Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to start today by acknowledging the faceless people behind this Bill, the public servants who have worked tirelessly to bring it forward and who have supported the Minister of State and her Government colleagues in their work in Europe. The Minister of State, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, the Taoiseach and the Government must be commended on their steadfast support for the view that this country's interests come first. They have missed no opportunity to drive that forward.

This is a Bill of last resort. We all hoped that we would not get to this stage but we are here now. We could criticise things and suggest that things have been missed but that is not why we are here now. We are here to support the Government and get this Bill through. I know many Irish people in the UK who are deeply concerned about how Brexit will impact them. I also have many friends and colleagues in the North of Ireland who are very concerned, particularly small business owners who are unsure as to whether they should move to the Republic in order to maintain those businesses. I am thinking about them today.

The divisive people in the UK, particularly at Westminster, and some in this country who would want to see this all go wrong need to step back a little. I have no doubt that the work that the Government has done will ensure that, as far as possible, we will be supported by Europe if a no-deal scenario emerges but the UK will suffer badly. Our brothers and sisters in the North of Ireland who are depending on an all-island solution will suffer badly.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Minister of State, the Government and to departmental officials for the work they have done.I assure the Minister of State that, in every way I can, I will support this Bill. It is too easy for people to stand up and score points against the Government. This is not the time for that. I have no doubt that plenty of other opportunities to do that will arise in the future but this is not one of them.

I am deeply concerned that people in this House and this country have some notion that there will be another referendum in the UK and they will realise they made a mistake and everything will be hunky-dory again. I think we misinterpret the British people and the way they will react. I am fearful of another referendum right now. I would like to see a period of stability that would allow people to take stock of where they are and, if a call for an extension comes, it should last long enough to allow people to sit down and consider where they are.

The advice of the UK Attorney General today has been anything but helpful. I respect his independence in the advice he has given but it is anything but helpful.

My colleague, Senator Coffey, referred to the almost incredible influence of the DUP over this entire process. They are a small group of people who are influencing it badly. They are also bringing other people from the unionist community who are involved in politics into the same sort of Brexit-or-die area. It is sad that we do not have a republican voice in Westminster today to speak for the 56% of people in Northern Ireland who voted to remain in the EU but we are where we are and I respect the right of political parties to do what they believe is right and what they believe they have a mandate for. I am not going to criticise anybody.

All of us in the Houses of the Oireachtas in Leinster House need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government to face down whatever is coming our way. I wish the Minister of State well as she goes forward in this.