Dáil debates

Wednesday, 13 June 2018

12:15 pm

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The problem is that we have no legal framework. That is the issue. We said in December that this is simply a political agreement - and, yes, that is important and substantial - and we welcomed the progress that was made. However, we were also wise and advised the Taoiseach not oversell the agreement and to work on getting the legal clarity and framework that would provide certainty. The reality is - I think this is genuinely lost on the Taoiseach - that the British Government has essentially taken the cast-iron guarantee off the table. In the paper it has written the British Government has restructured matters in order to write the North out of the script and turn what is a backstop or permanent solution in the event of no deal into an extension of the negotiating period. What will happen in the event that there is no deal? What will happen then for Ireland? The paper published by the British Government does not say that, it says it is time-limited. This is a real problem. We have to hold Taoiseach to account and the way to do so in the context of this issue is to encourage him to hold the British Government to account and to ensure that the latter does not resile on commitments it gave in December. The Taoiseach and his European Union counterparts do this at the forthcoming summit. While the Taoiseach says that this will happen, what real and substantial progress needs to be made - separate from what is in the paper published by the British Government - between now and the summit for him to be able to say that real and sufficient progress has been made?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.