Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have had some very positive developments in the past 30 years, including the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Good Friday Agreement, the visit of the Queen to the Republic of Ireland and the visit of our President to the UK. I am very concerned about the current situation. The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly met Professor Michael Dougan, who is a professor of European Law at the University of Liverpool. He argued that the four EU freedoms, namely, the free movement of people, goods, capital and services cannot be implemented in the context of what is happening in the UK. The political establishment in the UK has gone missing. This is like a car crash. It is so serious in terms of its potential impact on peace on the island of Ireland. The British Government is saying that it will be all right on the night. Others are saying that the EU might put the boot in but there are things that the EU simply cannot do. I ask that Professor Dougan be invited to speak to this committee to outline the serious consequences of Brexit. British politicians have said that it will be all right on the night, that they can do this and that but this is extremely serious and if we do not address it, we will be in a very difficult position.

As others have rightly stated, people here were shocked at the referendum result, especially given that the majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. I have three particular concerns. First, we cannot have a border on the island of Ireland. A border would be a rallying call for dissidents and would be unworkable. The only place that we should see a border is in the Irish Sea, between the island of Ireland and the United Kingdom. I am stating a political fact here. This is fact because there is no other way that can be implemented. Second, we must think outside the box and as Deputy Brendan Smith rightly said, we need an all-Ireland forum. We already have the North-South Ministerial Council, the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the North-South Interparliamentary Association, all of which are good in themselves. However, what is happening at the European level is critical. At present, there is an average of 26 meetings per day taking place in the EU and the members of Irish and British negotiating teams are working together but that will not continue. We must look at other ways to unite the people of this country and the United Kingdom. There are areas that we must explore - not necessarily the Commonwealth - in terms of strengthening those links. There are strong business and diplomatic links between the UK and Ireland which must be strengthened. We must find ways to support the Good Friday Agreement and to secure our country's future.

Does the Minister have a view on other aspects of maintaining political links? How can we establish cultural, historical and economic links? We need to talk about these matters now because nobody else is talking about them apart from us here on the island of Ireland. We have been let down by the establishment and by the people who voted against as a protest vote. They did not think about peace on the island of Ireland or of the Good Friday Agreement.