Commentary
I was born and raised in the west of Ireland. I have fond memories of long evenings playing in the fields, weekend getaways to places such as Clare, Cork, and Donegal. I also have fond memories of watching my parents laugh with the neighbors, looking on as they engaged in some good old Irish banter. Sadly, though, those days are long gone. Banter is no longer permissible. Speech is no longer free. I’m no longer a proud Irish citizen. Here’s why.
Today, the term “Orwellian” gets thrown around recklessly, with an increasing number of individuals using it to refer to something that they don’t particularly like. However, Orwell used the term in a very specific manner. It describes a political system that sees a government attempt to control every aspect of citizens’ lives, including the language they use.
Which brings us on to the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offenses) Bill 2022, the Irish government’s latest attempt to silence free speech. The bill, extreme in nature, will make it a criminal offense to deny or dismiss the Holocaust. Moreover, the bill seeks to “amend the law relating to the prohibition of incitement to violence or hatred against a person, or a group of persons, on account of certain characteristics of the person, or the group.”
The bill also seeks to protect individuals who don’t subscribe to more “traditional” gender roles. Worryingly, the bill’s definition of “gender” goes as follows:
“The gender which a person expresses as the person’s preferred gender, or with which the person identifies, and includes transgender, and a gender other than those of male and female.”
The inclusion of the Holocaust and gender protections in the same bill might strike some as odd—and it should. In many ways, the bill, erratic in nature, is a reflection of the Irish government. It’s a mess. Although the vast majority of Irish citizens vehemently oppose the legislation, the government looks likely to plow ahead anyway.
Ireland, once a magical place, is fast becoming a monstrous one. This, perhaps, explains why very few Irish people actually live in Ireland anymore. In 2019, the number of people leaving Ireland overtook the number of people returning. Last year, rather staggeringly, due to the number of foreigners entering the country, the Irish population reached a record high of 5.10 million. This year, the Irish government has taken in over 75,000 refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine—and we’re not even halfway through 2023.
Now, before I’m accused of being a racist, xenophobic, or something equally horrific, let me state the following: Any government that chooses to take in tens of thousands of foreigners should only do so if it has its own house in order. In other words, take care of your own citizens first. Then, and only then, consider opening the door to outsiders.
Instead, the Irish government, never known for doing things the easy way, opted to open the door to foreigners after closing the door on its own citizens. Now, because of its shortsightedness, the Irish government has backed the country into an entirely avoidable corner. Ireland is in the midst of an absolutely devastating housing crisis. In short, there simply isn’t enough accommodation available to house the number of refugees continuing to enter the country. To compound matters, there isn’t enough accommodation available for Irish citizens either.
As two well-respected academics, Padraic Kenna and Mark Jordan, recently noted, the struggle to afford accommodation in Ireland has been many years in the making. Due to multiple decades of dire policies and disastrous leadership, Ireland’s property strings are now being pulled by a handful of incredibly powerful individuals and organizations.
To make matters worse, the housing crisis has created a homelessness crisis. In fact, homelessness levels are at an all-time high. Many of those now classed as homeless, according to the academics, “were evicted from the private rented sector and have been unable to find affordable housing again.” Instead of helping Irish citizens get off the streets, the Irish government continues to pump inordinate amounts of money, time, and effort into getting more outsiders to enter the country.
James Joyce, arguably Ireland’s greatest-ever writer, famously referred to his homeland as an “old sow” that devours her farrow. Looking at the state of Ireland today, it’s difficult to disagree with the statement.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
