EVER SINCE THE Journal started back in 2010, our readers and their thoughts have been fundamental to our coverage of the news. Here’s what you’ve been saying to us this week. Have something to say? Send a mail to letters@thejournal.ie. You can see our letter guidelines here.

Immigration

[Demand for 'lower-skilled' migrant workers becoming greater than higher-skilled migrants] 

Dear Editor,

This week’s ESRI report found that non-Irish citizens make up one in five people in employment in Ireland.

Within hours the figure was being used to claim that work permits are now for unskilled jobs and that Irish workers are being left behind.

Neither stands up. The General Employment Permit covers welders, HGV mechanics, panel beaters and CE licence drivers, trades that take years to learn, and carries a minimum salary of €36,605.

Before one can be granted, the job must be advertised to Irish and EEA workers for 28 days on JobsIreland, EURES and a second platform. At least half of the employer’s staff must already be Irish or EEA nationals.

The report’s real warning is that Ireland struggles to keep the workers it brings in. Many do not know the rights they already have. The job is rarely the problem: the English on site, the rules of the road and finding somewhere to live are.

Ireland knows this story from the other side. Generations of Irish people built lives abroad because other countries let them work and helped them settle. Getting that part right is how a worker stays, and how a town gets a neighbour rather than a stranger.

Martin Farrell
Managing Director, Sama Talent Group
Corrandulla, Co Galway 

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Coercive control 

[Married At First Sight UK cancelled by Channel 4 after review following misconduct claims]

Channel 4 have announced they are cancelling the reality dating show Married at First Sight, this follows a BBC Panorama investigation where several women recount instances of rape, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of their onscreen husbands.

The relationship between two contestants, Omar and Rhianna on the latest series of Big Brother UK prompted 22,000 complaints to Ofcom and was called out by Women’s Aid, who stated the dynamic showed signs of coercive controlling behaviour by Omar. Omar and Rhianna remained in the Big Brother House until their evictions by public vote.

One of the first things an abusive partner will do is isolate you from your support network, your friends and your family. These people have the potential to take you away from the abusive partner, to relay concerns of their behaviour and the relationship, and therefore they are a threat.

In reality TV shows there is no need for the abusive partner to do this; the format of the show does it for them. These shows isolate the participants from the outside world, controlling their access to their phones and their contact with people outside the show.

The shows claim this ensures the integrity of the show and avoids the leaking of any key events which might happen during filming.

These are conditions in which abuse thrives. Abusers are especially worried about how people perceive them. One of the women who spoke to the BBC said her onscreen husband only acted violently in private, when the cameras were not there to capture it.

People who abuse are often charismatic, charming, outgoing, egotistical, opinionated and confrontational. For TV producers these traits make great television.

Broadcasters need to stop treating abuse as drama and using it to increase engagement and viewership. The reality TV show format has always been broken, and no duty-of-care policy can repair a format that depends on isolation, control and conflict.

Chloe Magnone

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A Talarico trouncing

[I was at Talarico's watch party as he 'took back Texas'. Here's what it was like]

Texas just sent James Talarico to the Senate and ended a 38-year Republican monopoly.

Donald Trump has spent years treating the American presidency like a protection racket, the White House like a lifetime achievement award and public office like a family business.

Trump effectively made the midterms a referendum on himself.

Trump’s endorsements once carried weight – now they resemble expired coupons. The yes men who spent two years telling Trump what he wanted to hear are suddenly discovering that political loyalty has an expiry date.  

Texas has turned blue. Republican strongholds have fallen.

Congress has changed hands. Democrats are already drafting the subpoenas. And the man who spent years promising to punish his enemies is about to learn what it feels like when the questions are not optional and the answers go on the record.

Trump wanted everyone to know who was boss. America has just reminded him who employs the boss. The king still has the palace, the golf courses and the grievances.

What he has lost is the one thing he cannot tweet away — power over the people.  

Alan T. Kelly,
Kildare

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Planned mosque attack 

[Mosque at centre of foiled bomb plot urges politicians to 'challenge hostility' facing Muslims]

Dear Editor,

Related Reads

Letters to the editor

Ireland has been my home for 26 years.

I found a welcoming society here, married and made my family’s home in this country.

I remain deeply grateful for that welcome. The sentencing on 30 October of three men who planned a terrorist attack on Maryam Mosque in Galway has been a sobering moment for our community.

I thank An Garda Síochána for preventing the attack and protecting our congregation and neighbours. The fear of knowing that our place of worship was targeted does not disappear with a sentence.

As National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Ireland, I want to share our response and invite readers to meet us.

Maryam is Mary, the mother of Jesus, honoured by Muslims and Christians alike.

At the mosque’s inauguration in 2014, our spiritual leader, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, said, “All of our mosques are centres of peace and harmony.”

Our young volunteers have raised more than €100,000 for Irish charities since 2015, supporting organisations including Croí, COPE Galway and the Galway Simon Community.

Caring for our neighbours is part of our faith and our life here. Our motto, “Love for All, Hatred for None”, will continue to guide us.

We will keep welcoming visitors, serving our neighbours and building friendships across faiths and backgrounds.

Every person should be able to worship without fear. We ask political and community leaders to speak clearly against hatred and help ensure that all our children grow up feeling safe and at home in Ireland.

To anyone who wishes to visit Maryam Mosque, ask questions or simply meet their neighbours, our invitation is sincere.

People of every faith and none are welcome.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Muhammad Anwar Malik,
National President Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Ireland

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