Marines or migrants, we’ll lie to ourselves and hope to earn a dime

THERE are eerie comparisons to be made between the planeloads of American soldiers passing through Shannon airport at the moment and the steady trickle of asylum seekers in and out of our country.

Both groups are being made to feel unwelcome. Opposition to the American soldiers is small on the ground, judging by the protests at Shannon, but well represented in the media and politics. Hostility to asylum seekers, on the other hand, can be found at every level.

Last Thursday's decision by the Supreme Court, which upheld the State's right to deport the non-national parents of Irish children, was widely supported because many people resent the abuse of the system by immigrants who beget children in order to get residency in this country.