Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When I engage with the Minister and his colleagues in government on issues such as this, I do not do so on a partisan basis, but because of the very real concern that exists across this island on the vote by England and Wales to drag the United Kingdom out the European Union against its will.

The Minister conceded at a meeting of the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement committee that it may not be within our gift to make that decision, that it may rest finally with the other EU member states and what position they take on the matter. It is very clear from the remarks of the British Prime Minister Theresa May at her party conference that she is on a collision course with the rest of the European Union and to hell with Ireland, North or South, or that is how it seems. The Prime Minister is in favour of a hard Brexit. A hard Brexit means a hard Border and a hard Border means hardship for Ireland. The Minister states that the Government and the British Government have reaffirmed that the Good Friday Agreement is the indispensable foundation for all engagements with what he calls Northern Ireland. Given that it is a key component of the Good Friday Agreement and Senator Daly referred to it, has the option of a Border poll, where the Irish people united together decide their future in the European context featured in his discussions? If not, why not? Dr. Kurt Hubner will be in the city tomorrow. He is a co-author of a major piece of research into modelling Irish reunification, which has identified a saving of €36.5 billion within the first eight year of the existence of a reunified country. Perhaps that is a point the Minister could touch and take forward in future dialogue with both the British Government and the other EU member states.

Mura miste leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach, I have two more brief points. Will the Minister reassure the tens of thousands of Irish, UK and EU citizens who are travelling across the Border to work, do business, study or for any other reason that they will continue to enjoy uninterrupted this basic yet fundamental right? There were references by the Minister and other contributors to the invisible Border. Of course, I do not want to see a Border at all, let alone an invisible or visible one. In recent days in the North, if one were in Belfast or Armagh and heading back to Dublin, one might find that cars are being pulled in at Carrickdale hotel, this is certainly happening to a higher number of people who are travelling to the South from the North, and community leaders who disembarked from the flight from Belfast to London this morning were delayed while papers were checked and rechecked. This notion of an invisible Border is certainly being turned on its head in recent times because of the uncertainty and the very deliberate, concerted negative political stance that has been adopted by Prime Minister Theresa May and her government.

I presume Senator Ó Ríordáin was talking about the Sinn Féin Party when he mentioned people standing against previous European referenda. Of course, we did that because we stood for the interests of Ireland, not just a section of it, but Ireland in its entirety. It is great that Senator Ó Ríordáin would be a cheerleader for the EU in its entirety, but perhaps he will consider being a cheerleader for Ireland in its entirety.