Replying To slayer:  "I disagree Zinny. I thought Viking66 got it pretty spot on. Perhaps it is you who has let yourself down by adding the 'racist' part to your post? You also did this by adding the word 'right' in close proximity. To your credit you don't say 'far right'.

But again you are taking us back to the point where asking questions is deemed racist and I do not think that is fair. Suggesting people who don't look like us are the reasons people on the right ask questions is bizarre and in my opinion very lazy thinking.

As for going the Nazi route - when anyone invokes that, I think they've lost the argument."

Replying To FullOfPorter:  "What I would consider left is someone who believes in strong workers rights, a redistribution of wealth, universal health care and strong public services funded through taxation. And possibly that would include someone who cares about the environment as our own health is absolutely linked to the quality of that environment.

Stuff to do with gender identity etc is on a liberal-conservative spectrum."

Replying To yew_tree:  "The problem these days is everyone has to have a label. To me the extreme left and right are both nuts. Can someone have so called left leaning view on some matters and right on others? In other words the centre? To me this sensible position seems to have been eroded away."

Replying To zinny:  "It doesn't offend me but I think you have let yourself down with this one.

Migrants globally could be broken down into two categories, Economic and those fleeing war and persecution. Those who are economic migrants while claiming to be the latter as a stain on the process and are making it harder globally for those who genuinely need help. I guess there is a third which are in the shadows and that is the slave/sex market which a bit like drugs wouldn't exist if the punter didn't but as with drugs the users seem very quick to absolve themselves of any blame for the problem.

In Ireland the facts speak for themselves and the vast majority of the migrants here are economic migrants, asylum seekers accounted for in 2023 less then 5% of all applications for entry into Ireland. Why do economic migrants chose to come to Ireland - all legally - its because they see opportunities in Ireland. However in your point 2, you do not trust these people. That is despite the fact that annually thousands of Irish people leave this country as economic migrants and head to other countries - what you are saying is that these Irish people should not be trusted in these countries. So you don't trust economic migrants even though they are essential to the workplace.

In your third point you have allowed yourself to slip into the right and I would say racist way of thinking. There seems to be an train of though that cultural assimilation should happen at the border and that a migrants should throw off their family's culture immediately and head off down to the pub for a few pints of Guinness. Yet when Irish people go abroad they are allowed wear their cultural badge with pride. Gaelic Games, the language, dancing etc. all celebrated around the world in places where the Irish as a speck of dust in comparison to the local culture - why is it that someone who comes to Ireland should suddenly need to forget their culture, language and religion because they are a minority? Some will integrate faster than others, some may never integrate but thats their choice. Your paragraph three is exactly what was used by Natzies to persecute the Jews - they are not one of us, they are different, they have a different religion,. In case you are thinking you are only referring to new arrivals, there have been Muslim and Jewish people in Ireland long before this recent wave of migration so where will people stop, is it just the new people that should give up their religion or should all the minorities do it.

So in 2023 if less than 5% of all the applications to enter the country were for asylum seekers why is there such a big deal being made about it - the answer to that is simple - they do not look like us. That makes them an easy target and once they have become the target all people who do not look like us become the target.

Just one final thought, it is not the fault of those people fleeing persecution that there is a housing crises in Ireland. Ireland was never a colonizer, it never started a war or influenced regime change so why do we have to burden ourselves with the results caused by others, I guess the answer to that depends on what each individual sees as the values they themselves believe in."

Replying To zinny:  "It doesn't offend me but I think you have let yourself down with this one.

Migrants globally could be broken down into two categories, Economic and those fleeing war and persecution. Those who are economic migrants while claiming to be the latter as a stain on the process and are making it harder globally for those who genuinely need help. I guess there is a third which are in the shadows and that is the slave/sex market which a bit like drugs wouldn't exist if the punter didn't but as with drugs the users seem very quick to absolve themselves of any blame for the problem.

In Ireland the facts speak for themselves and the vast majority of the migrants here are economic migrants, asylum seekers accounted for in 2023 less then 5% of all applications for entry into Ireland. Why do economic migrants chose to come to Ireland - all legally - its because they see opportunities in Ireland. However in your point 2, you do not trust these people. That is despite the fact that annually thousands of Irish people leave this country as economic migrants and head to other countries - what you are saying is that these Irish people should not be trusted in these countries. So you don't trust economic migrants even though they are essential to the workplace.

In your third point you have allowed yourself to slip into the right and I would say racist way of thinking. There seems to be an train of though that cultural assimilation should happen at the border and that a migrants should throw off their family's culture immediately and head off down to the pub for a few pints of Guinness. Yet when Irish people go abroad they are allowed wear their cultural badge with pride. Gaelic Games, the language, dancing etc. all celebrated around the world in places where the Irish as a speck of dust in comparison to the local culture - why is it that someone who comes to Ireland should suddenly need to forget their culture, language and religion because they are a minority? Some will integrate faster than others, some may never integrate but thats their choice. Your paragraph three is exactly what was used by Natzies to persecute the Jews - they are not one of us, they are different, they have a different religion,. In case you are thinking you are only referring to new arrivals, there have been Muslim and Jewish people in Ireland long before this recent wave of migration so where will people stop, is it just the new people that should give up their religion or should all the minorities do it.

So in 2023 if less than 5% of all the applications to enter the country were for asylum seekers why is there such a big deal being made about it - the answer to that is simple - they do not look like us. That makes them an easy target and once they have become the target all people who do not look like us become the target.

Just one final thought, it is not the fault of those people fleeing persecution that there is a housing crises in Ireland. Ireland was never a colonizer, it never started a war or influenced regime change so why do we have to burden ourselves with the results caused by others, I guess the answer to that depends on what each individual sees as the values they themselves believe in."

Replying To FullOfPorter:  "What I would consider left is someone who believes in strong workers rights, a redistribution of wealth, universal health care and strong public services funded through taxation. And possibly that would include someone who cares about the environment as our own health is absolutely linked to the quality of that environment.

Stuff to do with gender identity etc is on a liberal-conservative spectrum."