Yeah. What happens is they come here on study visa with a course booked to learn English. Generally work any jobs they can to maintain themselves, I think there are limits on how much they can work. To extend the visa you need to have another course booked, hard for them to make the money to pay up front for it, they also donât have the money for a flight home. So they end up overstaying their visa and being here illegally, not able to work legally and working any cash jobs they can to get by. Lots of Brazilians end up in this situation too but for the Venezuelans they really shouldnât go home depending on where they live.
Estimated about 25-30k people living illegally in Ireland.
A further point is that when people get into this situation they get taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords stacking them up in bunk beds in shithole houses and demanding payment in cash.
An economy solely reliant on tax dodging MNCs is achieving?
Pillaging state resources and services to private interests is achieving?
A homeless crisis and a rental market out of control is achieving?
A state where people struggle to own their own home or have reasonable long term rental prospects is achieving?
A dysfunctional public service and a pension black hole is achieving?
A national debt in the hundreds of billions is achieving?
A banking sector that collapsed, destroyed the economy and had to be bailed out due to lack of regulation is achieving?
I asked you what they have achieved, you gave me a soundbite. In 100 years of power they have managed to screw the fate of the state for the next century. I have given you the facts there, empty soundbites wonât cut it.
The ones that are in crisis - health, housing, banking etc
They had the ability to create functioning services in these areas when they announced independence, instead they created dysfunctional ones. They have destroyed them.
Did the bit where you would have to make an intelligent point or construct a compelling argument trip you up?
Maybe you should have been more honest and admitted you donât have anything to support your position though other than blind faith to regressive and failed policies.
Iâd say lads who think Ireland is failed state, banana republic, corrupt cess pit, etc have never left the place.
Weâve gone from a 3rd world country to one of the richest in the world in a generation. By any international measure we are not corrupt (20th least corrupt on recent rankings). While there is fuckin loads wrong, and loads that could be done better, itâs still streets ahead of a lot places.
Interestingly, I think the fact that the health service is a shambles has become accepted as unalienable fact. Thereâs no doubt that A&E can be an utter mess at times and that the system comes under big pressure at winter but thereâs lots good done it too and the outcomes are quite good by international standards I understand.
I havenât been near the health service in years but have had a lower back issue that I put off getting looked at. Went to my GP two weeks ago on a Wed. She said get an X-ray and itâs a waste to go private so was going to contact Vincents. I got a call from Vincents on the Thurs morning booking me in for an X-Ray on the Friday afternoon. I was in and out in less than 15 mins and subsequently theyâve been back in touch scheduling an MRI within 2 weeks. All public. My back isnât fixed but Iâve been very pleasantly surprised at how efficient the whole process has been.
I remember posting here before about my ma growing up in a family where first 5 children died in infancy, they had an outdoor toilet and water pumped in from a lake. Her two brothers and two sisters emigrated to Chicago and Boston respectively. My ma went to London. The oldest sister became a nun and two brothers stayed at home - one became a cop.
Within 60 years she went from that to a grandson packing in hurling to play hockey. Thatâs progress for ya.
I canât even begin to understand how miserable Ireland must have been back then in terms of prospects if you werenât well heeled.
Imagine someone from rural Kerry or anywhere in Ireland landing into Manhattan looking for work. The cultural shock must have been unreal. The hustle and bustle, the cultural melting pot, the languages etc.