David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I did not interrupt the Deputy and he had a fair run. For the first time there will be Fianna Fáil-SDLP candidates. It does not surprise me that the Fianna Fáil leader says he cannot understand how people in the North accept and welcome the fact that we do not have institutions. That is not the case. Certainly, Sinn Féin acknowledges that the institutions should be in place. If the Fianna Fáil leader was talking to people in the North and was on the ground, as I was last night, campaigning in the North and talking to people, he would understand where people in the North are coming from and would have a greater understanding of Northern politics. He would know that it is not about blaming anybody but how the issues are resolved. We know what the issues are and they were resolved through negotiation last year but the DUP walked away from it. That is a fact. We stand ready to talk to any political party, including the DUP, on the basis of getting the institutions restored, but on a sustainable basis. That is what the people in the North want.

As I said, we will have elections in the North in the next number of weeks. That will tell us again, clearly, who represents Northern nationalists. Is it people in here who pretend they do, who continuously speak for them, who speak over them, and who talk down their representatives in this Chamber in trying to present some sense that we do not represent them truly or we do not understand where nationalists are?

As I said, we will have elections in the North in the next number of weeks. That will tell us again who represents Northern nationalists. Is it Members here who pretend that they do, who continuously speak for them, who speak over them, and who talk down their representatives in this Chamber in trying to present some sense that we do not represent them truly or we do not understand where nationalists are? Let us see. Let us also see what the outcome of those elections will be. I look forward to having that debate with the leader of Fianna Fáil after the next election.

There are many other issues that emerged and are important in terms of the future of Europe. Brexit has brought that into sharp focus. I have always been a Euro-critical person. I believe in the European Union and that Ireland's place is in the European Union but I believe that we should at all times be critical of aspects of the European Union. I believe in a social Europe and in a democratic Europe but I do not believe in an increased militarised Europe. I do not, and cannot, support a European army. It is something that is being promoted by federalists in the European Union. There are people in Europe who want an ever closer Union, who want a deeper political union and a deeper economic union. That is a legitimate political viewpoint to hold. I have no difficulty with people holding those views. In my view, it is not the dominant view in this State and on this island. People want us to be a member of the European Union. In the context of Brexit, they want to see the entire island of Ireland stay in the European Union. However, they want us there as equal partners, and in a more democratic Europe. They certainly are very concerned about the increased militarisation, which I spoke to the Taoiseach about in the pre-Council statements. Where we have a fight in this Chamber almost every week in relation to scarce resources, with funding needed for health, housing and childcare, people will not be happy with more taxpayers' money, in this State or, indeed, across the European Union, being spent on an increased militarised Europe.

The only way we will fight the far right and make sure that it does not get a foothold in this State, and, indeed, fight the far right across the European Union, is to make Europe a more social and democratic Europe so that on issues, such as workers' rights and public services, people see that Europe will deliver for them. They do not want an increased militarised Europe. They do not want a European super state. They do not want what some of the federalists are arguing for, some of which, I think, has given succour to the far-right in Europe.

We also need to be careful that we do not have a situation where we allow politicians, in this State or elsewhere, to pitch immigrants against those who are at the margins of society here who are victims of very bad policies by the Government and other right-wing Governments across Europe which deprive public services of investment and which create situations such as the housing crisis. I refer to people, such as those in the Taoiseach's constituency and in Dublin, who pay exorbitant rents so that significant amounts of their income are gone on living, and for whom the cost of living is very high. That is what I hear from people. They want to see the Government reduce their cost of living. We cannot allow the debate on immigration to be framed in the context of scarce resources, and almost allowing people to scapegoat immigrants for what is the problem - I would argue the fault - of right-wing politics. That is where the far right is gaining traction in some parts of Europe. The best way we can ensure we do not have the rise of the far right in this State is to provide for our citizens, to invest in public services, to defend workers' rights, to make sure that people have a home, to make sure that people do not wait longer than 15 months to see a consultant or that we do not have record numbers of people on trolleys or homeless, and all the obvious problems that face people. We need to make sure, through State investment and fair taxation, that people are cared for from the cradle to the grave. That is what I would like to see happen.

We have still a long way to go, as I said, in relation to Brexit. My party certainly has been supportive of an Irish position of getting a backstop. We have that, we have to protect and maintain it, and we have to be vigilant in the time ahead. Let us hope over the next six months that common sense will prevail, that some consensus will emerge in Europe, and that the British parliament will support the withdrawal agreement and possibly something better in terms of a customs arrangement which, I believe, is in the best interests of not only the people of Ireland but also the people of Britain and Europe.

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