Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too want to speak on the pre-European Council meeting. To say that the public, including me and others, are weary of the entire Brexit issue at this stage would be the understatement of the year. It goes on and on and keeps the people in the news rooms and news print very busy.

As we are all aware, the Council and the entire EU political machine are absorbed with the issue of finalising a Brexit deal or, in the worst case scenario, a no-deal Brexit. We all know and accept how challenging that would be for the entire Irish economy. That being said, the world goes on, even in the middle of these negotiations.

I note that yesterday in public session, the Council discussed a progress report on the work carried out on the proposal for a regulation on Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plans. These will be the cornerstone of the future Common Agricultural Policy after 2020. The President of the Council acknowledged that attempts are being made to make the new system successful, effective and sustainable and one that is simpler for farmers and national administrations. I will believe that when I see a simple system for farmers or the end users of any policy from the European Union. He also referred to a system that would be forward looking and sustainable in the interest of citizens and farmers, food security and the environment. Those are the kinds of issues that go the heart of the reasons we need to strike a good deal on Brexit. No matter what may be the precise nature or shape of our political arrangements in a post-Brexit scenario, the world will still have to trade. We will still need to find a way to work together within the EU framework for the benefit of our largest indigenous sector.

The great fear currently is that the issue of the so-called Northern Ireland backstop will derail the entire process. There seem to be far too many competing agendas, which, despite the best will in the world, are simply irreconcilable. It is not clear that the best will in the world even exists. Depending on the day of the week, the EU team seems to alternate between antagonising the UK and telling the British how much it loves them wants to remain friends with them. There is something bitter and deeply unhelpful about that kind of negotiating approach.

Perhaps the Taoiseach, who is not here to listen, and his team should not come back this time talking up the cast iron guarantee and rock solid backstop as they did last December. It is clear to everyone that this entire process is far from over. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, will bring that message to the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, came back here and told us they had a rock solid backstop guarantee. That evaporated like snow off a ditch, which shows they are out of touch.

At the heart of this issue is whether the masters in Britain care about us in this deal. We are a small island nation off the coast of Europe. We will see where our friends are when they are asked to pony up. If Northern Ireland and Britain remain entrenched in this deeply flawed process, we will then see who our friends are. We asked Mr. Barnier and others hard questions when they came to the Houses but we did not get many answers. I have serious concerns that they have long forgotten about the needs of the ordinary people.

The reason people in the UK voted for Brexit was they were sick, sore and tired of being dictated to and bullied by the three major powers in Europe, which were trying to control everything and dictate policy to the detriment of peripheral states. That is far from what we voted for in 1973. We benefited greatly from the EU but it has got bigger and bigger. At the time of the bailout, the EU forced us to pay interest rates of almost 6%, whereas the IMF and World Bank gave us money at interest rates of 2% and 2.5%. We saw who our friends were when we needed them. We are call on them again in this time of need.

I want reassurances from the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, that he will pass on to the Taoiseach, who is too busy to listen to us, the message that the people are sick, sore, tired and weary of negotiations and his false and empty promises about cast iron guarantees and backstops that he never had. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste imagined they had them but imagination is no good. It will not put bread and butter on the tables of the farmers who are supplying more than 60% of their products to Europe and to Britain and who will be badly affected by Brexit.

See this speech in context