Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. While of the news of the vote last Friday morning has superseded everything else happening in this country and in Europe and it is an issue we must address urgently in the House, in many ways it is too early to do that today. People throughout Europe are still reeling at the decision. It is a surprise, given that there was an expectation that the vote was likely to go the other way. Now that it has happened, it is laying bare the complete lack of preparation in the UK, and in many ways in this country, for the vote going this way. It is only as time passes that the full implications of that historic vote are beginning to dawn on people. It will be some time before we can fully grasp exactly what it means for the future of the EU and of Anglo-Irish relations and especially the implications for society and the economy in this country. It is important to get an initial reaction from Members of the House but we will have to return to this in a more effective way over the next few weeks. Undoubtedly, we will do that. Today, we can only raise questions about the issues that have been, and are being, raised by the result of the vote last Thursday.

It is important to state that, irrespective of our fears and concerns and our views about the wisdom of the vote that was taken, we must respect the democratic wishes of the British people. There are many different ways of analysing the wishes that were expressed in the vote on Thursday. We can find fault with or criticise elements of the campaign and certainly much of the fear-mongering that took place during the campaign, but ultimately we must respect the decision as a democratic decision and work with that. Of course, there is no pretending other than that the result of the decision by the British people is exceptionally disappointing from this country's point of view. It would be disappointing for any of the EU member states to withdraw at this point but given that the UK is the country with which we have most in common, it is particularly disappointing and its implications are very far reaching for many aspects of life in this country.

It is a huge leap into the unknown and the uncertainty created, in itself, over the next few weeks and months could do serious damage to both the economy in the UK and the economy in this country. Who knows what the long-term implications will be for the European Union? Many financial and political risks are thrown up by this decision. The longer they are left to fester, the greater is the potential for damage. For that reason, we are all concerned about the potential for a vacuum being created while at the same time acknowledging the need to reflect. Getting that balance right will be a challenge for all of us.

This vote represents a very significant loss for Ireland. Ireland has lost a very strong partner in Europe, a partner with which we have exceptionally close cultural and economic ties. There are hundreds of thousands of Irish-born people living in the UK, and all of us have family members living there. Furthermore, there are millions of people of Irish descent living in the UK. Britain is the only EU member state with which we share a land border and is the only other officially recognised English speaking member state. Our peripheral position in the EU has undoubtedly become worse. We have become far more isolated as a result of this decision.

Ireland's loss goes much further than simply its relationship with Britain, however. The loss of Britain to the EU could have enormous repercussions for the European project. A weaker EU weakens Ireland. A weak pound hurts Irish exports to Britain and hurts British tourism to Ireland. A Britain that is free to set its own standards on various issues such as food safety, environmental standards and workers' rights could seriously undercut Irish businesses. Of course, the implications for Northern Ireland are enormous. A total of 87% of farm income in Northern Ireland comes from the EU. The agrifood business is very much on an all-Ireland basis and the negative impacts are obvious for the entire island in this regard. The PEACE programme has provided funding from the EU regional fund for Northern Ireland and the Border counties and that is now in doubt.

Northern Ireland and Scotland, as component nations of the UK, chose to remain within the European Union. It is fundamentally undemocratic to force withdrawal on parts of the UK that have given a clear democratic decision that they wish to remain within the EU. The prospect of the return of a hard border at some stage in the future is an issue we must address. There is an urgent need to clarify this as it is crucial to investment on both sides of the Border. This jurisdiction will not be able to control decisions relating to a new Border and how it will be policed and organised. Those decisions will be taken by the EU. Obviously, we must insist that we are centrally involved in being consulted on that, but ultimately it is the EU that will decide it rather than it being an agreement between Ireland and the UK. This is happening just as life was settling down for people in Northern Ireland and they were starting to get on with normal business. It throws all of the progress that has been made up into the air and creates huge uncertainty about the future prospects of Northern Ireland.

What is next for Britain? Undoubtedly, an orderly exit is vital. We urgently require clarity on whether the UK will remain as a member of the EEA. Ireland now finds itself in the same position as Finland, with an external EU border on its frontier. We must have a discussion on what type of relationship the UK wishes to have with Ireland, dealing with a multitude of issues such as what will happen with the Border, what the voting arrangements will be for UK citizens living in Ireland and Irish citizens living in the UK and the arrangements for funding of Irish students in UK third level colleges. There is no doubt that there are some positives. Assuming the withdrawal of Britain from the EU is managed smoothly, it represents, potentially, a significant opportunity for Ireland. Britain has traditionally been one of the best EU member states at attracting foreign investment. Ireland is uniquely positioned to attract much of the business which wishes to maintain a presence in the EU in an English speaking state.

There are lessons that we will learn in time and which we will have to address. Ultimately, the lessons relate to the way in which the EU has operated and the fact that it has been seen, both in this country and clearly in the UK, as a Union which serves the interests of the elites more than those of the people. That is the big challenge for the EU in the future. The response in recent days, certainly of the founding states, has not been encouraging in that regard. They do not appear to have learned the lessons. We in this country are very well aware of those lessons and we must play our part in ensuring that we can change the direction of the EU to make it a Union of peoples rather than elites. That is the biggest challenge arising out of this.

See this speech in context