Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too am pleased to speak here today. I wished the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, well already.

In the remarks by President Donald Tusk after the European Council meetings on 22 and 23 June 2017 he indicated that the leaders made three important decisions. The first was the agreement to extend the sanctions against Russia for another six months. The second was that Europe will continue to work to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, to which Deputy Danny Healy-Rae referred, in co-operation with our international partners, as though that was important to us at this time. The third decision taken is that the EU 27 leaders agreed the procedure on relocating the two UK-based EU agencies. If that is all the work they have done, they are as useless and toothless as some of our own Departments.

It is astonishing that European Council President Tusk has said, "As a matter of fact, Brexit took up very little time at this European Council." He said "as a matter of fact". He nearly told us not to worry about Brexit at all, that he was just trying to protect the EU. He went on to speak about:

[A] renewed hope in the European project [the dream again] which positively impacts on our economy. This confidence translates into strong growth, more consumption, more investments, and above all, more jobs.

What medicine is this fellow on? Does he even know what is going on and the impact that Brexit will have on our island? It is up to the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, in her new role with special responsibility for European affairs, and it is up to the Taoiseach to tell Donald Tusk that we are here to try to look after our people and that he is on a different planet. What planet is the man living on? He went on to speak about the great strength in employment. Where is the great strength in employment in Ireland? The view from the top of the European Council is clearly very different from the view at the bottom where people have no jobs. There are farmers and small business people all over our island, North and South, but we are worried now about those in the South. When we meet the Irish Farmers Association, Irish Business and Employers Confederation or any business groups, they tell us how frightened they are. We see IDA Ireland had ten positions and it only filled two of them.

There is a blasé, sleepwalking approach to Brexit and we seem to be bystanders and admirers of Donald Tusk. We need to tell him that this is a mess and they need to sort it out. They need to treat us seriously in Ireland. Brexit will have a massive impact on our 26 counties and the island. The very thought of a hard Border is just one thing we cannot even contemplate. We see it in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I have travelled. It is impossible. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Breathnach would know also this well from the North. We cannot go back to the days of Newry, Crossmaglen, Aughnacloy and all those crossing points. We just cannot, and yet these fellows are talking about more consumption. I am sure he is able to eat and drink plenty and is consuming enough, I would say, but he needs to consume the views and the hardship this will cause to Ireland's economy. It will be a flight from the land worse than the Famine because farming especially depends on exports to Britain and elsewhere. We need to wake up and someone needs to pinch this guy and tell him to get real. The reason that Britain is leaving the EU is because of arrogance such as this from senior people in the EU and we do not want any more arrogance. We want understanding and we want to be treated as equals in the EU. We do not want to listen to that kind of baloney. We need to step up to the plate and we need to have a Taoiseach who will do so. I am disappointed he is not here. The Taoiseach was late coming in to Leaders' Questions this morning and he fled away from here early.

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