Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Gallagher's proposal to amend the Order of Business in respect of No. 11.

I want to touch on something Senator Feighan spoke about this morning. It was really nice to read the headlines of the national and UK newspapers this morning. For once, we can be reassured that Ireland has friends in the House of Lords. That has not just happened but has evolved as a relationship. I make particular reference to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, of which the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senators Noone, Feighan and others are members. It has played a very active part in developing personal relationships. I have always believed that if one wins people's hearts, one wins their minds. Breaking bread and sharing hospitality and culture with others makes everyone open to receiving. Through dialogue and friendship we open doors. When we open doors, we open hearts and opportunities. That has been well illustrated.

The House of Lords voted yesterday to give MPs a veto on the Irish hard border question. The peers in the House of Lords have voted to empower their MPs to stop a Brexit deal that might restore a hard border across the island of Ireland. The Upper House supported an amendment to the EU withdrawal Bill that would bar the introduction of border checks and formation of physical infrastructure without the prior agreement of the Irish Government. That is very significant. The House of Lords in Britain is the nearest equivalent to the Upper House here in Ireland. By building those relationships, we have opened doors. This deal is not done yet. There is a lot of water yet to go under the bridge. I urge my colleagues to continue to build relationships and dialogue, to take up the phone, travel, meet and talk about our genuine concerns for the island of Ireland and, more importantly, for the unity of Europe, the European ideal and the principles that bind Europeans together for the common good.