Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Tánaiste. Tréaslaím leis an mhéid atá ráite aige ó thaobh na himeachtaí a thit amach i nDoire Cholm Cille le cúpla lá anuas. I begin by echoing the Tánaiste's words condemning the events in Derry in recent days. My party's vice president, our MP in the area, our MLAs and councillors have been working hard along with many others to offer a positive solution and an alternative to those who seek to bring us back to the past.

I thank the Tánaiste, as I have done consistently, for his committed attendance in the Seanad. I acknowledge his attendance to brief us and keep us informed in the best way he can about the situation as it plays out in the Brexit dynamic.

I will note a number of contributions. I agree with Senator Richmond about tempering our response to the agenda of some of those who leak certain red herrings to the media and who seek to further escalate the uncertainty and at times the very justifiable and understandable concern and panic that exists within Irish political life and elements of British political life as this calamity plays out in front of us.

The most recent statement, which has very firm credibility, is from the Confederation of British Industry, CBI, in the North, which has indicated that a no-deal Brexit will result in a loss of £5 billion per year by 2034 to the North's economy. So much for taking back control. That is the reality of the situation we face and which is being inflicted upon our people against their will. I always make the point, because I was one of the majority of people in the North of Ireland who voted to remain in the EU, that when we think about all of this in its democratic context, it means we are having this reckless danger inflicted upon us very consciously and clearly against our expressed democratic will.

I welcome the Tánaiste's statement that there will be a reconvening of the all-Ireland civic dialogue. It is necessary, positive and useful and it will be welcomed by the relevant stakeholders who have sought avenues to contribute and engage with Government. The Government has been open to that in various forms in recent months and years. I also welcome the fact that Government representatives will attend the Ireland's Future conference taking place in Belfast on Saturday next. This will be a significant conference and an inevitable outworking and manifestation of the mobilisation of civic nationalism and how they have engaged with the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and their Government colleagues. It is indicative of the live dynamic that exists, not only within broader nationalism in the North but which permeates right throughout various sectors, traditions and classes as we face further into the uncertain and choppy waters of Brexit. It is important and right that Government representatives will be present and engaged at that event. I am sure they will go with a listening ear and will absorb what they hear from the people on the ground dealing with the realities. They are the people who will deal with the potential fallout from Brexit as we move forward, not least the danger of a no-deal, crash-out Brexit.

The Tánaiste is right when he said we in this House have come together in a very uniform and united way to respond. We have had differences of opinion, which is fair enough. The purpose of these institutions is to provide a platform for the expression of different and legitimate views.I reiterate that it is not the time for party political swipes. It is the second time I have had to make that point in this House during the statements on Brexit. We do not need it. Regardless of Sinn Féin and our abstentionist policy, and we all rightly celebrated abstentionism yesterday, increasingly people in the North see Westminster as part of the problem, not part of the solution. With the greatest will in the world, and I am no mathematician but Sinn Fein's seven MPs certainly do not go into 230 seats, which was the number by which Theresa May lost her final vote, but sin scéal eile. That is a matter for another day.

This debate is about clarity on the Government's preparedness for Brexit. I have a few questions on which the Tánaiste might reflect. I put them sincerely as they are being asked by people on the ground. The Government says it will defend citizens' rights in the context of Brexit and our citizenship rights as Irish and EU citizens, but one of the most basics elements of any citizen's rights is the right to elect democratic representation. With the allocation of the two additional seats to Ireland after Brexit, we had the opportunity to allocate those seats to the North to continue to afford citizens there the rights and the opportunities to have elected representation and to have a voice at the heart of the EU institutions. We have fallen at that hurdle. The Tánaiste might reflect on that. I believe him when he says he does not want to see a hard border in Ireland. I take him at his word and I know he believes in that. That is the outcome he has stated he would like but there have been remarks from the EU Commission in this regard today. He might reflect on that and send a message in response to the people, not least those who live along the Border.

The Government has told us it will defend, respect and uphold the Good Friday Agreement and I believe it. I take it at its word because it is far too important to do otherwise. However, on the other hand, the Government tells us not to look to the Good Friday Agreement, and the potential lifejacket it offers us, for a solution to Brexit in the form of a referendum on unity, for which there is increasing demand as displayed by the latest polls. If we are going to defend and uphold the Good Friday Agreement, we should also look to it and adhere to it at its fullest.