Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on the first Private Members' motion of the sitting of the Seanad. Senators will all agree that it is timely. Brexit has unfortunately been a word that has haunted us Border and northern people for years now. We have been tortured by the what-ifs. What if there is a hard border? What will be the consequences and what will happen? After years of talk and discussion, of books written, lawyers paid, Prime Ministers sacked and new Governments put in place, we still have those questions.

One of the many things that is hard to take as an independent country is that, after 100 years away from British rule, we are again at the liberty of decisions made in the House of Commons. As someone who, like many other Members of this House, has lived with the consequences of political decisions made in Westminster, it is hard to take. The debate over a hard border, soft border or no border is not an academic study or strange concept, it is our reality. For too long, the flippant decisions of Westminster have had a negative impact on our day-to-day lives. We believed we had a deal, that Brexit was done, oven-ready. Then this bombshell dropped when the Internal Market Bill was published. It is like a bad drama. We found out that the provisions of the Bill will erode and disregard the protocol on Northern Ireland.

In responding to a question in the House of Commons on 8 September about the rule of law and potential breach of international obligations, Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that the Bill breaks international law "in a very specific and limited way". This is absolutely shocking in the sense that the UK is admitting to bad faith towards Ireland, although it is not shocking that it has that attitude. It is a clear breach of law and good faith and discredits the UK in the eyes of the world. The UK wrote the Magna Carta, the basis of which is that everyone is subject to the law and is seen as the first step towards parliamentary democracy. To publicly and proudly renege on an international treaty is truly damning.

Thankfully, over the past weeks, we have had real solidarity with our European partners and across the Atlantic in America. Our partners are standing up on our behalf and clearly stating that they support our island and that any acts that put the Good Friday Agreement in jeopardy are not acceptable.This is a relief but, unfortunately, it does not solve anything. This support did not come by accident. It is down to 100 years of diplomacy and building relationships. To put it in context, our Government travelled to France in 1919 in order to have Ireland recognised among the nations of the world after the First World War. This attempt to gain recognition of our independence by way of appeal at the Paris Peace Conference in Versailles is one of the many neglected aspects of our history. We had asked Europe and America to respect us and regard us as an independent people but, owing to the British influence at the time, they ignored us. Therefore, we went it alone and succeeded in achieving partial independence. After 100 years of diplomacy and building good relationships through our exemplary permanent diplomatic staff and leadership, mostly under Fianna Fáil-led Governments, we are now thankfully reaping the rewards of these acts. Europe and America are standing up for us. They did not do so in 1919.

As already stated, however, support does not solve anything. We are walking on a tightrope. What is happening has the potential to bring us back 30 years to relive the horrors of our dark past. We have 99 days until the end of the transition period but, more importantly, we have five weeks until the end of October. This is the real deadline. Mr. Michel Barnier believes a deal is not impossible but not looking good. He notes that a unilateral breach of the withdrawal agreement has damaged trust and that if the British continues with sections of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, the European Parliament will not ratify any agreement on future trade deals with the United Kingdom.

If there is no deal, there will be more control and tariffs. All products entering the Single Market must be checked from 1 January onwards and could be coming into Northern Ireland from anywhere in the world. We, as a member state, have a responsibility to enforce EU law and respect the integrity of the Single Market. I ask the UK Government to implement the withdrawal agreement in full and enact the legislation that is within the laws it helped to draft and on the basis of which it won an election. I ask it to take out the illegal parts of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill so all the proud people on this island can, with the full implementation of the protocol, breathe a sigh of relief.