Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a few more questions. Reference was made to the Dunnes Stores strikers. Although I was very young, I was on the picket line with those workers. That provided us with an opportunity to show real leadership. We were ahead of our time. Trade unionists, such as myself, and broader society should be proud of the leadership we showed. We have been told repeatedly that Ireland punches well above its weight at EU level. Do the witnesses have any views on the options or opportunities that are available to us within the EU to bring about an outright ban on trade with illegal settlements? That is what is needed. Is it a realistic prospect? We should bear in mind that, when Mary Manning refused to handle those oranges, she was not told that it would start something big and change the world, despite it being very doable. In fact, she was told there was no point, that a political decision cannot be overturned, that it would never work and that she was just one woman and that this was just a small country hanging off the edge of Europe. Despite that, look at what we did. I take great heart from that campaign and that strike. Do the witnesses see such opportunities for us within the EU given that we have a deserved reputation for punching well above our weight?