Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today almost all Members will be talking about Brexit. I pay credit to Michel Barnier and his team, the Government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who was in the Seanad last week for statements on Brexit, the Taoiseach and the representatives of all the parties, including Deputies Michael Martin, Chambers and Donnelly from my party. Senator Ned O'Sullivan recently took over the foreign affairs brief in the Seanad but I am not sure how much credit I can give him for this one just yet. I am sure he will continue to play his role as did Senator Mark Daly before him.

It is important that we pay credit for what has been achieved but acknowledge that, unfortunately, at this stage it is a draft text. It is a positive draft text from the Irish perspective, from the perspective of the Good Friday Agreement and the Border but there is a lot of work to do in Westminster before it goes anywhere, as Senator Ned O'Sullivan and others have pointed out. Ministers are resigning, including a junior Minister whom I have to confess I never heard of. That is my fault but I never heard of the junior Minister in the Northern Ireland Office who resigned this morning until he resigned. I am glad to see that my colleague who is much closer to the Border than I am had never heard of him either.

There are definitely issues going on in Westminster. Theresa May has tried to square the circle as best she could. She has tried to bring it to a place that recognises Ireland, the Border and the Good Friday Agreement. I hope enough members of her party, and MPs generally, can see that the alternative to this agreement is either a no deal or as they say, "No Brexit". We might prefer a "No Brexit", but from the Brexiteers' point of view, they want something and from the Remainers' point of view, they want something. It is a compromise. There always will be compromise.

It is probably the best deal that could be struck and I hope it gets through. I wish everybody well. The Leas-Chathaoirleach, I and others were in Westminster and Downing Street only last month. I think they do understand our position and have been listening to our position as has the EU. It is a credit to the Irish Civil Service. Mr. Rory Montgomery is in a very senior position but many people in that division have been, and are, working extremely hard. The Irish ambassador to the UK and the British ambassador to Ireland have been working to try to get a deal that satisfies Ireland as best they can. I pay tribute to those who have got this far and hope beyond hope. Perhaps I will light a candle and pray that we can get it across the line. The people in Westminster will appreciate that the deal is not perfect. It was never going to be perfect but it is probably the best that can be achieved to satisfy everybody's outcomes. I wish it well.