Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Professor McCrudden and his group at Queen's University on the first Brexit debate I attended. It was excellently prepared and the contributors were truly wonderful. Certainly, it sent me back home thinking that we were somewhat behind the curve in comparison to where those guys were on that evening.

We had a group in this morning whose members were talking about how Northern Ireland had been disenfranchised with the will of the people not being observed in circumstances where 56% of them voted against Brexit. As a democrat, I hold the view that if one is a citizen of the United Kingdom, it is tough luck if one province happens to go against the majority. Majority rules and that is the bedrock of democracy. Having said that, however, the Good Friday Agreement changed everything. There is no other part of Europe that is covered by an agreement like it. There is no other citizen in Europe who has a right to hold two passports and to claim citizenship of both the Republic and the United Kingdom. Technically, if all 1.8 million people in Northern Ireland decided to apply for Irish passports, where would it leave the United Kingdom's dogged position of no access to the Court of Justice and "We are all in or we are all out"? It is not possible to tell 1.8 million people who have a right to be citizens of the Republic, by virtue of which fact they would be citizens of the European Union also, that one is going to write off their wishes. That runs contrary to my democracy argument that it is tough luck that the United Kingdom, of which the North is part, decided to leave the European Union. We are talking about unique circumstances.

I take on board a great deal of what Senator McDowell said. In coming up with a special solution, a treaty is probably the only way forward. It is something I have just heard for the first time but it seems like an ideal solution. I am interested in those areas of dual citizenship and the notion of whether one can really force one's will on a community which is separate and distinct from the island of England, Scotland and Wales where 56% of them do not want to be part of that decision and are de factoEuropean citizens in any event.