Immigration Control Platform

Immigration Control Platform (ICP) (Irish: An Feachtas um Smacht ar Inimirce[1]) is a political group which seeks to restrict immigration to Ireland. It has not registered as a political party, but has run non-party candidates in elections.

Positions and organisation

The ICP has not applied for political party status,[2] although it is registered as a "Third Party" by the Standards in Public Office Commission[3] Its website describes it as follows:[4]

  • The aim of the organisation is to address the phenomenon of immigration to Ireland and to lobby Government for a tight immigration policy.
  • The organisation aims at a very rigorous policy in relation to asylum-seekers, refugees, and a determined response to all illegal immigration.
  • No one who holds views of racial superiority is welcome in the group.

ICP's main activities are writing letters to newspapers, issuing press releases, and maintaining a website.[5] It has also issued leaflets and occasionally held small protests and pickets.[5] It has an Executive Committee elected by the membership at its AGM. It claims to be funded by membership fees and private donations. Its leaders have described it as a single-issue group.[6] Judith Pryor interprets its policy as favouring white immigrants over non-whites.[1] ICP denies being racist.[7][8]

ICP has no policy on Irish illegal immigration to the United States, an issue sometimes linked with immigration to Ireland.[6] ICP candidate Ted Neville had himself spent time illegally in the United States.[9]

History

ICP's most prominent member is Áine Ní Chonaill, whose official title is public relations officer.[10] A schoolteacher from Clonakilty, she stood in Cork South-West in the 1997 general election as an independent on an anti-immigration platform, winning 0.84% of the first-preference vote.[11] The election came early in the Celtic Tiger economic boom and an increase in asylum seekers from Eastern Europe and further afield. ICP was founded at a meeting organised by Ní Chonaill in Ennis on 13 January 1998.[12] The meeting was disrupted by anti-racism activists, and the venues of later ICP conferences was not disclosed in advance.[12][13]

Harry McGee in 2003 described Irish media coverage of ICP as disproportionate to its small size and generally hostile to its views.[10] ICP has refused to tell the media or Oireachtas how many members it has.[14][15]

In 2003 Ní Chonaill along with then-chairman John Oakes attended a discussion on immigration at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights.[16] Ní Chonaill felt that a January 2003 Supreme Court decision, which permitted deportation of illegal immigrants with Irish-born children, did not go far enough.[16][17] ICP supported the successful 2004 referendum which restricted citizenship by birth, a practice ICP said encouraged birth tourism by pregnant illegal immigrants. Ní Chonaill and Ted Neville of ICP spoke at the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on 1 April 2015.[6][15] Anne Ferris was made to withdraw a comment comparing ICP's views to Auschwitz.[6][15]

Elections
ICP candidates in elections
DateCandidateElectionConstituency1st-pref %
[n 1]		Refs
2002Áine Ní ChonaillGeneralDublin South-Central2.1[11]
2002Ted Neville GeneralCork South Central0.67[18]
2004Pat Talbot LocalDublin City Council, Cabra1.65[7][19]
2004Ted Neville LocalCork City Council, South Central1.44[18]
2007Pat Talbot GeneralDublin Central0.69[19]
2007John Donnelly GeneralDublin North0.52[20]
2007Ted Neville GeneralCork South Central1.36[18]
2009Pat Talbot By-electionDublin Central2.16[19]
2011Ted Neville [n 2]GeneralCork South Central0.82[18]
Note
  1. Percentage of valid first-preference votes cast for the candidate.
  2. Neville stood in 2011 under the label of "Irish Solidarity Party" (which is not a registered party).[18][21]

General election results
Election Seats won ± Position First Pref votes % Government Leader
2007
0 / 166
0
12		 1,329 0.06 No seats Áine Ní Chonaill

See also

References
  1. Pryor, Judith (2007-08-09). "'In the name of God and of the dead generations': Proclaiming the Irish Republic". Constitutions: Writing Nations, Reading Difference. Routledge. pp. 47, 77 (fn.1). ISBN 9781134082926. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  2. Focus - General Election 2007, Irish Times, 19 May 2007
  3. "Register of Third Parties". sipo.ie. Archived from the original on 2018-05-28.
  4. About Us, on Immigration Control Platform's website
  5. Quinn, Emma (2008). "Organisations and Agencies". Handbook on Immigration and Asylum in Ireland 2007. ESRI. pp. 263–4. ISBN 9780707002743. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. Duffy, Rónán (1 April 2015). "Oireachtas told: 'lllegal immigrants are giving two fingers to the State'". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  7. McCárthaigh, Seán (27 May 2004). "Putting Irish people first". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  8. Millar, Scott (12 January 2010). "Irish far right groups remain on the margins of political life". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  9. Freyne, Patrick (25 November 2011). "Pride and blatant prejudice". The Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  10. McGee, Harry (2003). "Media response to asylum". In Fraser, Ursula; Harvey, Colin J. (eds.). Sanctuary in Ireland, Perspectives on Asylum Law and Policy. Institute of Public Administration. p. 201. ISBN 9781904541042. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  11. "Aine Ni Chonaill". ElectionsIreland. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  12. "Meeting of new anti-immigration group in Ennis disrupted by groups of protesters". The Irish Times. 14 January 1998. p. 6. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  13. "Racist slur on meeting". The Mirror. London: via HighBeam Research. 21 August 1998. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. Edwards, Elaine (1 April 2015). "Report on improving system for asylum seekers due 'in weeks'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 April 2015. Asked by independent TD Finian McGrath how many members her organisation had, Ms Ní Chonaill said she had never given that answer to journalists and would “not allow them to get it now indirectly”.
  15. "Undocumented Migrants: Immigration Control Platform". Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality proceedings. Oireachtas. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  16. "Immigration Bill 2002: Presentations". Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights proceedings. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  17. "Lobe & Osayande v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform". Dublin: Courts Service. 23 January 2003. pp. [2003] 1 I.R. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  18. "Ted Neville". ElectionsIreland. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  19. "Pat Talbot". ElectionsIreland. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  20. "John Donnelly2". ElectionsIreland. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  21. "Ted Neville". Candidates 2011. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
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