'Ireland is not a country of hate or racism': Taoiseach discusses migration challenge

James Cox

Taoiseach Simon Harris has insisted Ireland is "not a country of hate or racism" as he said far-right agitators must be separated from people with concerns about migration policy.

The Taoiseach was speaking at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Co Wexford, on Friday where he was interviewed by former Twitter Ireland managing director and global vice-president for public policy Sinéad McSweeney.

Speaking about his leadership style, he highlighted the importance of fighting against the idea of "hopelessness".

"I think one of the biggest risks to solving the challenges we all face is a sense of hopelessness. If we believe that something is so endemic that it can never be made better, what does that do? It allows extremism, it allows a sense of fatalism, and it also makes citizens think, 'why bother'?

"One example is climate change. Of course, we all want to save our planet, to hand on our community, our earth, in a better place to our children. But sometimes people will think 'the scale of it is so big, how can we do anything to make a difference?' We have to push back against that.

"Our human condition likes to know there is hope. There will be people in the audience who think 'that's political wiffle-waffle'.

"But the way you lead, you have to give people hope, because what's the alternative? The alternative is to tell people things are terrible, and they'll always be terrible. That's not leadership at all."

Moving on to the migration issue, Mr Harris said it was important for Government to face it head on, because the alternative "creates a vacuum and leaves it to extremists".

He also criticised far-right agitators who have inflamed tensions at anti-migration protests across the country.

This is not a country of hate or racism.

"Migration is probably the most topical example of that at the moment. If we believe a debate about migration is owned by the far-right or the far-left, therefore we kind of stay away, all that happens is the only time people see if being covered is by voices of the extreme, and that can distort our national identity.

"This is not a country of hate or racism. There are so many people who left our shores in the hope of a better future for them and their children. The idea that a small number of unelected people would now try to suggest that we would begrudge others seeking to do the exact same thing... that makes no sense.

"That's not who we are. I do think we have to start speaking out and speaking up."

Moving back to migration policy, he acknowledged there were a lot of issues to solve, adding that it is something being dealt with in "real-time".

"That's not to say there aren't real issues about how Government addresses what is a migration policy? How do you process people? That's all valid political debate, scrutiny and accountability. Let's not let a small number of people hijack who we are as a people by political cowardice, or saying 'leave them at it, there's no votes in that'."

Mr Harris also stressed that there should be a distinction between those intent on disruption, violence and anti-immigrant sentiment, and people with legitimate concerns.

'Hijackers of the flag'

"I can clearly de-couple those two issues in my mind. There are people who I believe to be distortionists, the hijackers of the flag, the people who aren't representative of Ireland. These people are loud, but not large in number.

"That is separate and distinct to people saying 'migration is a new public policy challenge and opportunity in Ireland, show me how you, the Government, intend to address the issue'.

He added: "Being honest with the Irish people, this is something we're addressing in real-time. We're creating systems and structures in rapid time, to respond to something that wasn't a policy issue in Ireland.

"The next general election will probably be the first time I'll ever be asked about migration. I don't ever remember knocking on a door in Co Wicklow, and I've been running in elections since 2009, being asked about migration.

"It's perfectly appropriate and healthy in a democracy for people to say 'Hang on Simon, show me the plan, the population is growing, how are you going to move beyond the emergency to the sustainable?'

"That's all fine, but that's not the other issue, and we should engage wholeheartedly and enthusiastically with the people saying 'show me, talk to me, engage with me'."

Mr Harris said he admires "people in communities who have had concerns and questions, and when they saw the far-right trying to get within an inch of it, they ran them out".