Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Now for something completely different. The Leader will know that I attended the Government's all-Ireland civic dialogue on Brexit yesterday. The purpose of yesterday's meeting was to focus on the implications of Brexit for the human rights aspects of the Good Friday Agreement. These are very critical and harmonious rights and entitlements right across the entire island. I took great heart from the civic dialogue and the broad range and comprehensive number of groups and organisations present, some with great experience and the wherewithal regarding the issue of human rights and equality to come together to concentrate and focus minds on these important issues. I commend the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, on this occasion and the Government. I thought it was particularly important that yesterday's meeting focused on the Good Friday Agreement and aspects thereof because, as we move ahead in a post-Brexit scenario, what is becoming increasingly clear is that the decision by voters in England and Wales to remove my part - the northern part - of Ireland from the EU against our will is going to have direct implications for the Good Friday Agreement. Not only are the Governments of the North and South co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, but what is probably more important and more open to challenge is the fact that the people of this State overwhelmingly endorsed with their vote the Good Friday Agreement. Unlike other learned colleagues in the House, there are those of us who can see clearly that there is a direct subversion of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement as a result of this vote. We have a British Government and a British Parliament that, as late as last week, when debating the Bill to trigger Article 50, flat-out rejected any amendment that took into consideration the unique situation put forward as a result of the Good Friday Agreement.

The European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs is telling us very clearly that Brexit will alter the Good Friday Agreement. What are we to do about it? We need to get beyond rhetoric and sitting back wishing, hoping and praying and start to stand up not just for the clear mandate from the North in terms of our desire to remain, but also our clear desire North and South overwhelmingly-----