Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this discussion on Brexit and, in particular, Brexit in the context of Northern Ireland. I do not believe we talk enough in this House about Northern Ireland. I am delighted that we are doing so tonight. However, when I read this Sinn Féin motion I recognise neither the European Union nor Northern Ireland. I certainly do not recognise Sinn Féin in it. Liadh Ní Riada, a Sinn Féin MEP, on joining the left group in the European Union, said in her statement that the reason she joined that group was because the economic and fiscal policies of the European Union are having a catastrophic affect on the lives of all our citizens. She also said in that statement that: "The gap between the rich and poor in the EU is constantly increasing, social rights are being dismantled, unemployment (especially youth unemployment) remains at high levels and the people of the member states are being subordinated to poverty and stagnation." That is the Sinn Féin I recognise. It is the EU I recognise.

The European Union's neoliberal and austerity policies and its fortress Europe policies have imposed an undemocratic Union which fails to do what it set out to do, which was to provide equality, jobs and security for the people of Europe after the World Wars but it does the opposite. It is currently promoting an arms industry and developing a military apparatus to compete with the rest of the world. There is good reason for the view that Europe does not serve the people of this island or Northern Ireland well. What is required is a real look at Northern Ireland. Rather than it being a place where women, workers and students have rights, three women were recently arrested in Northern Ireland for taking the abortion pill. Women in Northern Ireland are worse off than women in the South in terms of there being no abortion facilities in Northern Ireland. It is one of the most unequal places in Europe to live, with a high level of deprivation yet it has 14,000 millionaires, with 45% of households having no savings.

In the Northern Ireland Assembly, both the DUP and Sinn Féin have been pushing for the Fresh Start agreement. That agreement will result in a loss of 20,000 public sector jobs, welfare reform in the "I, Daniel Blake" style, privatisation of public property resources and services, and a lowering of the rate of corporation tax. These are the realities of both Europe and Northern Ireland. We want instead to amend the motion so it will state we will not accept a hard Border after Brexit and that the people of the North and South do not want it. We will defy the European Union or Britain if either attempts to impose such a border. That really means developing a model of people power for this country resulting in action being taken to defy those powers that would impose a hard border and to have people dismantle any hard border they attempt to impose on us.

We will be calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to refuse to lower corporation tax and to have an open debate on the kind of public model we need to create a green economy. By that, I do not mean a nationalist economy but an environmentally friendly economy for the people that puts people before profit. In the words of James Connolly, who said we serve neither King nor Kaiser, we would like to see the people of this island openly saying they serve neither London nor Brussels because neither acts in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland or the South. We look forward to a change in this country and I am much more hopeful.

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