Sir, - As a professional engineer working currently in the US, I look back in horror at the Irish view on immigration. If other countries were to be as restrictive on immigration, I would be confined to working solely in Ireland, thus limiting my experience, imagination and creativity.Further, Ireland's history is one of emigration.
Ireland's refugees have thronged foreign shores. Ireland's immigration laws are therefore highly hypocritical.But it is neither of these facts that horrifies me. There are only two reasons for Ireland's immigration practices: a desire to maintain Irish racial purity; and a belief that immigrants are a liability, not an asset. Neither argument stands up to scrutiny.Irish racial purity is an oxymoron in a historical context. The "Irish" race is merely a snapshot of history before the unnatural institution of nations and borders. Previous to this period, natural migration of peoples occurred across "national" boundaries and continents. "Irish" really means a blend of Celt, Norse, Anglo and French peoples. This list only goes as far back as recorded history.The second reason, the belief that the people who wish to immigrate into Ireland are a liability, is the most disturbing, however. This belief is founded in the pessimistic view of life that there are a limited number of jobs and a limited number of resources. This view ignores another historical fact, that resources are the product of the human intellect and the initiative of the individual. By having such restrictive immigration laws, we let ourselves down and our perception of the essence of humanity. - Yours, etc., Shane Harte,Michigan,USA.