Craic On

Caiseal Mara Fire

The Justice and Equality Minister, and the man who took the decision that 100 Asylum Seekers should be sent to Moville, a town of 1,480 people, without organizing any extra school or medical resources for the area, Charlie Flanagan, has said that the fire which broke out in the Caiseal Mara Hotel this morning was an arson attack.

He said that he condemns the attack and those behind it in the strongest terms.

Said Charlie, “This was a despicable incident and could have led to a very serious tragedy”.

Gardai are currently investigation the fire at the hotel.

Everything Being Equal

That other Equality Minister, David Stanton. the Minister of State for Equality and Integration, has weighed in too.

David Stanton

He said:-

“The hotel is being prepared for accommodation by persons seeking international protection in Ireland. That people would target such a building in this way is deeply shameful.

“This action is not at all representative of the welcome of the overwhelming majority of people in both Donegal and Ireland as whole.”

Ministerial Decisions on Asylum Seekers

Those two Ministers don’t appear to believe that the sneaky decision they made to inform Moville people, its local and national representatives, the local schools and the local doctor’s surgery, just three to four weeks beforehand that 100 Asylum Seekers would suddenly be arriving in a town of 1,480 people, too late for the education and health authorities in town to apply for extra help, had no bearing on the backlash in Moville.

When they are looking for culprits they should look for the arsonist(s) first but they should also look in the mirror too.

Ireland has to absorb 3,500 Asylum seekers this year. That is their quota from the EU.

That is the amount that the EU think they can absorb because of their population size.

Countries with bigger populations will have to absorb more Asylum Seekers.

Not Spread Out Across Ireland

However, Flanagan and Stanton , ave decided that the Asylum Seekers will not be spread out across Ireland in the same way that the EU spreads them out across the EU.

Moville, with a population of 1,480 out of Ireland’s population of 4 million would get just one Asylum Seeker if it was all spread out across the country fairly.

So Moville is getting 100 times its fair share from the two Ministers with Equality in their Job Titles.

The Minister for Equality and Integration is not integrating them equally across the country.

Moville is getting a number that it will find difficult to absorb, as can be seen by this morning’s incident.

Cheapest Deal for Charlie and Dave

However, those two Ministers were not looking to spread the Asylum Seekers out across the country to help absorb them better.

They were only interested in getting the cheapest deal – no matter what part of the country the Asylum Seekers go to.

It doesn’t suit the Asylum Seekers either, who have to go to Dublin often and who cannot go through the North making a regular 10 hour round journey for them every time they have to go there. Their best interests have been ignored. Cost trumped all.

The Caiseal Mara simply put in the lowest tender and got the contract.

That’s all those two Ministers were interested in.

Holier Than Thou Ministers

The disruption to the town and whether a town of Moville’s size would be able to cope with the numbers, was not in in any of their calculations whatsoever.

That there would be problems was entirely predictable. Indeed many local people predicted it.

So, it ill befits the Minister to take a holier than thou attitude when it is their decisions, based purely on cost, that put Moville at risk of the fire spreading across the town last night.

They care nothing about the people of Moville.

And there’s talk of far right groups organizing a meeting in the town.

All this was predictable – except by these two beauties.