Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is having its cake and eating it. For example, it seems to be unaware of the difference between the Single Market and the customs union. One Minister wants to be outside the customs union but inside the Single Market and so on. The point about a transitional arrangement is the one that interests me. There was a hint of it from the Prime Minister some weeks ago, although she came out strongly afterwards to dismiss it. I agree with Deputy Howlin in that the bottom line is that few people see this being concluded in two years given the enormity of what has to be negotiated. This begs the question of whether a transitional phase or arrangement could be entered into.

Has the Taoiseach considered taking an initiative to change the paradigm? At the moment, it seems as if Europe is ganging up to ensure it does not give Britain a soft exit because it does not want to jeopardise the overall integrity of the union. On the other side, Britain seems to be saying it wants to control everything while having access to the Single Market, etc., but not having freedom of movement. If the realpolitikis that a transitional arrangement is what emerges, which could stretch this out for a couple of years, there is an imperative on both the European and the British sides to start knocking heads together and to ensure that the best possible arrangement can be arrived at, which is one that guarantees the future of the European Union and puts it on a firm footing while at the same time minimising trade disruption.

There are enough shocks to the system globally now and we do not need the clearly damaging impact that Brexit represents. Brexit will damage the European, Irish and United Kingdom economies, of that there is no doubt. Every economist's analysis of its impact has been negative.

People need to change their mindsets about this issue and go about it in a different way. How can we minimise disruption and damage and inject a bit of common sense into the issue? While the recent by-election was in a London constituency, nevertheless the Liberal Democrats overturned a 25,000 vote majority the Conservatives had enjoyed just a short number of years ago. This is a straw in the wind which indicates that the reality that Brexit is not all it was cracked up to be is seeping into the British public. Europe would do well if it changed its approach. I ask the Taoiseach, as the leader of the country, to take an initiative to move people to that sort of a pathway, as opposed to the very negative stuff that is going on at the moment.

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