on with their lives in safety.

Are you suggesting that racism isn’t a problem in Ireland? This study suggests otherwise, https://www.internationalstudents.ie/news/racism-experienced-two-thirds-international-students-ireland-icos-report-shows

@TextureSeeker - yes but consider that Brexit is giving an alternative. Now that alternative is pretty obvious when you look at the leadership of the UK now and who backs it. Do any of them have Irish links? I think not and not surprising that you get attitudes like this.

A generation ago, Ireland would have leaders from the UK who would have drawn their culture from these islands for generations. One of the ironies of the UK being diverse is that actually, the cultural assumptions behind who will always have power are changing.

The right in England does not look as it once did. It is now quite racially mixed and diverse. And it is quite explicit about how the British Empire was a good thing. It is at once diverse and insular, and a huge rejection of Europe and the EU.

My take is that already, even with a few years, there has been a sea change. The generation of leadership in the UK thinks Ireland is foreign, which is new. Sunak probably does not care about the CTA. It is worth thinking about whether the new guard are really like.

It wasn't done by me (English) or in my name though. My English ancestors at the time were illiterate and didn't have a vote so anyone can fuck off telling me just because I am English and some English Sir Bufton Fucking Tuftons did what they always do in the past it is somehow my fault. Same thing with the current lot - Rishi doesn't represent me or my views and I didn't vote for his party so I find it very hard to be slagged off for stuff him and his pals are doing. Hating (all) the English is just racism.

For sure. A big part of this is Sunak posturing pre elections. It just surprises me that so many people don't seem to be able to see that isolating yourself even if you want to call it 'protecting your borders' means isolating yourself economically too. The whole situation works both ways and the EU is less and less interested in the UK, which for the EU just means that we make up the trade that we would have done with the UK between ourselves instead.

Brexit was mostly about immigration which really means border control, I didn’t vote for it but this thread showing some of the same lines on controlling borders which is interesting

I think it’ll ramp up

Because that would be great for NI, a part of the UK!!

I think it's fascinating. The UK isolating themselves willingly, their economy becoming worse and worse, yet people still want more isolation not yet seeing the link between the 2.

It's shit for NI though who are part of the UK and people willingly want to throw them under the bus with them.

I attended a discussion on what the future UK would look like in 20 to 30 years. Obviously there was a lot of speculation. But this point about less European influence was pretty clear. The UK would be drawing migration from other countries which would influence it in the alternative.

London had a large Irish population or originating population when I moved here. But that is changing too, and quickly. So you can never say things are forever.

What we should do is open up migrant centres in NI and place all the dinghy immigrants coming in via the EU there.

This will be the fastest way to shake the EU and force them to look at their open door policy and fix their borders.

Yes, Brexit has been such a disaster for the UK.

Yes but a lot of right wing Brexit people hate the Windsor Framework. NI is doing well out of the arrangement made. If you hate the EU then they want rid of it! They want this hard border!

The UK has changed. Ireland should not make assumptions that its political leaders are even interested in the CTA which is not legally binding btw. That is important to note.

One of the effects of Brexit is that the UK is less interested in not just Europe but also Ireland. If we have hard borders, and we are becoming less connected as a series of islands, then neither side can assume stuff like the CTA will be sacrosanct. I think that culturally what we did share via that agreement will shrink. That is the logic of Brexit. No links to Europe. Ireland is part of the EU. That's the message the UK government is giving.

Yes just another chapter in the never ending brexit shit show. It will stir up lots of trouble between Shin Fein and the Ulster Unionists if this develops.

This is just anecdotal, and I am not having at go minorities; but I have seen more migrants passing through Stranraer (If you live outside UK this is the main port for travel from Scotland in UK to NI)

That is why it is so important that each country takes their fair share.
Hopefully the next UK government will be different.

Yes it has an effect on you and I understand why it’s not wanted but countries can only respond with their border policies not returns, if there’s no agreement

Maybe it’ll swing votes for other solutions such as border control in pp or have an impact in the upcoming European Parliament elections

Migration is a big factor for all countries atm, it’s going to just increase

A hard border would not be great for NI economy.

Well quite! That's the issue of the hard border Ireland did not want. There are a lot of right wingers in the UK who would love one. Quite a sliding tile puzzle this

One way this could pan out is ROI having to exercise more control over its borders land and sea borders with the UK. Now there's a hot potatoe.

Righto. Off you fuck then.

Yes I agree @Evanna13. The issue is that whatever law Ireland passes, it will have next to no traction over how the UK administers its internal borders.

So there is literally very little to stop someone coming across the Channel, arriving in Kent. Maybe they make a claim or not. Thereafter you travel up the country to Stranraer to catch the ferry to Belfast. No or few checks. In Belfast, make your way on foot to cross the border to ROI.

There are other routes too. Nit difficult. Some asylum seekers come from war zones. A trip up to Scotland from Kent is not exactly rough stuff and Ireland cannot ask the UK to make internal checks.

Did the UK and France have an returns agreement in place like there is in the CTA?

We all have a humanitarian responsibility to take our fair share of asylum seekers.
Where certain countries decide not to do so and not to act fairly we have have these issues.

There's an awful lot of racism on this thread. And I'm not talking about towards the migrants.