The Crime Thread

If you marginalise people from society, giving them less opportunity then eventually disorder will ensue. In Ireland, we have seen the effects of poverty in relation to crime and violence in our own disadvantaged areas for decades. It is also a well worn path abroad. Ethnic groups will provide a handy scapegoat here as they have elsewhere. The narrative will further the careers and fortunes of plenty of eejits playing to the gallery as if "old Ireland" was some sort of utopia before the arrival of the dreaded foreigners. 

Who was burning houses?

But Ireland is actually reasonably progressive when it comes to social programs with equality of opportunity as the basis, and parties have generally been expected to come with a manifesto which is deferential to key social needs. And that doesn't mention the various forms of universal and non-universal financial support which is on offer, and social-centric legislation which has been of assistance. I think programs may have not been suitably implemented, or were not fit for purpose, but that wasn't by will or design, nor does it mean they weren't underpinned by good intentions, with social justice in mind.

Have you been red PiLed?

Sure, but casual racism and racist attacks are quite high in Ireland considering the small population involved. We may not have real systemic racism, unless you are unlucky enough to be part of the Travelling Community, like here in Britain or other former colonial states(formally at least), but we have a media and mentality that plays up to that which is highlighted by this thread.

This isn't one of my wind-up about Dublin, genuinely, but there seems to be a racism issue there. Every Wednesday the Irish Times has a feature called 'New to the Parish' where people who have moved here from abroad describe their Irish experience. Many who lived elsewhere first seem to have had their first experience of racism in Ireland when they go to Dublin. Most of those interviewed are relatively 'successful', to use a term I dislike for want of a better one; so I can only imagine what it is like to be both economically and socially marginalised. When you're a teenager and that happens you often get anger. The fact that when this anger explodes like it did in Balbriggan that they are treated differently again and everyone wanting to discuss their ethnicity rather than the reasons for the anger, the flames are just being fanned.

As has been said, young kids from marginalised areas and difficult backgrounds act up. Their ethnicity or skin colour doesn't need to be brought up other than to try and understand how racism might be an issue and not 'race' or because 'Africans like that' or any other tropes I have seen thrown about on social media. Given our history of similar vilification it makes it doubly disappointing.

Ireland may be more progressive, and I think that's open to a different debate, but it clearly isn't doing enough; otherwise this wouldn't happen. We also really have to stop pretending that we can't really be racist because we didn't colonise anywhere, or that it is just our sense of humour or our culture, to paraphrase Brendan Gleeson in 'The Guard'. We need to accept our racism and face it.

We all have some prejudices, it would be impossible to grow up in a racist society without them. They need to be faced and discussed if 'maturing as a nation's is to actually mean something other than obsessing about foreign royalty. 

But my point was generally about the way Ireland treats its poor, as opposed to marginalisation which is increased by, and a product of intersectionality.

I would say quite the opposite.