Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Most of my remarks will be around the situation in the North of Ireland, the situation with regard to permanent structured co-operation and the whole issue of the militarisation of Europe.

Last week's election in the North was historic. The results have transformed the political landscape on that part of our island. The Unionist majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly is gone. The belief in the permanence of Unionist domination has been shattered. The decision of Martin McGuinness to resign has been vindicated by the significantly increased turnout. The process of restoring the political institutions will be difficult but not impossible. Sinn Féin wants the institutions to be up and running on the basis of equality and respect and we are keen for the outstanding agreements to be implemented in full. Does the Taoiseach intend to discuss this with his European counterparts?

I understand the Taoiseach will meet Theresa May on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the North. It is important to remember that the British Government is not a neutral party in the talks that started yesterday. In fact, it is part of the problem, as it has continually refused to implement and honour its agreements and responsibilities.

The Irish Government can no longer stand back and allow the British Government to abdicate its responsibilities under a range of agreements. In his meeting with the British Prime Minister, will the Taoiseach demand that the British Government honours the many commitments it has repeatedly broken? I have in mind, for example, its failure to implement an Irish language Act or to deal with legacy issues.

The election in the North was also about DUP arrogance and the alleged corruption inherent in the renewable heating scheme. However, Brexit was a fundamental part of the debate and it shaped how people voted. We all know the consequences of Brexit for jobs and the livelihoods of citizens throughout this island, especially in Border regions. One group of workers will be immediately penalised by the introduction of a hard Border. This group includes the hundreds of small farmers who travel back and forth every day across the Border. Many of them live and work in my constituency.

The huge difficulty that an imposed Border will create is one of the major reasons the majority of people in the North voted to remain in the EU. The EU is not perfect and, in fact, needs radical reform. However, an arrogant and contemptuous Tory Government in London is preparing to trample over the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent by dragging the North out of the EU and introducing a hard Border on this island. That is one of the reasons there was a huge increase in voter turnout in Border areas last Thursday. Sinn Féin’s demand that the Irish Government must negotiate for special status for the North within the EU was backed by a majority of Deputies last month when a Private Members' motion on the issue was passed by the House. This demand also strongly resonated with voters last week across the North.

Sinn Féin received the most first preference votes in every Border constituency and every Border constituency now has two or three Sinn Féin MLAs. In contrast, the Tories did not seek election in one Border constituency and came last in every other Border constituency, except one. The highest support they got for any of their candidates was 85 votes. British Tories have no mandate, no support and no understanding of the reality of life in Ireland, yet Theresa May last week again emphasised her intention to centralise decision-making in Westminster following Brexit. The Taoiseach must use this European Council meeting to inform his European counterparts of the pressing need for the North to be granted a special designated status within the EU. If matters remain on schedule, the British Prime Minister will trigger Article 50 this month and the real negotiations for Britain’s divorce from the EU will commence. The Irish Government must state that it wants special status for the North and that it will not allow the British Government to impose a hard Border in Ireland.

Last Monday, at a joint meeting of EU foreign affairs and defence Ministers, it was unanimously agreed to set up a new headquarters in Brussels for EU military training missions. While it is only focused on training missions at present, it will be reviewed in 2018 and it may take charge of combat missions. This is a further militarisation of the EU and an advancement towards the creation of a EU army. The Taoiseach need not take our word for it. Speaking after the meeting on Monday the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs called the new headquarters "a first step" to "a European army". The German Minister of Defence said, "We took a very important step toward a European security and defence union", while the foreign affairs representative of the European Commission said, "The EU always takes a soft approach to hard security, but we also have some hard power that we are strengthening".

Irish neutrality was further eroded at this meeting and there does not appear to have been a whimper of opposition from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Minister of State at the Department of Defence. This is not surprising considering that Fine Gael has always tried to undermine and dismantle Irish neutrality. The sheer support for neutrality among the Irish people is all that has prevented it from doing so in the past. Fine Gael's policy is clearly to let the EU quietly create a standing army. This is something that is feared by the people of the country. There is a statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, about the meeting on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. It mentions a discussion about the EU's global strategy but, interestingly, there is no mention of this huge decision to create a military headquarters. Strangely, there is also no statement about such an important meeting from the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, on the Department of Defence website.

There are reports that there was a lengthy debate about whether the head of the new EU military headquarters should be called a "commander" or "director", before "director" was chosen as the more appropriate title. That seems to have been the height of the debate, and the Government wonders why people are increasingly frustrated and fed up with the EU. There are no reports of Irish Ministers standing up for Irish neutrality and against the further militarisation of the EU. These issues must be discussed at the European Council meeting. Will the Taoiseach confirm he will speak out against the creation of an EU army and that Ireland will play no part in its creation, or will he be honest with the Irish people, for once and for all and state his Government’s support for an EU army? It has to be one or the other, and it is time we were given the truth on this issue.

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