Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses may have already dealt with the issue of the loss of the UK from Ireland's perspective from the point of view of influence and if so, ignore it.

My third question or issue is around citizen's dialogue. It is exciting and interesting that it is online because it makes such a difference. At those kinds of meetings in the past, one would be lucky to get 20 people to attend, and generally, those 20 people had their minds already made up. It is great that is getting such participation and numbers.

How much difficulty do the witnesses find in explaining where the EU can and cannot act and for citizens to understand that, perhaps, the request he or she makes may lead to unforeseen outcomes? My experience is that most citizens do not differentiate between what happens at EU level and national level. Since the 2008 crisis, most Irish people think the EU is all-powerful and can do whatever it wants. It can be difficult to differentiate, therefore, between the power of the EU and the national level.

How do the witnesses approach that?