Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I attended a conference last week in Brussels where Brexit was the main topic of discussion. At that conference I got the distinct impression that there was a definite desire to teach the UK a hard lesson. While 26 of our partners might wish to do that, a hard lesson for the UK will be a very hard lesson for Ireland. Does the Commissioner accept that? Does the Commission have a clear set of principles under which it will negotiate with Britain under Article 50, and does the Commission have the confidence to carry through those principles?

I will deal with the nationalism aspect shortly, but I am concerned that part of the problem that led to Brexit is the desire of governments to distance themselves from the negotiations they enter into with the European Union. When they return home, they claim they were told by Brussels to do whatever it is, so Brussels is seen as the director of the worst possible inflictions that can be put on the Irish people. Has the Commission any plans to bring the governments together and get them to accept the fact that they negotiate these issues and must take responsibility for the results? It is not a question of the Commission imposing things on us but of our governments negotiating with the Commission and bringing back whatever they manage to negotiate. If they are poor negotiators, they should admit it. That is my view.

There is one area where the Commission has failed, and I wonder if the Commissioner agrees with me on this. There has been a rise of populism across the western world and a rise of extremism to a certain degree. That is fed by half truths and distortions. Why have the Commission and the European Parliament not done more to provide empirical evidence for citizens? The Commissioner might say they already do that, but for some reason it is not getting through. It is fair to say that the European Union is probably hated and loved equally by all citizens throughout Europe. We see it as dictating our daily life. When one walks into any major building or drives on a major road, one will see a sign stating that the project was funded by the European Union, yet we hate it. I find that paradox hard to reconcile.

Some of my colleagues have spoken quite eloquently about the Commission and the Apple case. The problem is that when the report emerged it was not a little more honest that several countries have allowed that to happen with Apple, if there was a tax case to be answered. My view of Ireland's membership of the European Union is somewhat similar to what I hear being said with regard to Britain's desire to keep trade open following Brexit. One cannot be a member of the club and not participate in it. One cannot be a member of the European Union and put nationalism ahead of that. Some people in Ireland would probably shoot me for saying that, but if we are members of the European Union we must have European citizens in every European city and village in the common area. We must sign up to be a part of Europe. We do not want to be just a part of all the nice things one can get, and not a part of all the things one does not like. We must try to work away from nationalism and towards a common goal.