Brexit has been destructive on Northern Ireland politics, and the ability to address poverty and create well-paid jobs in the region, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin also defended how the EU has handled the fallout over the Northern Ireland Protocol, saying the Commission proposed a “generous and comprehensive” set of changes to how goods are dealt with.
Mr Martin made the comments as he addressed his party’s annual commemoration of Wolfe Tone in Co Kildare.
“It has been suggested that there are those who simply have no intention of allowing Brexit to fade as a day-to-day political issue – and that they have no intention of honouring agreements which respect the right of the European Union to regulate and protect its own internal market,” Mr Martin told the assembled crowd.
Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD speaking this morning:-
“The EU has been from the very first moment, the strongest, most sincere and most consistent supporter of the Good Friday Agreement. No one has the right to lecture the European Union about protecting the Agreement.” pic.twitter.com/3IGb8mxZQjAdvertisement— Thomas Byrne (@ThomasByrneTD) October 31, 2021
“Because if it was, it would be both reckless and destructive – causing damage which history would record as benefiting no one and causing profound damage.
“The work we have shared with various British governments in achieving peace and creating a new departure remains one of the greatest achievements in the history of democracy on these islands.
“Respecting the protocol, respecting the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland and implementing the proposed major changes to free-up east/west trade is the only way to protect what has been achieved in moving from our darkest days to a new beginning.
“The role of the European Convention on Human Rights in Northern Ireland remains secure irrespective of what is decided in relation to England and Wales.
“It is central to the Good Friday Agreement and to the legislation which implemented it.”
He added: “Our priority should be on the issues defined by the public – addressing entrenched poverty, increasing housing supply, improving services and creating well-paid jobs.
“However the sad reality is that Brexit continues to be destructive of being able to focus on these issues.”
On Saturday, Boris Johnson told the European Union’s top official that “real progress must be achieved soon” in the negotiations to find a solution to the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The British prime minister told European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen that a fix was needed “rapidly” to prevent further disruption in Northern Ireland.
Earlier this month, the EU put forward radical solutions to address some of the issues arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The protocol effectively kept Northern Ireland in the single market, creating a border down the Irish Sea between Great Britain and the fourth nation of the UK.
Mr Martin said the conditions are there for a “rapid conclusion” of discussions if “people are sincere” in getting it resolved.
“We now have in my view a very negative debate over the last while. There is a need to acknowledge that,” he added.
“What I am essentially saying is that central to the debate is the ongoing stability, the ongoing need to protect what we’ve achieved, both governments, along with all parties in Northern Ireland, over the last number of decades.
“We’ve achieved an awful lot in terms of the transformation of politics on this island, and it’s extremely important that we protect that and that’s the key context in which I’ve made my remarks.”
