Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In recent years, with EU institutions appearing to be led more by the head than by the heart, many people have begun to question the wisdom of the European project. The fundamental importance of union has slipped out of view. There are people in this Chamber whose parents lived through not just one great war but two. When I was growing up, a dictator called Franco was still ruling with an iron fist in Spain and another dictator called Salazar ruled in Portugal while a group of colonels took over Greece and snuffed out democracy. The EU has been an essential force not just in building peace but in spreading democracy. Similarly, it has been an essential force not just in promoting prosperity but equality and human rights. It was the EU which put equal pay and other rights for women firmly on the agenda and prioritised the rights of people with disabilities. That approach to human rights, including women's rights and the rights of particular groups such as people with disabilities or minorities, brought about many changes in Ireland in the past number of decades.

When the standing of the EU was at its highest, countries were queuing up to join. I think in particular of the situation after the collapse of communism in eastern Europe. Now, sadly, we are looking at a situation where one member state is considering the option of leaving. I believe that would be a terrible mistake that would have consequences not just for the UK but for Ireland and the EU as a whole.

This is a year that underscores the degree to which Ireland and the UK are intertwined. On one hand, we are commemorating 1916 and the Rising that sparked the flame of independence from the British Empire. As we speak, President Higgins is in Kerry recalling a member of the British establishment who was executed for taking part in the 1916 Rising. We are at a unique moment in Irish history when we recall the relationship between the UK and Ireland down through the centuries. We acknowledge that over the past 25 years, as we gradually worked towards peace in the North, relations between Ireland and the UK are closer than they have ever been.

When we broach the issue of Brexit, we do not do so in an attempt to interfere in the decision of a sovereign state. We do so because our economies, societies and histories and the fates of our people are intertwined and the UK's decision will have implications for Ireland. This is why I suggested that we hold this debate today as a matter of priority because the referendum is drawing nearer and we must be ready come what may. In nine weeks' time - little more than the short period during which we have been teasing out Government formation - the people of the UK will go to the polls on this vital issue. The Government's position is clear and has been for some time. We want the UK as our friend, closest neighbour and partner to remain a member of a reformed EU.

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The word “reformed” is important in this context. As a social democrat, as someone who believes that the single best protection against poverty is secure and fairly paid work, I was appalled by the EU’s initial response to the financial crisis. It was too slow, dictated from the centre, and ideologically blinkered in approach. As a Minister from 2011, I repeatedly argued, together with my colleagues in the Labour Party, that the EU needed to shift from austerity towards a policy based on investment, growth and job creation, with full employment the central target.

I pressed the case for that shift at European level at every opportunity, something I continued to do when I became Tánaiste and Labour Party leader. Thankfully, the EU’s approach did change, even if the pace of change was frustratingly slow. From the EU-wide Youth Guarantee to help young people find work, training and education, to the ECB’s attempts to boost member state economies, the EU finally got onto a better track. I mention this because it is perfectly legitimate for European citizens to have questions and doubts about, and to be disappointed with, the EU. However, I still fundamentally believe that all member states, including Ireland and the UK, are stronger within. The task we face is to restore the great solidarity that underpinned the European ideal because that solidarity will be essential if we are to tackle today’s global challenges. Going it alone is not really an option when we talk about climate change, terrorism and the myriad other challenges that face different societies and countries today. We are stronger working together. The migration crisis is the latest and tragic demonstration of that. The same can be said for terrorism, with the horrors of the attacks in Belgium and France to the fore in our minds. No single member state can combat that spectre alone. Energy security, climate change and a world economy that recognises no borders are just some of the other spectres. We want the UK to remain because, as a general principle, we are stronger working together in a globalised world.

There are also three specific reasons we want the UK to stay. The first is the economy. More than €1 billion worth of goods and services are traded every week between the UK and Ireland. Anything that might get in the way of the seamless flow of goods, services, capital and people between our two countries is not welcome. The second is the North. The EU has been an important factor in sustaining peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland. John Hume, as the leading architect of the peace process, was, I believe, the first person to recognise that and to seek to involve the EU intrinsically as a guarantor and friend of the peace process. Much-needed funding, including through programmes such as PEACE and INTERREG, will provide almost €3 billion in the years to 2020. North-South co-operation is much easier when both jurisdictions are members of the same Union. I cannot remember when we last had border posts. They are gone and who would want to see any semblance of, or reference to, their returning?

The third reason relates to the EU institutions. The UK is an important, influential voice at the table in Brussels. We are allies on many of the key issues facing the EU. The withdrawal of the UK would weaken the Union both in substance and reputation at a time of serious challenges. Should the UK vote to leave, we would enter uncharted waters and a period of instability that could be enormously damaging to Ireland at a time when we have just begun to get back on our feet. That is why it is crucially important that there is a clear understanding of the issues.

Irrespective of the outcome of the UK referendum, Ireland as a competitive, diversified and global economy will remain a committed member of the EU and a full member of the eurozone. As a small, open economy, we value our access to a Single Market of more than 500 million people, but we also recognise that the project has been tarnished, that it has lost traction in recent decades, and that we must tackle this problem. The European model worked extremely well for many of its first 50 years, when member states developed a rough consensus on how to tackle economic and societal issues. Many of the solutions put in place were those advocated by parties of the centre left such as the Labour Party: the welfare state, public health services, workers’ rights, women’s emancipation and social dialogue. There truly was a social Europe.

In recent years, leading up to and after the financial crisis, policy shifted to the right, the consensus weakened, progress stalled and we have not faced today’s great challenges with the vigour or sense of fairness that Europe brought to tackling them in the past. The only way to do that is to work together to restore the social Europe to the benefit of all our people. As Jean Monnet said, “beyond [people’s] differences and geographical boundaries, there lies a common interest”. For Irish citizens living in the UK, the proposed referendum poses real challenges. As people return home and holiday here, there should be a clear message for those living in Britain and those of us at home that Irish society has benefited enormously from involvement in the EU. Before we successfully negotiated our entry into the EU, a series of studies led by the OECD found that if Ireland was to prosper and develop investment and industry, it had to invest in education in order that people could find employment. That became one of the reasons for the social agreement in Ireland to invest in education and opportunity - so that people could get employment and build businesses. Not only did that help to grow the EU but it had enormous dividends for us here in Ireland and for many in the UK.

I wish people in the UK well during this debate and say to them that we respect absolutely citizens' right to vote as they decide what is best for them and the United Kingdom, but to those with links to Ireland I say we feel we have done well out of this and would like to see our friend, neighbour and trading partner stay with the EU. Let us have the debate on reforming it as necessary, but in a globalised world we need to work together and not separate.

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