Mary Lou McDonald has said the Government should factor Ireland’s housing supply into decisions on how many work visas are granted to foreign employees each year.
Speaking yesterday, the Sinn Féin leader said her party had taken on board concerns from voters who felt it had not been vocal enough on key issues, including what she described as the Government’s poor handling of migration.
“We heard that message. We put our hand up to that,” Ms McDonald said, as she called for a more defined and transparent immigration system with a “clear rulebook”.
Her comments come after previous criticism that she has tried to strike two tones on immigration, seeking to reassure Sinn Féin’s traditional supporters while also broadening the party’s appeal to new voters.
Mary Lou McDonald addresses journalists at the Grand Hotel in Malahide, north Co Dublin
Ultimately, this has cost Sinn Féin votes at the ballot box.
Yesterday, she accepted her party was not speaking ‘loudly enough’ in challenging the Government over its handling of asylum and immigration.
However, in what could be construed as another flip-flop, she declined to say if the party would support a cap on immigration or a reduction in the number of asylum seekers. Ms McDonald said the numbers are largely dictated by needs.
SF has stumbled in recent elections and been criticised for its stance on immigration, with some accusing the party of failing to take a strong enough position on the issue, and misreading the mood of its voters.
‘…Our communities reflected to us that they weren’t hearing loudly enough from us in challenging the Government in their failures to manage the process of asylum seeking, and the consequences of that process for the communities in which they live,’ Ms McDonald told Newstalk.
‘I accepted we collectively, and I personally accepted, that was the case, and since then we have been very clear in setting out what we believe are the parameters, the values, the framework for making this work correctly.’
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Ms McDonald rejected an assertion that she was ‘agnostic’ after being pressed on whether her party would support a cap on the number of immigrants coming in.
She added: ‘On the issue of international protection, at the core of this is a matter of proper management… and a system and an approach that listens to communities. We have pressed that case very, very strongly.’
At the party’s think-in in Malahide, north Dublin yesterday, Ms McDonald announced a new policy position that would link the number of visas issued to foreign workers with the availability of housing in the locality where the employer is based.
Mary Lou McDonald, centre, with Sinn Féin party members at the party’s think-in
She said: ‘You also have to be aware of the… strains on public services. There’s a particular issue around housing in Ireland and getting accommodation.
‘So any responsible government has to have in their line of sight all of those matters when they calculate how many permits any particular sector might be allowable, how you manage student visas, and the whole range of other elements of that policy.’
The Mail suggested to SF’s spokesman on justice, Matt Carthy, that the party was tacking to the right to stop voters going to Aontú or Independent Ireland.
He said: ‘I don’t consider this to be a left-right issue. Every government in the world has migration policies and rules, and the only question is what those rules are and whether or not they’re enforced and monitored. What I consider this to be is sensible public policy, having a migration system that ensures when people come here… that they’re treated well, but also has a cognisance of the need to maintain societal cohesion. And also recognises the pressures the State has as a result of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael failures, particularly in the area of housing.’
Gary Gannon, Social Democrats justice spokesman, said it wasn’t for him to decide if those affected most by the hardening of rhetoric on immigration feel SF are trying to have it both ways
‘Our immigration system can and should be improved, but I see nothing announced over the past few days that betters the system. It just hardens it for the people stuck in its failures.’