Representatives from Ireland's newest political parties line-up to explain why immigration tops their policy platforms for the upcoming 2024 European elections.
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00:00For the first time ever in Ireland, immigration is top of the political agenda.
00:06New political parties have been formed to address the issue, saying the Irish government is soft on the matter.
00:13I don't think there's anger towards foreign nationals.
00:16There's anger towards the policies which are being pushed on to the Irish people.
00:19We've always been a welcoming country, and we always will be,
00:22but right now we're being too overwhelmed with people coming in.
00:27So the anger's not at the foreign nationals coming in.
00:30It's more directed at the government, and that will show.
00:33A recent opinion poll confirmed that the majority of people feel that Irish government policy on the matter
00:39amounts to open-door immigration, which is causing problems elsewhere in Irish society.
00:45I've been out on the campaign trail, and we've been to all areas,
00:48working-class areas, middle-class areas, upper-class areas,
00:51and they all have more or less the same issue.
00:53And the reason they have the problem with immigration is because
00:56everything else is not fitting into place for them over the last ten years.
00:59For example, longer waiting lists in the hospitals.
01:02Their sons and daughters can't get a house in Ireland anymore because it's become unaffordable
01:05because of the lack of accommodation.
01:07And a lot of this stuff comes back to immigration.
01:09The Irish Freedom Party says there is a growing mood of discontent amongst the Irish electorate.
01:15People are sick of getting up, going to work, paying taxes,
01:19seeing this money being handed over in welfare and free accommodation for people who come from abroad,
01:25and yet our own people are emigrating abroad to Australia and to Canada.
01:29So there's a financial cost and there's a security cost.
01:33Seasoned observers on Irish politics believe that the new wave of parties
01:37that are critical of immigration policy in Ireland are responding to growing public concern.
01:43The anti-immigrant candidates and parties that we've seen grow up in recent months,
01:51they are responding, I think, to a public concern on an issue
01:56and clearly trying to manipulate it for their own political ends.
02:00No less than four political parties that are critical of Ireland's immigration policies
02:05are contesting these elections.
02:07Whether they win seats or not remains to be seen.
02:10However, the very fact that they're contesting these elections at all
02:13is proof that a growing number of people feel that the Irish government and the EU Commission
02:18are out of touch when it comes to immigration.
02:21This is Ken Murray for Euronews in Dublin.