I haven’t made any reference to pensions at all, Octy. It’d take a far sillier man than you or I (or even the erm) to rely on the State being in a position to fund our pension requirements. Similarly, while high property prices and rents clearly appeal to those who hold significant property portfolios, perhaps with pension provision in mind, prices do tend to collapse to varying degrees as the economy moves to recession so cashing in such investments depends on timing and, to some extent, luck i.e. it’s not foolproof. I was merely pointing out the appeal or perception in the current economic climate.
We do, however, need immigrants to carry on menial jobs. We need a taxi service, we need our bins collected, we need our roads swept, we need cleaners, we need labourers to help us expand our property portfolios, etc, etc… Our own youngsters are generally far too well educated and/or ambitious to be interested in doing these jobs whereas immigrants with no (recognised) qualifications or skills can readily fill such vacancies.
I don’t believe it’s fair to blame An Taoiseach for the watering down of the Celtic race in Ireland. To be fair, Irish Celts are at the root of our “Céad Míle Fáilte” culture as is evident in the assimilation of Vikings and the development of Hiberno-Norse cities as centres of trade, technology and political rule.
We’ve experienced emigration since the Famine. Obviously, it’s a lot easier for youngsters to travel these days and while some emigrate in search of greener fields many do so just to experience other cultures/climates. I guess the spread of Irish (including Celtic, Hiberno-Norse, etc) culture around the world is a central element of that very culture or amalgamation of cultures and/or cultural influences.
Most religions are peaceful. Fundamentalism, often fuelled by (perceived) marginalisation, is what fuels hatred, terrorism and indeed crusades. With reference to the latter I’m not going to walk into the trap of suggesting that Catholicism and/or other forms of Christianity are without sin. However, like those who follow Islam the vast majority of those who practice Christian religions in this day and age do not subscribe to fundamentalist views, practices or objectives. Our constitution allows folk follow whatever religion they choose and there have been Mosques up above in Dublin for many years, Muslims have been an integral part of our society throughout that time not just since Mr. Varadkar was elected to the office of Taoiseach.
