KAYLAWALSH
the grim discovery, Fine Gael MEPS Maria Walsh, Mairead Mcguinness, Frances Fitzgerald and Sean Kelly voted against a resolution to step up search and rescue for refugees in the Mediterranean.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Ms Walsh stammered that the language of the resolution was
Police probe lorry in Essex; above, Pam Thi Tra My
“loose” and expressed fears over emergency information being accidentally shared with traffickers.
She then claimed she was “disappointed” it wasn’t passed – despite voting against it.
We all know these are excuses and pathetic ones at that, and it’s simply not good enough. Thanks to Ms Walsh and the other Fine Gael MEPS – who showed their true colours by rejecting the resolution alongside far right parties – more migrants will lose their lives at sea. And just hours after the vote, Mr Kelly tweeted about tucking into a burger. They should all be deeply ashamed of themselves. Thousands of refugees fleeing persecution are stuck in direct provision centres around Ireland, forced to stay in cramped conditions, living in fear of deportation. A third of asylum seekers are children, left without access to proper nutrition or safe places to do their homework and play. Illness spreads quickly and they are exposed to things no child should have to see. Adults who qualify for the right to work are only entitled to a six-month permit, while those appealing a first decision on their application aren’t allowed to take on a job at all. The Irish have a long history of emigration. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, 32.3million people – 10% of the US population – have Irish ancestry. We’ve never been slow to pack up in search of a better life. Over the centuries we’ve had many reasons for leaving, from famine to the housing crisis. But we also occupy a fairly privileged position in the grand scheme of things. A 2018 survey found that for 57% of Irish people who moved abroad, the weather was a top cause for leaving. In other words, we feel entitled to head off in search of sun – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but when it comes to asylum seekers in serious danger it seems our borders are closed. We’ve lost our compassion as a nation and it’s time to take a long, hard look at ourselves.
Irish people have been arrested in connection with 39 trailer deaths
Americans – 10% of the US population – have Irish emigrant ancestry