A strong economy and a willingness to learn from other countries' mistakes will help the process of integrating Ireland's migrants and ensure that an anti-immigrant backlash is averted, according to Minister of State for Integration, Conor Lenihan.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Lenihan described his task as twofold: making sure there are no barriers to migrants succeeding in Irish society; and bringing the Irish population to "the point of maturity and understanding of what the issues are".
"My job is to make sure the new communities don't become a problem in terms of social cohesion in the future in this country - that we don't create pockets of disadvantage where it is largely compounded by it being a particular ethnic minority group clustered in a disadvantaged setting," he said.
A vigorous economy made it easier for the Irish population to see the benefits of inward migration, while the return of so many Irish emigrants who had spent time in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities served as a "tolerance valve" for public opinion, he suggested.
"It's happening against a background of success and affluence. We are quite different and we can be quite different in the way we plan for integration because of that," he added.
Since the Republic had received as many immigrants in 10 years as other European countries had in half a century, Mr Lenihan said it was remarkable there had been so few problems.
"It's remarkable first of all that the Irish public haven't responded in a very visceral way to inward migration and, second, that the political system has been robust enough to prevent . . . an outright right-wing crypto-fascist party emerging that is focused on being anti-immigrant."
However, Mr Lenihan accepted that public opinion could change and ventured that a significant force behind the rejection of the first Nice Treaty referendum was unease about potentially overwhelming immigration from central and eastern Europe. "That was a very pronounced anxiety among the public, which led to them rejecting what was a very good thing. That was one of the contributors silently moving through public opinion."
On the question of religious symbols, he reiterated his support for the Garda Síochána's decision to ban a Sikh reservist from wearing his turban - a stance for which he received "extraordinary support" from immigrants and others.
He suggested Ireland's diversity would in time lead to a further secularisation of the public sphere. "I think the State authorities are going to have to invest in this, but not overnight. We're not going to start taking down crosses and symbols of one kind or another . . . That's just empty gesturalism, to be honest with you.
"I think the most important thing here is to get the integration policies right and for the State to invest in the essentially egalitarian and small 'r' republican ethos of the State. And that can be done in a subtle and appropriate way by the State being studiously neutral - not by taking from one and giving to another."
Asked whether he was concerned about how migrant groups would respond to him after his reference to Turkish workers as "kebabs" some years ago, Mr Lenihan said he had established good ties with these groups as a backbencher and in his previous portfolio in Irish Aid.
"People know my reputation. I don't think they were going to judge me on the basis of one comment, which was intended as a light-hearted crack rather than any serious statement of policy."
