ABSTRACT
Since the 1990s both Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) have seen significant migratory pressures. Concerns were initially raised in each country about the numbers of asylum-seekers, although citizens in both countries appeared quite sanguine about people coming to live and work in their country. Nevertheless, immigration has often been one of the most salient issues in the British political debate. It has been less high-profile in Ireland, although many social concerns linked to immigration, especially relating to pressures on public services and English-language teaching, have been on the Irish political agenda. In contrast to most continental European states, the UK and Ireland have not seen the emergence of effective far-right parties. Thus, it has been left to mainstream parties to respond to concerns about immigration control and immigrant integration. In fact, centre-right and centre-left have appeared to converge: they may vie for a tougher rhetorical stance but there is little evidence that the centre-right parties currently in opposition in the UK or Ireland would behave very differently from the ruling parties if they were to take office. Contemporary debates often seem to be just that — wars of words highlighting rhetorical differences rather than signalling a genuine intention to implement distinctive policies.
