| Fighting for Irish people’s
rights abroad
GESTURE politics — that’s the Irish Government’s official
reply to the joint Fine Gael/Labour Party’s new policy document
on Irish emigrants.
The document entitled Reaching Out: Caring for the Irish Abroad outlines
the measures the two parties would take if they were to form the next
government in Ireland.
Key provisions include enabling RTÉ to broadcast to Britain, providing
free travel for Irish pensioners abroad when they visit home, increasing
the size of the Dion grant and granting emigrant representation in the
Seanad.
They are all measures this newspaper has campaigned long and hard for
and to see them contained in an official policy document is gratifying.
Predictably Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern
has dismissed the document as nothing more than a series of empty promises.
Others have pointed out that it is easy to make pledges and court favour
when in opposition and therefore unable to actually implement the proposals.
But that misses the point. The Labour/Fine Gael document is a firm pledge
that the policies will be brought in if they form a new government.
At present not much more could be asked of them. If they do win power
at the next general election then that is the time they will be judged.
If at that time their policy document is not implemented then we will
be the first to let them know our disappointment.
But in the meantime they are to be congratulated for having the courage
to fight for the rights of emigrants abroad.
As both party leaders say there are very few votes in Ireland for them
on these issues — but there is a lot of admiration and gratitude
on this side of the Irish Sea.
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