Séamus Mac an Bháird
@james_akw
I have a PhD in population genetics, that’s it.
The formula here is really simple: real crisis + elite-approved spin = research funding. Say immigration helps the housing shortage, ignore supply and demand, and you too can get paid to produce this drivel.
Missed this. But yes, I am very sorry to disappoint him but it is still very much true. Our chronic housing deficit stems from not meeting the needs of young Irish adults *already living here*. Cut migration to zero, it doesn't go away (and is harder to solve).
Words, visualised. You don’t need a PhD to see the mismatch: immigration is rising far faster than housing construction. Anyone discussing our great employment without factoring in housing capacity is missing the point.
Morning! Here's some clear numbers on housing, immigration and house prices. Put very simply, the rate of immigration will have to be halved at least for there to be any hope of stabilising house prices, given the amount of homes that are being built now. irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/0…
You’re right, there’s been a housing deficit for a while. But the point is that in Ireland, and indeed much of Europe, net migration is on its way to becoming the largest source of new household formation. So yes, migration is driving demand. It’s really not that complicated.
Missed this. But yes, I am very sorry to disappoint him but it is still very much true. Our chronic housing deficit stems from not meeting the needs of young Irish adults *already living here*. Cut migration to zero, it doesn't go away (and is harder to solve).
Nice chart, here’s another one for you.
This is what all the fuss is about. You see that little grey area between Ireland, UK and EU nationals in the chart? That's the fuss. I can remember when EU migration was the fuss too. >20% of construction workers are non-nationals >25% of hotel/food staff >33% of IT workers
Interestingly, Ireland has one of the highest rates of domestic physician graduates in the OECD while also having one of the highest rates of foreign-trained physicians. Bucking the slightly negative (though likely not significant) trend observed across other countries.
Nursing used to be considered both a skilled and also noble/ethical profession. Unfortunately now a nurses salary means you cannot afford a home in Dublin, and the reward structure of our society is skewed towards lucrative tech. I’d say doctors have similar stats.
In 2024, Ireland had the third-highest rate of asylum applications per capita in the EU - behind only Cyprus and Greece, both frontline states in illegal migration. For a country with no external EU border, the figures speak for themselves.
The Minister of State with Responsibility for Migration has said that Ireland was not a soft target for those seeking international protection rte.ie/news/2025/0714…
The ECHR and UN human rights frameworks turn asylum into a one way door. Once someone arrives, they rarely leave. Legal loopholes, endless appeals, and activist rulings make deportation near impossible. I say we scrap the treaties and restore national control over asylum policy.
Wow wow, that would violate ECHR, EU anti-discrimination charter and UN Universal Human Rights declaration and a banch of anti-racist national laws for sure.
Using immigration to fix the aging population is just a demographic Ponzi scheme. Immigrants age too, so you constantly need more to prop up the system. Unless you’re advocating for endless population growth, this solution just kicks the can down the road.
Per million inhabitants, Ireland receives more Nigerian asylum applications than any other country in the Eurostat dataset. In fact, many countries receive none at all. As far as I'm concerned, Ireland's number should be zero too.
Denmark received 2,333 asylum applications in 2024. Ireland received 18,561. That's nearly 8 times more.
Denmark’s ‘zero refugee’ policy drives down asylum admissions to record low telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…