Ian Marshall (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, for her statement. We are currently living through an unprecedented set of circumstances that has the potential to divide us more than unite us. It is important we take a brief moment to reflect on how we got here. This was something that was borne out of ideology and the debate became politically charged very early on. Last week we had the first sight of the draft withdrawal document, which is to be welcomed, because it is the first time we have something tangible to examine, interrogate, read, understand and work out its implications. As fellow Senators have mentioned, it is not ideal, but what is ideal is no Brexit and unfortunately we are staring at Brexit at the moment. Credit must be given to all involved in the work and the tireless, endless endeavours to get this document to where it is. I refer to the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and to people from all parties who have contributed to this discussion.

We witnessed a unique situation in Northern Ireland last week where businesses were united in coming out to strongly support the document. That was borne out of businesses that are very nervous about a Brexit discussion which has waged genuine concerns for them about borders, trade, free movement, regulations and standards. It is interesting that the position of the Northern Ireland businesses last week was echoed by the vote in the Dáil last night.

As a democrat, I respect everyone's right to his or her own opinion on Brexit. We must respect democracy and the referendum that took place in the UK. The UK electorate is intelligent but it needs to be informed and it needs accurate information. This recent episode in politics has been about party politics, personal ambition, misleading information and deception. That is something that comes from all sides. Not having an Executive in Northern Ireland has disadvantaged us greatly. The lack of balanced opinion in Westminster has weakened Northern Ireland's position. Preparation is not adequate and there are significant concerns among the business fraternity about what the future will bring, especially when we look at what is happening south of the Border and what the Government has put in place to support businesses, inform them and prepare them for a very uncertain time. I bear testament to that.

A couple of weeks ago we had the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Nationalism was part of the reason for that war and nationalism is a threat that rears its ugly head again. Whether one is British, Irish, Northern Irish, French, German or whatever else, Europe has been a fantastic mechanism to unite us all and take us away from the threat of nationalism. Currently, we need leadership more than ever. Politicians need to stand up and be counted. We must give credit to Theresa May for her resilience and dogged determination in some of the discussions. I am sure she has gone through some pretty dark and difficult times in recent weeks. Replacing the British Prime Minister at this time would serve no purpose. It would not solve the problems. Equally, a general election would not solve the problems or serve any purpose. This matter must be a democratic discussion.I urge everyone involved to consider going back to the British people for validation. This is not about disrespecting a referendum but about validating that referendum and reaffirming the result, if that is what we get. The United Kingdom is a seriously divided nation at the moment, which is not a good place to be and the one way to reunite the country is to ask the people, in a truly democratic fashion, to express their opinion on this deal or the option of remaining in the European Union.

The EU has worked tirelessly to facilitate withdrawal for the UK. We have had two years of discussion and lengthy debate in society, business, politics and among those in the legal profession and in academia. Two years on, we still do not have an economic model or economic argument for the UK leaving the EU. Rejection of the suggestion of a people's vote has often been based on the idea that it is disrespectful of the original vote but I disagree completely. Rejection of a people's vote is based on fear that the decision will be different this time and it is for this reason that we need to go back to the people. I do not subscribe to the idea that, as we sit here today and the sands of time run through the glass, we throw in the towel and accept Brexit. We are a long way off making a rational argument in favour of Brexit. We need leadership from a British, Irish and European perspective. We need to support those in decision making and leadership positions. We need to give them space to work out a plan to get us through this. Slinging mud serves no purpose. The relationship between Britain and Ireland has never been more important. The relationship between Britain and Ireland and that between Britain, Ireland and the EU are much stronger together and we need leadership to recognise that, to challenge the dissenters, reflect on and consider the situation and devise a plan to get us all through it.