Emigration hailed as cure for Irish economy even as U.S. remains closed for immigration
Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 12:13 PM
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A staggering 100,000 people will leave Ireland between this year and next year according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
The ESRI says this exodus is the biggest element in helping keep the jobless figures down.
But where on earth is everyone going?
Why America of course. Even though the U.S. has been pretty much closed to Irish people since the 1965 Immigration Act.
But the ESRI doesn't care about such niceties of course.
As long as Ireland's fed-up and jobless keep streaming for the exits, the people in charge can keep pretending it's not happening.
They can pretend the young Irish are doing just fine wherever they land, visa or no visa.
Been here before lads.
I was one of the hundreds of thousands who headed for the exits in 1985 when official Ireland turned a blind eye to our plight.
Thousands of young Irish ended up in the big cities of America where they soon found work, but they couldn't get visas.
And it would have remained so if two congressmen - Brian Donnelly and particularly Bruce Morrison - hadn't put their shoulders to the wheel and helped chart a new legal path for the Irish.
Americans helping the Irish.
The ESRI calculates that without the large-scale emigration taking place now, the Irish jobless rate would be about 16 percent not the current 13.4 percent.
And as the Irish Independent pointed out today, "those departing are also easing the pressure on the Government in lower welfare costs and less political opposition."
Ironic isn't it.
Ireland's young emigrants can sink or swim overseas even though they're helping solve the problem in Ireland.
We desperately need a new Bruce Morrison or Brian Donnelly in Congress now.
The ESRI says this exodus is the biggest element in helping keep the jobless figures down.
But where on earth is everyone going?
Why America of course. Even though the U.S. has been pretty much closed to Irish people since the 1965 Immigration Act.
But the ESRI doesn't care about such niceties of course.
As long as Ireland's fed-up and jobless keep streaming for the exits, the people in charge can keep pretending it's not happening.
They can pretend the young Irish are doing just fine wherever they land, visa or no visa.
Been here before lads.
I was one of the hundreds of thousands who headed for the exits in 1985 when official Ireland turned a blind eye to our plight.
Thousands of young Irish ended up in the big cities of America where they soon found work, but they couldn't get visas.
And it would have remained so if two congressmen - Brian Donnelly and particularly Bruce Morrison - hadn't put their shoulders to the wheel and helped chart a new legal path for the Irish.
Americans helping the Irish.
The ESRI calculates that without the large-scale emigration taking place now, the Irish jobless rate would be about 16 percent not the current 13.4 percent.
And as the Irish Independent pointed out today, "those departing are also easing the pressure on the Government in lower welfare costs and less political opposition."
Ironic isn't it.
Ireland's young emigrants can sink or swim overseas even though they're helping solve the problem in Ireland.
We desperately need a new Bruce Morrison or Brian Donnelly in Congress now.
12 Comments
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Monsoonman | Apr 15, 2010, 01:20 AM EDT
Thanks IrishAndProud, I'll check him out. Irishcentral should invite various Irish conservative pundits to write columns here. This site could use some balance and it would please the liberal crowd too.
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IrishAndProud | Apr 14, 2010, 11:48 PM EDT
John Spain is not too bad, Monsoonman...his focus seems to be on economics, and for the most part he's right on the money, with the stuff he writes about. You should be able to find his stuff on the 'google site search' at the top of this page, on the right.
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Monsoonman | Apr 14, 2010, 07:21 PM EDT
Wouldn't it be a true sign of fair play and equality(isn't that what liberalism is all about?) to have at least one conservative columnist on this Irish site? I know there are a lot of my brethren around the world who do not drink out of the liberal Kool Aid chalice. There must be at least one worthy to write on Irish Central on a regular basis.
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Monsoonman | Apr 14, 2010, 07:12 PM EDT
"What I do NOT do is allow the fascism known as political correctness to SHUT DOWN any discussion whatsoever of certain topics..." Roger that!
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IrishAndProud | Apr 14, 2010, 02:15 PM EDT
(continued) What I do NOT do is allow the fascism known as political correctness to SHUT DOWN any discussion whatsoever of certain topics...and those who practice p.c. simply cannot stomach that -- that's what their REAL issue is.
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IrishAndProud | Apr 14, 2010, 02:14 PM EDT
maceinri, if you consider it 'poisonous' 'inaccurate' and 'racist' to merely point out FACTS, then that is truly YOUR problem (btw did I say that one race is superior to the other? NO. So there goes your phony and grossly overused 'racist' charge).
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maceinri | Apr 14, 2010, 12:35 PM EDT
It's a pity to read poisonous, racist, inaccurate drivel like the rubbish posted by 'IrishAndProud'.
The article is, of course, wildly inaccurate. Emigration to the USA is neglible at the moment. And most of the 100,000 figure mentioned in the ESRI estimates are not Irish anyway - last year two thirds of all those who left Ireland were migrants from other countries going home or moving on.
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NyackGal | Apr 14, 2010, 09:15 AM EDT
Irish&Proud....I think you're onto something....if it isn't too late already!
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IrishAndProud | Apr 14, 2010, 01:47 AM EDT
And whilst the Irish leave Ireland, a lot of NON-Irish foreigners remain there, making Ireland that much less Irish, with each and every emigrant. Wouldn't a better solution be to DEPORT all illegals and alien welfare bums from Ireland...thus opening up jobs (and money!) for the REAL Irish people?
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palmeiras | Apr 13, 2010, 05:35 PM EDT
Your facts are totally wrong Kelly. They are going to Australia,Canada and england, definitely not to the U.S.A.; YOUR ARTICLE WAS NONSENSICLE.
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Monsoonman | Apr 13, 2010, 12:30 PM EDT
"those departing are also easing the pressure on the Government in lower welfare costs and less political opposition.the Irish jobless rate would be about 16 percent not the current 13.4 percent".....So send them to the USA where our real unemployment figure is about 17%?
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