Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on the upcoming Brexit referendum, which has the potential to cause major changes, not just in the relationship between Britain and Ireland, but in relationships on the island of Ireland, in the event of a "Yes" vote to leave the European Union. As I am sure Members will be well aware, Sinn Féin's approach to engagement with the European Union is a critical one. We have made that position clear over the years of troika interference in the affairs of the State and in various EU referenda that have been put before the people over the past two decades. Our view is not, as some might portray, a position of blanket opposition for the sake of it, nor is it one, like the "Leave" position, borne out of a narrow nationalism driven by the UKIP party and the hard right of the Conservative Party in the UK.

Sinn Féin wants a different kind of EU. We want a social Europe constructed, where the undemocratic aspects of the current European architecture are reformed, and in which citizens and sovereign national parliaments have a greater say in formulating positive policy positions within the Union; and we want a Europe of equals, of partnership and solidarity in which member states in times of adversity work together in the spirit of internationalist co-operation to tackle problems we face collectively, and to work together to build opportunity and prosperity for citizens of our shared region. Whether that is when member states face economic difficulties, or when hundreds of thousands of displaced people look for our assistance as a prosperous and peaceful region of the world, a social Europe is possible. Over the past decade, the EU has clearly not lived up to that vision; but the prospect that part of our nation could end up outside the Union while the other part stays in is not a situation we wish to see. That will be the question facing millions of voters in Britain and up North on 23 June when citizens go to the polls to decide whether or not to leave the EU.

The referendum was proposed just over three years ago by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, under pressure from the likes of Nigel Farage and the hard right-wing of his Tory party. He said at the time that unprecedented levels of immigration were "undermining support for the EU" in Britain. There were also issues for the Tories surrounding welfare payments to migrants, closer EU co-operation and increasing political union among EU states. Two months ago, Cameron agreed a compromise deal which he claims meets his demands around reducing welfare and child benefit payments to migrants, provides for the ability to curb immigration to Britain and rejects closer political links within the Union. Such pronouncements are a clear illustration that the case for Brexit is not motivated or sustained by an alternative based on better strategies and policies, or democratic reform, but is rather the product of a growth of narrow, inward looking nationalism linked to conservative, Tory ideological interests and an unwillingness to assist in tackling the refugee crisis that Europe faces.

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