Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House and I welcome the substance of what he has said. It is important that he gets to say, other than in the context of a hostile interview or in an editable form, exactly what the situation is. He has done so admirably. I welcome in particular and agree completely with Senator Marshall's comments on the position of the Government. It has not been unreasonable. I was at the Garret FitzGerald memorial lecture last week at which Lord John Alderdice made a contribution. He said two things, one of which I agreed with. I agreed with his proposition that in the past a minority and elite in Brussels kept ploughing away on federalist rhetoric without working out what the effect would be in Britain. However, he then came up with a second idea, which was that Ireland was perceived by many in Britain now, albeit he did not say he agreed with this, as following the proposition that Britain's adversity was Ireland's opportunity. I was pleased that this is not a question of Ireland being opportunistic or taking advantage of a British embarrassment or an impasse in British politics.

The Government's policy has been to mitigate the effects of the British decision to withdraw and to staunch what would otherwise be an open wound if these mitigating steps were not taken. There is no sense in which we are exploiting the embarrassment or difficulty of others. Most people in England should be conscious of the fact that the Irish people are well disposed towards them and regret their decision to go. However, we are equally determined, if we can at all, to maintain the best relations with the UK and to have the UK's relationship with Europe remain as close as possible economically and politically in future.

Today's newspapers will probably have impressed on the Tánaiste that one of the problems we have faced here is that the media in Britain tend to exaggerate and operate on the basis of unwarranted leaked materials and briefings which are entirely insubstantial and which misrepresent other people's positions.I fully accept the Tánaiste's comments that it is not a case of Ireland making last minute concessions. Ireland's position has been very clear all along. Nor is it the case that Ireland is being intransigent. Ireland is simply saying that the backstop agreement, which was agreed to formally some time ago, is an absolute essential from our point of view.

I will add to this by recommending that Senators readThe Guardian newspaper article by Jonathan Lis from Tuesday 6 November, which calls to book those politicians in England who have been misrepresenting Ireland's position and characterising it as exploitative and hostile. The article shows very clearly that this is not the case.

In the final analysis - and this has been stated by Senator Leyden - the Border must remain open for every possible reason, invisible for every possible reason and, ultimately, the Good Friday Agreement must be maintained for every possible reason. People say that Northern Ireland has to be treated identically to every other portion of the United Kingdom, but let us remember that the Good Friday Agreement provides that every person born in Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland is entitled to British or Irish citizenship, or both. In that context, the people of Northern Ireland are entitled to European citizenship. Northern Ireland is, by definition, a wholly exceptional part of the United Kingdom in that its citizens, whatever hue they come from, are entitled to avail of joint nationality and, by extension, European citizenship.

I commend the Tánaiste on his steady, clear and unswerving commitment not to be intransigent but to insist on the bare minimum that would prevent Ireland from being very seriously and unnecessarily damaged by the Brexit decision made by the people of the United Kingdom.