Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

UK Referendum on EU Membership: Discussion

10:50 am

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates. The problem for the European Union is that, on one hand, it cannot be seen to give Britain too much. The UK must be given enough to encourage its people to vote to stay in the Union. On the other hand, however, if too much is ceded, there is a danger that other member states will try for the same. The delegates must attempt to marry those two considerations. I do not see how we can change the fundamental pillar of EU membership that is the concept and practice of the free movement of peoples within the Union and the expectation of a uniformity of application in respect of workers' rights. Ireland is a small country and we have managed that well. When ten new member states joined the EU in 2004, we were one of the few countries not to impose any restrictions on persons from those states coming here. That was not universally welcomed by the population but we did it. It could be argued, of course, that it led subsequently to difficulties for us as we faced severe economic challenges. The point is that there are both gains and losses in being a member of the Union. For me, the gains far outweigh any potential losses.

We must move relatively quickly in this negotiation process so that the question can be put to the British people as soon as possible. It is at that point in the course of the referendum campaign that voters, when all the aspects of membership of the Union are put starkly to them, will make up their minds. The delegates are aware of the decisions we have had to take in the past in respect of the failure to pass certain treaties and so on. When the politics was stripped away and those who have a real stake in society, whether they be employers, support organisations or other groups, got to have their say, it gelled with voters. I have great faith in the capacity of the British people over time to see the benefits they gain from membership of the EU.

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