Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for joining us today and facilitating this important debate. Many Senators spoke eloquently about the impact and economic costs of a British exit from the European Union. There is an irrefutable economic case for supporting a Remain vote in the referendum. Substantial costs would have to be borne if the British people were to choose Brexit, especially in Northern Ireland, as has been eloquently and clearly set out. What I will focus on initially are some of the other costs, namely, the human and social costs, that could flow from the referendum.

In the past five years alone, 90,000 Irish people have travelled to live and work in the United Kingdom. Many of them were driven by a period of austerity and recession. Building on generations of complex interrelationships between the Irish at home and Irish people in Britain, we now have families with members from England and other European Union member states. People now have a network of complex family relationships, in many cases involving partnerships with citizens from the European Union, including the United Kingdom. Families regularly cross borders, whether the Border with Northern Ireland or with the United Kingdom when they fly or take a ferry to the UK. I share Senator Feighan's interest in the ferry service as I like to travel by sea. There are constant communications with the United Kingdom and many people have working careers that span Britain and Ireland. All these people living complicated lives will face undue further complication if Brexit takes place. Those who must already navigate complex families bred across nations will face further obstacles.

On a human and practical level, the European health insurance system will not apply in the United Kingdom and the many Irish people who have spent part or all of their working lives in Britain will face unanswered questions as to how pensions will be negotiated between Ireland and Britain.

People who are married to European Union citizens will face serious obstacles, particularly in travelling and crossing borders. There is no doubt the Border would also be hardened in the event of Brexit, and customs and associated obstacles would be strengthened. Social, creative, cultural and human exchange, which has led to deeper connections and a deepening of the peace process in recent years, would be placed in jeopardy.

In addition to these consequences for Ireland, I will speak briefly about Europe as a whole. There is no one Europe. Europe is neither a beneficent monolith nor an instrument of repression but a ground on which we are all active and engage. There is no consensus in Europe because multiple opinions are battling out what type of Europe we should have. I share the concerns many people have, for example, on trade, having campaigned against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP. I am also concerned about the potential impact of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between Canada and the European Union. Major concerns arise about the austerity policies that have been pushed through the semester process and the downgrading of the much more ambitious and important Europe 2020 commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth.

There are visions of a social Europe but they are narrowing and there has been an erosion of democratic accountability. These are real concerns but our allies in these concerns are each other. It is only by working together across Europe that we can tackle these issues and ensure we have the type of Europe we want. I assure those who are worried about the erosion of workers' rights in the UK that the European trade unions are their allies. Those who wish to protect public services are part of many movements across Europe. For my part, having served on the executive of the European Women's Lobby, I have seen the strong support Europe has given to women's rights in Ireland over the years. We are now seeing a backlash against women's equality in many eastern European countries and a conservatism that is sometimes frightening. Being part of Europe, whether in its women's lobby or other such movements, is a resource for civil society in these times.

Many of those who wish to create obstacles to the free movement of people are not averse to the free movement of capital. Again, it is Europe that has sought to impose constraints on the free market, while many of those strongly advocating Brexit are happy for their money to travel at will to offshore locations.

The challenges we face are global. One cannot run away from the collective action that is needed on issues such as climate change and the building of peace. These are collective issues and no border or decision can make them any less collective. I ask and encourage all those in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to vote to remain in the European Union, to be part of the collective struggle and to reinforce the peace process while working for peace across Europe. If we see a victory for xenophobia and the types of anti-immigration messages we have seen in the media, the message against peace will have ripple effects across the rest of Europe. I strongly encourage a Remain vote. I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to exceed my speaking time.