One of the more under-reported pieces of news at the moment is that the Guards are to drop the entry requirement for Gaelic. This has (we are reliably informed) today already produced the first inquiries on joining the force by Polish immigrants here. There've been big changes in the make-up of Irish society in the past decade, but this is going to be nothing to adjusting to the large Polish community growing here.

The decision to open the Gardaí is welcome as a necessary step to help absorb these newcomers. It has also sparked a good deal of comment - much of it, particularly from Norn Iron quarters and especially from 'Reform Movement' Unionists members, laughable - on Slugger.

Which brings us neatly on to the subject of Polish immigrants to the UK and to Free Stater's most reliable source of entertaining bigotry, namely David Vance over at A Tangled Bigot Web. Our favourite Little Englander writes:

"August 24, 2005

BRITAIN JOINS SOVIET BLOC

The Daily Telegraph reports that nearly a quarter of a million workers from the east European countries that joined the EU in 2004 have arrived to work in Britain over the past year - more than 15 times the Home Office estimate, official figures showed yesterday. Half the new workers are from Poland and are predominantly in their 20s. Can't say I'm surprised - everywhere one goes there are Poles. Even in my local rural village - there are Poles. There are more now more Poles in the UK than telegraph poles. It's a multicultural EU driven bonanza!

I'm with Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migrationwatch UK think-tank, who has said: ''The Home Office must reduce the number of work permits granted to people from outside the EU to compensate for this very large inflow.'' But they won't. The UK has abandoned any notion of control over its borders and thus the Eastern Europeans swarm into our wonderful Welfare State. And when they;ve been here long enough to acquire a vote - which party do you think they will lend their support? Vote Labour - it's the Party of Poland.

Posted by DV on August 24, 2005 at 11:02 AM "

Now, it's easy with Vancie to quickly develop a sense of outrage fatigue (let's face it: the guy's clearly a few pallets short of a Twelfth bonfire). And reminding Poles of the Soviet Bloc is a sure sign of a lack of any sense of good taste (we suggest he tests it out on Poles of -ahem- slighter build first. He might also beware of the Polish women, whose civil defence training back home has some rather martial components to it, or so we've heard).

But we cannot help feeling a sense of deja vu in DV's evident Churchillian resolve to fight them on the beaches, etc., when we recall how the Greater Majority of Ulster fretted in the post-WWII Stormont parliament over whether or not to ban fleeing Polish refugees from resettling in the province (see Fisk's In Time Of War). Balance of sectarian demographics and all that, y'see. Perhaps Davey could commemorate the occasion with a banner with something nostalgic written on it, such as "No Papists Wanted Here"?

Just a helpful suggestion.

We'll end with the legendary verdict of Newton Emerson on our Sassanach hero:

"I've got to admit I'm also appalled at David Vance's reaction to this, although it may be coloured by his particular animus against people who get published elsewhere but the letter's page.............I am genuinely surprised by this and frankly quite revolted. Who knew David Vance could hide almost as much hypocrisy behind that little moustache as Gerry Adams hides behind a whole beard?"

Who indeed?