Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome in recent days that the election in Britain has brought a new Prime Minister. Hopefully we will see better relations between the European Union and Britain in the post-Brexit era. Brexit has had such an impact on this island, particularly the North. I represent a Border constituency, and we see the full impact Brexit and the divisive Tory Government have had. We look forward to that changing. The noise around a new relationship is welcome. I hope Ireland can play a part in brokering a new deal between Britain and Europe and putting us in a better position than we have been in up to now.

The North of Ireland was taken out of the European Union against its will. The vast majority of the people in the North wanted to remain part of the European Union. That needs to be recognised in any negotiations which take place.

The European project also has a major issue, as my colleague mentioned, when it comes to the devastating war being waged against the people of Gaza and the death of thousands of children and innocent people across the region. The European Union looks on it as something outside its remit. The European Union has contracts with Israel and a continued relationship with Israel, which is supporting the Israeli apartheid regime's bombing and destruction of Gaza and its people.

There is a stark contrast between that and what is happening in Ukraine. We saw terrible destruction in recent days when Putin's military bombed and killed innocent people in Ukraine, to which the European Union reacted in an entirely different manner. There has to be recognition that Europe has a role to play in bringing peace to everywhere there is conflict in the world and that it should not pick and choose conflicts or be on one side in one conflict and on the opposite side in another.

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