Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union approximately 16 months ago, it was an opportunity for us to pull out our green cards and go on a Brit-bashing tour which so many of us, that is, politicians, the media, and the general public duly did. What has become clear over the past number of months is that any attempts to make the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union as painless as possible for the island of Ireland as a whole has actually come from the British Government. The stance of the British Government on Brexit has softened since the Conservatives had a disastrous general election result on 8 June. Although the softening of its stance is welcome, I find it astounding that it is it which has stood up more for Ireland’s interests in the recent talks than our own Government which is playing a game of tit-for-tat. Let me remind the House that it is a Conservative-DUP Administration. Prime Minister May has already said the freedoms of Irish citizens in the UK are to be preserved and that they would not have to apply for a document similar to an ID card in post-Brexit Britain, something that sadly so many non-British nationals in post-Brexit Britain will have to do in the coming years. Freedom of movement between Ireland and the UK is high on the priority list for the British Government. There are greater challenges ahead in terms of trade which will require reasonable input from all institutions.

No Member of this House wants a return to a hard border between the North and South. The EU needs to be reminded that it was the British and Irish-led Governments along with all parties in Northern Ireland that negotiated the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. It is only us who understand the significance of any such border. What impact has the European Union had on previous Anglo-Irish relations such as the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, the Downing Street Declaration of 1993 and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998? The European input was greatly appreciated during those intense times. I understand and respect that the EU is compelled to seek the best deal for its member states as a result of the UK leaving the EU but we should not underestimate our ability to negotiate bilaterally with the British Government and start putting Ireland first for a change.

One issue on which I feel strongly, as does the Fianna Fáil Party, is that a Brexit Minister should be appointed to co-ordinate overall negotiations with the various Government Departments. Following Brexit, many Ministers said there were positives resulting from Brexit, with the example that we could entice financial institutions from the city of London. Our big issue here is that agricultural trade with Britain is of paramount importance. No matter what happens with Brexit, it is important that in any agreement, agricultural trade continues with the British. That is why we need a Brexit Minister so that every Department filters through him or her to ensure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

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