Mr. Bertie Ahern:

To return to a point made by Senator Joe O'Reilly, I should have said it did not only have to do with tariffs. Some analysts in the United Kingdom have said the added non-tariff costs as a result of Brexit could be between 5% and 10%. We have to include them in the equation also.

There has been reference to new costs at customs checks, inspections, regulatory compliance, more intrusive paperwork and delays and distribution. We should be trying to minimise those. The UK has an additional problem because there are 34 EU regulatory agencies that it will need to replicate. There will be many people on the move and it is a significant cost factor.

The Good Friday Agreement is an international agreement and nobody, therefore, has the right to arbitrarily do anything about it. That is quite clear and we have every right to challenge that if anyone tries, which I do not think they would. There would be strong support in the United Nations and the EU for the Agreement and I do not think the UK will try to change it. It was stated that the vote in Scotland was ignored, but that was a UK vote.

As I said to Senator Daly, we should use that to our strength in arguing our points in terms of references to the EU already being in place. Now that the UK is pulling out of the EU, it gives us the right to argue these points in the negotiations and to be able to come in strongly on some of these issues. As I said, that does not apply to trade issues because that involves the governance of the 27 member states.

Michel Barnier understands this really well. I walked the Border with him when we tried and succeeded in getting money for regional funding. He understands the process and we should not underestimate the man. He has had and continues to have a very good feel for Ireland - I have known him for 18 years. I was delighted when he was appointed because he understands the Good Friday Agreement, the sensitivities involved and the differences on the island of Ireland.

My issue with the Border poll is different. As Senator Reilly said, we now have an opportunity which we should not turn into a negative. We have an opportunity to be helpful to the Unionist people and to work with them to try to deal with the legacies of the past in a positive way. We need to advise them that there is significant merit in an all-island economy and dealing with Europe together. There are significant possibilities in terms of developing relationships, and our State vehicles can help in this regard.

Senator McDowell will remember the North-South bodies in the early years. They can be very positive and we can work on areas such as health. Brexit will involve trade. We need to work with agencies and not look to the negative. I am not saying that there are no negatives, rather on the day we hold a poll on a united Ireland I want a sizeable number of Unionists and loyalists, whom I respect and have worked with for a quarter of a century, to be with us and agree that it is a good idea. That is the day we will have a united Ireland. I do not think we can say that because 55% of those who voted last year voted to remain, they will be with us on a Border poll. We know the answer to that question.

I am not arguing for or against anything. Over the next three years, we have the chance to positively change the attitude of people, including farmers, fishermen, businesspeople and those running community projects on the Shankill Road and Falls Road, and come together positively.

I have no difficulty with the other issues, including the bill of rights and the equality agenda, and I agree with the Senator that we should implement them. We want to get ourselves into a positive frame of mind. The last thing we should do is to be seen in Europe as in any way arguing among ourselves on the island of Ireland. The best way to get the best deal for Ireland, whether that involves a special status or whatever happens following the negotiations, is to work together.

Stormont needs to work. There needs to be very active meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council, in particular, and the British-Irish Council, and current and future Ministers need to work actively in cohesion with Ministers from the Executive. This is a game we should play. One knows what happens when one is driving on a motorway and looks behind the car. It is best to drive on.