Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We have heard much today about respecting the ballot box and yet I have heard people condemning the outcome of the referendum and the people who took a decision with the ballot box as being right wing and racist. Was there any serious discussion at the European Council about why people took the Brexit decision and how the EU should respond? It seems there is an increasing mood across Europe against the EU. There is an article in The Daily Telegraph, for example, suggesting a tsunami of referendums that might take place across Europe, as there is potential for 33 referendums to be called by different states. Not all the people calling for those referendums are right wing and racist - far from it - and in one poll, nearly half of voters in eight big European states wanted to be able to vote on whether they should be a member of the European Union. In France, for example, there is a major strike ongoing against French and EU austerity, emanating from the EU neoliberal agenda. A poll indicates 38% of people in France had a favourable attitude to the EU and 62% had a negative attitude.

President Tusk, in writing about Brexit's outcome, indicates that it is clear that too many people in Europe are unhappy with the current state of affairs, on the national or European level, and they "expect us to do better".

There must be more serious discussion among the ruling elite in Europe as to why the fifth largest economy in the world has taken this decision.

Was there any discussion about the growing militarisation in Europe? The image we had of the EU in this Chamber is of a benevolent and progressive institution, but the image many people on the ground have is of an increasingly undemocratic institution, which is racist in the way that it is disgracefully corralled. The poorest people in the world, who are trying to escape war and poverty, much of the war generated by the EU, and trying to reach freedom, are being penned in in Turkey by the deal the EU has done. It congratulated itself on that deal, saying it has made its borders secure, by keeping out some of the poorest people in the world. It is an incredible state of affairs.

Finally, in respect of events in Britain, does the Taoiseach have a response to the Chilcot report? The Chilcot report has been released in the last hour and it essentially finds that the British Government of the time, and Tony Blair in particular, chose to join the invasion of Iraq before all other peaceful options had been exhausted. It is now becoming crystal clear how the British Civil Service and the British Government duped others into believing there was a serious threat, regarding weapons of mass destruction and 45 minutes. I read an article and the EU summit agreed with that decision. This was two days after millions of ordinary people across Europe marched against the threat of war. We had one of the biggest marches in this country on that issue. Two days after that, the EU met in Brussels and agreed a resolution that expressly approved that war - it approved it as a last resort, but nonetheless it approved it - and condemned Saddam Hussein, etc. The impression is being given that the EU is a wonderful institution, which is neutral, benevolent, or whatever.

I made this point yesterday and I wonder if the Taoiseach would agree that actually there have been some very good developments in Britain since the Brexit result. David Cameron is gone, Boris Johnson is gone, and Nigel Farage is gone. Within the British Labour Party we have a battle for the leadership of the party, with the Blairite pro-war people who duped everybody and who have blood on their hands trying to oust Jeremy Corbyn. I am hoping the Taoiseach will send a message of support to Jeremy Corbyn following the Chilcot report for being on the right side of history on that occasion, because I think he should be sent that message. There will be a battle, but I think the membership will win and there could be a left-wing trend in the British Labour Party. There will be a general election and possibly a left Labour Party, so it is not all bad, actually. In terms of ordinary people across Europe, the people who feel the effects of the decisions of the elite and the austerity that is imposed, it could be a beacon for others to follow.

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