Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I put the question to him and asked about the attitude of senior Commission people when the UK decided to have its vote which was very hostile, derogatory, threatening and intimidating. We went on to say last week that we had gotten a few little wallops, as the former Taoiseach said one time. I said it was more like a kick he got. He sustained that wallop. Tá sé imithe anois. He is gone off into the sunset. Our own man I am talking about now - the man from Mayo. I thought the curse on the football team might have gone with him but, unfortunately, it is still hanging over them. Sin scéal eile.

Mr. Verhofstadt spoke about how other countries held votes recently, how their electorates had sent a warning message and how they will be listened to more. Dúirt sé go mbeadh a béal dúnta agus a cluasa ag éisteacht, but I do not know about that. Look at what happened in Germany. People are angry about what is going on and about the diktats from the EU. Many Irish people are also angry. We all meet them on a daily basis and they scratch their heads and ask if the British were right. That is out there and the Minister must be aware of it too because he does not live in a cave. Those in Europe are not able to deal with the ordinary nuances, worries and issues of member states such as Ireland. This is a huge problem. They need to be able to listen and engage. They must be able to rectify that and put robust systems in place. They have to deal with all eventualities, seamless or steamless or whatever kind of a border it will be. By hell, we do not want to go back. I remember it when I was courting in Northern Ireland-----

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