Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. The UK's decision to leave the European Union is deeply disappointing. The referendum result is one the vast majority of people in this country did not want. If one lives in a Border town such as Monaghan, Letterkenny, or in Sligo or Louth, something fundamental changed last week. On Thursday night, most of us went to sleep thinking the result would be close but that everything would be okay in the morning. When we woke up to the shocking news, everything changed fundamentally in our lives.

As I said last week, families, farms, businesses, towns and villages straddle the Border with Northern Ireland. Primary schoolchildren, post-primary schoolchildren and young adults do not recall the hard Border that once existed. To them, customs are something one only sees at an airport or sea port. At a meeting I attended in Monaghan town last night, the phrase “uncharted waters” was repeated by speaker after speaker. No one has any doubt that the shockwaves and consequences around Brexit will resonate for years to come. The financial markets have been volatile and there are political events coming down the tracks that some say have the potential to create more problems. Spain has started a general election cycle while the largest five euro area economies, Spain, Holland, France, Germany and Italy - along with the United States - will go to the polls in November or over the next 18 months or so.

It appears that many people in Britain, who normally do not vote, voted in the referendum and they probably voted to leave the EU. Whether it was for reasons to do with globalisation, immigration, inequality, poor economic growth or a combination of all of those reasons, it is clear there was a reaction in certain socio-economic groups, the ones who believe, rightly or wrongly, that they have the least to lose as they are disenfranchised anyway. We must ask ourselves whether enough has been done for those who feel left out in society not just in the UK, but in this State. If we, as a society, do not support those communities, should we really be that surprised that the voices of discord get a hearing?

If we do not educate children and people with respect to choices and real consequences in a clear and truthful manner, should we really be that surprised if they choose protest over debate or remonstration over respect? That is also the reason any posturing by the powers that be in the EU that suggests bullying, impatience or disrespect, in particular for democratic decisions, could make a bad situation worse. Thankfully, to date, the response of Chancellor Merkel has been more measured than most. The British people have spoken and their wishes must be respected. We must now move on in a calm and measured way and work towards negotiating an exit that protects as much as possible Ireland’s interests and the ongoing unique and special relationship between this island and the UK.

Separating the UK and the EU will be difficult but it will be in everybody’s interests to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. The tone of the negotiations will be crucial. The European project will thrive only if it re-establishes itself as a union of equals. Despite anxiety in Brussels and the member states to get discussions under way, nothing will happen until the Conservative Party selects its new leader, that leader is elected as Prime Minister and he or she selects and wins the approval of a new government. It will probably be October by that stage and political turmoil in the UK could also trigger, and quite likely will, a general election.

During the referendum campaign, no clear model for the UK’s continuing relationship with the EU was determined. In other words, they did not know what they wanted. Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty might not be triggered for some time. That does not mean the coming months should be a period of inactivity or that a vacuum should be allowed to develop. There are plenty of issues that require attention and that can be addressed before the opening of withdrawal discussions, including the role of the UK in EU institutions.

The disenchantment with the EU needs to be addressed. The gulf between those who lead and the citizens of the Union has become too wide. It is not enough to be frustrated by campaign lies, racism and nationalism in its worst guises, all of which threaten democracy and human rights across all of Europe. We must move forward into those uncharted waters and make the best for all our futures. I will conclude with a quote from Charles F. Glassman, who said: "The danger of venturing into uncharted waters is not nearly as dangerous as staying on the shore, waiting for your boat to come in."

I know we are in safe hands with the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, at the helm during these very important discussions. I ask him to the ensure special emphasis is given to communities along the Border, stretching from Letterkenny to Dundalk, and to those who trade along the Border and whose livelihoods depend on that.