Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am happy to speak on this very important issue. We had our guest speaker here last week to address Members of both Houses in this Chamber at a meeting chaired by the Ceann Comhairle and the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. We all welcome the Taoiseach's request to Prime Minister May that the UK urgently clarify what approach it is seeking to adopt regarding Northern Ireland. It is beyond time that we had this clarification and certainty about what is happening. The British cannot have their cake and eat it. They have decided by majority to leave, so they need to think of the consequences for their nearest neighbour. We might not always have been their dearest neighbour but we are their nearest. We need to have that respected and acknowledged. The former Taoiseach made great political capital out of his relationship with Europe. Now is the time that we need those in Europe to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

The EU, through the work of its chief negotiator, has made it absolutely clear that the work of resolving the so-called Irish question falls to the UK. That is not so. It is a case of them and us - Europe and the UK. We cannot leave it to one or the other. I am delighted by what the Taoiseach said to Prime Minister May. We have to ensure that Europe sees to it that we are not innocent bystanders or bridesmaids at a wedding when the wine runs out and there is no one to make any more. It will be all water. We will have no wine, as happened at the feast at Cana.

The EU Commission has stated that among the key issues that need to be addressed are those which will ensure that the interlocking political institutions on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, established by the Good Friday Agreement, continue to operate. That is vital because the Good Friday Agreement is in enough peril without being undermined further. It is very important that co-operation, in particular North-South co-operation, is protected across all relevant sectors. It has to be. We cannot have a situation whereby there is any semblance of a border. We were promised seamless borders. I put the question to our guest last week about the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built with EU money in recent years. They can tell us they have a seamless border. How has this been built in the past three or four years? It is a fortress. The queues of buses, cars and trucks at that border go back for nearly half a mile. I was on a bus and every passport was taken and checked. That cannot be allowed to happen here. I cannot see how they are saying it will not happen on this side of Europe when it is happening on the other every minute of every day.

A full account must be taken of the right of the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as British or Irish, or both. I would prefer both. We might see a change to the dynamic there at some stage but not for the foreseeable future. The European Commission also says that in light of Ireland’s unique situation in the Brexit negotiations, a unique solution is required. It is time now, as Deputy Fitzmaurice said, to get down to serious negotiations. It is also time that we got engagement, rather than rhetoric, sound bites and spin. We need to know for certain. This is all well and good but, unfortunately, what we are increasingly witnessing is a hostile negotiating battle between the UK and the EU. That appears to be more about political egos than getting a deal that would be to the best advantage of us all. It is very true. We have had too much. I said it last week to our European guest, an MEP whose name eludes me. It was Mr. Guy-----

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