Ireland is the New Sweden
Sweden was once the epitome of open borders naiveite. Has that dubious distinction now passed to Ireland?
Ireland is the new Sweden. By this, I mean the Sweden that championed open borders naiveite in the period between the 2015 refugee crisis and the 2023 Swedish election that saw these reckless policies abandoned. But as Sweden moves to restore some degree of order to migration, Ireland has emerged as the new standard bearer of open borders in Europe.
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Captain Sweden
There was a time Sweden was as left wing and open borders as they come. A country proud of its social welfare state, it neutrality and its big heart for the world’s poor. These were the animating characteristics of the Swedish establishment for decades. This really came to a head in the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis, when Germany’s Angela Merkel invited the world to Europe. As Hungary built walls, Britain voted to leave the EU to control its borders, and countries like Denmark announced welfare cuts to migrants, Sweden still held the line.
Unfortunately, this open hearts and open borders stance did not do Sweden any favors. In the years that followed, Sweden saw a rapid collapse in public safety. There was a rise in crime, including increases in ghoulish crimes like rape and gang rape. The Swedish government tried awkwardly to play this down, and refused to publish statistics on crimes committed by migrants in the belief this would make the problem go away. But it would not.
In addition to these crimes, organized criminal gangs moved in to Sweden and began fighting for control of the drug trade. This saw Swedish towns turned into battle zones as crimes like drive by shootings and bombings, crimes that were unheard of prior to open borders, became regular occurrences. Police and witnesses in court cases have also been targeted by the gangs in tactics reminiscent of a Mexican cartel. This is appropriate given that Mexico and Sweden are now first and second place respectively in global league tables for the ‘Most Bombed Countries Not Officially At War’ stakes.
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The nature of Sweden’s almost complete capitulation on border security was most cruelly captured in the ‘Captain Sweden’ meme, which portrayed the spoof superhero simply watching as crimes occurred, while onlookers expressed their admiration of how tolerant he was being. For a polite but quietly proud people, this crude meme, and the very real social problems it ridiculed was hurtful.
Things changed quickly. The formerly pariah Sweden Democrats, the only party taking about border security, saw their vote leap up in four elections in a row. By 2023, their numbers were at record highs in the Swedish parliament, and their votes make them kingmakers. They have successfully pushed for a ban on ISIS ‘returnees’ coming back to Sweden, restricted access to Swedish citizenship and restricted work permits to foreign workers. Sweden left it late, but it appears the green shoots of recovery and revival are showing.
Ireland Takes the Crown
While Sweden saw the light and drew back from open borders, Ireland did the opposite. The migrants who head for Europe are very keen watchers of policy and always looking for the next place to go. Places that cut benefit payments, insist on border checks, do not offer housing, and restrict family reunification are places they tend to be less attracted to.
Ireland was an attractive target for several reasons. After Brexit was finalized, Britain left the EU and migrants with a preference for English-speaking countries had one less option. Adding to this was the fact that Britain introduced the Rwanda scheme to send migrants to Rwanda for offshore processing, a highly unattractive prospect for the migrants. Prior to Brexit and Rwanda, Britain was like a moon whose gravity sucked asteroids away from the earth. In this case the moon (Britain) magnetically pulled away asteroids (migrants) from reaching the earth (Ireland), but this was all changing.
One factor was Brexit’s deal on the border in Ireland. Under the terms of EU withdrawal, the border would remain ‘soft’, and lack physical barriers and routine checks. This meant that Ireland’s only land border was wide open, and for migrants, this was ideal. Many began pouring in from the UK/Northern Ireland, with no border patrols to check or filter them. Statistics from the Irish government suggest that 80 percent of asylum applications in 2024 were made in Dublin, not at an airport or ferry port. This strongly suggests the migrants arrived by land and did not encounter the checks one would get in an airport or ferry port. BBC statistics suggest a figure exceeding 90 percent.
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This was Ireland’s asylum applications surge to over 13,000 per year in 2022 and 2023, compared to just 4,500 in 2019 before COVID border closures skewed statistics downwards. These applications exceeded anything the Irish state could absorb, and as Dublin’s shelters overflowed, unsightly tents worthy of any shanty town in the Global South sprung up by the Grand Canal. The Irish government began to disperse migrants into the Irish interior, forcing hundreds of unvetted men into small communities.
Political Class: Ireland in 2024 is Sweden in 2015
The abiding characteristics of this are the Irish establishment’s refusal to address popular concern. Much like the Swedish politicians in the 2015-2023 period, there was a belief complaints on immigration could only be motivated by racism. Ireland’s establishment also blamed foreign players from the U.S. and British “far right” for whipping up sentiment.
There was the insistence that Ireland could not betray its reputation as a neutral country with a global heart. Much like Sweden’s insistence it was a ‘humanitarian superpower’ with a duty to take one and all, Ireland’s elite insisted that Cead Mile Failte must endure and unlike those evil racist Brexiteers in the UK, or the apostate Swedes, Ireland was welcoming to all.
Unfortunately in Ireland, as in Sweden before it, it is not the political class who are paying the price for this moral grand standing. Ordinary communities are being used as the testing ground for “no-questions-asked” immigration. These communities do not like it. The large scale protests against migration have demonstrated a dramatic shift in the mood in Ireland.
Sweden Snaps Out of It. Ireland Will Too
The Swedes did eventually realize the error of their ways. Unfortunately they endured much in the meantime, and the problems associated with the open borders years are still with them. That said, it is a testament to their open mindedness that they were willing to break from their traditional liberalism and overcome establishment and media pounding about how any border control would be ‘racist’ and they must endure the negative impact of migration no matter what.
Ireland will go the same way. As the problems associated with mass migration pile up, many Irish voters will conclude (correctly) that there is nothing wrong with drawing lines with your hospitality. An open welcome to all is one thing, but there are those who would abuse that welcome. Ireland can and will follow Sweden, but it may not take anything like the time it took the Swedes.