Haynes, Power, & Devereux

= = = = = 4<=7.8-= 41.9.(.&38=43897:(9== 7&383&9.43&1==.,7&398= = = = *8*&7(-=(422.88.43*)='>= 47&8=:.23c= = = 4;*2'*7=+89`=,*+*_= = = = = = = = = = = '2&3)&=&>3*8= &79.3=(_= 4<*7= 4.3=*;*7*:== *5&792*39=4+=,4(.414,>`=3.;*78.9>=4+=.2*7.(0_= Haynes, Power & Devereux Doras Luimní Table of Contents Executive summary.........................................................................................................i Research context .........................................................................................................i Methodology...............................................................................................................i Conclusions................................................................................................................ii Recommendations.....................................................................................................iv Overview........................................................................................................................1 The Irish economy .....................................................................................................1 The EU national population of Ireland ......................................................................1 The impact of recession .............................................................................................2 The importance of political leadership ......................................................................3 Political parties and immigration...............................................................................3 Irish political reaction to immigration .......................................................................4 Do Irish political parties have different migration policies? .....................................6 Methodology..................................................................................................................8 Media content.............................................................................................................9 Analysis....................................................................................................................10 Analysis of Statements in the National Arena .............................................................12 The Irish economy ...................................................................................................12 Welfare.....................................................................................................................15 Marriages of convenience........................................................................................21 Education .................................................................................................................24 Road safety...............................................................................................................28 Crime (including trafficking)...................................................................................32 Racism & discrimination (including the exploitation of migrant workers).............35 Political, social and cultural integration...................................................................44 Analysis of Statements: Limerick................................................................................49 Local elections 2009 ................................................................................................49 The economy & social welfare costs .......................................................................51 Political, social and cultural integration...................................................................57 Conclusions..................................................................................................................59 Political ideologies...................................................................................................59 Less visible issues....................................................................................................61 Political leadership and immigration .......................................................................63 Addressing racism....................................................................................................67 Recommendations........................................................................................................70 How Irish Politicians Construct Transnational EU Migrants Executive summary Research context Inward migration from EU member states is an important component of Irish immigration, with EU citizens constituting the majority of non-Irish immigrants to Ireland in the period 2005-2009. Eastern European immigrants have been especially hard hit by the recession. Many have emigrated as a consequence, but significant numbers have chosen to remain. International research indicates that recessionary periods may be accompanied by a decline in the quality of relations between the majority population and migrant groups as the latter are at risk of being scapegoated for the economic downturn experienced by all. In this economic and social context, political leadership on the matter of immigration is of crucial importance. Political parties have a key role to play in framing how the public understand the issue and impact of immigration. Methodology This research study examines the manner in which politicians construct non-Irish EU immigrants to Ireland by analysing the content of statements attributed to this group in the print media. The decision to examine politicians’ statements made through the print media, rather than through government or party press releases was informed by a desire to analyse those statements which are most accessible to the public and therefore most likely to influence public opinion. Print media content was sampled from a national Broadsheet (Irish Independent) and two local imprints (The Limerick Leader and The Limerick Post). i Haynes, Power & Devereux Doras Luimní Conclusions The sample of articles analysed was dominated by statements from centre-right parties in the form of Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael representatives. In the sample analysed, politicians of the left tended to be supportive of immigrants. Statements attributed to representatives of the Socialist party and Sinn Fein defended the rights of migrant workers, while the vast majority of comments attributed to representatives of Labour expressed a pro-immigrant stance. Nonetheless, a representative of the Labour party was among those who recommended restrictive policies in relation to welfare. In the sample analysed, statements emanating from Fianna Fáil representatives were much more commonly pro-immigrant than anti-immigrant in their orientation. However, the vast majority of such pro-immigrant statements were framed as rebuttals of anti-immigrant claims and positions rather than as agenda-setting frameworks of understanding in their own right. Statements attributed to representatives of Fine Gael were more likely to construct immigration as a social problem than those attributed to representatives of Fianna Fáil. Nonetheless, those emanating from the party spokesperson on immigration were overwhelmingly positive in orientation. Problematising statements by local Fine Gael representatives impacted on the overall picture of this party’s stance. Analysis demonstrated that some representatives of mainstream parties contribute to a discourse whereby migrants are constructed as fraudulent, as burdens on the economy and as participating in ‘bogus marriages of convenience’. Representatives on both the left and right of the political spectrum were found to commonly address the issue of immigration as a social problem, whether by contributing to its framing as a problem, or by seeking to contradict its problematisation. Across the sample as a whole, the majority of statements in support of migrant rights are framed as a defence of these communities. The rebuttal of negative framings may in fact serve to reinforce, rather than undermine, their perceived salience. Providing alternative frameworks of understanding may be more ii Haynes, Power & Devereux Doras Luimní effective in redirecting debate. Both government and opposition party representatives are in danger of being ensnared in a reactive approach to immigration whereby the course of the debate is set by the problematisation of the issue. There were a number of issues relating to the themes identified in our analysis, on which our sample contained little political commentary. These issues included informed discussions of unemployed foreign workers’ social welfare entitlements; the lack of recognition of foreign educational qualifications in Ireland; lack of discussion on the support services required by victims of trafficking and / or the state’s responsibility to accommodate, protect and assist victim of trafficking; and the political integration of migrants. While we acknowledge that our sample is by no means a complete record of political statements relating to EU migrants in 2008 and 2009, the absence of these issues from our sample does suggest that they did not attain a high profile during this period. In spite of the politicisation of particular issues, this research suggests an overall dearth of significant ideological debate on the issue of immigration in Ireland in the period 2008-2009. Failures by parties both in and out of government to address immigration and integration as important policy areas and the reticence of some party representatives

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