Lord Kilclooney: Dublin must aim to get special status in EU post Brexit
With the triggering of Brexit, the time has arrived when the Dublin government must at last tell the truth to the people of the Republic.
This it has tried to avoid by following the Sinn Fein line of “border politics” and failing to address the economic challenge.
I do not expect anything better from Sinn Fein but I certainly do expect better from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil!
No more nonsense about hard borders; visas; common travel areas; border posts etc.
The reality of Brexit means thousands of Republic of Ireland residents shopping in Northern Ireland each day; it means southern border towns being in decline; a fall in UK tourists to the Republic of Ireland; damage to beef exports to UK; closure of mushroom plants; a reduced European Union budget; less EU funding for agriculture and infrastructure in the Republic; and worst of all a net contribution by southern taxpayers for the first time to the EU budget in Brussels.
No longer can the government in Dublin hide these unpleasant truths but it seems to have made no preparation to meet them.
Answers are now required.
The people of the Republic deserve better from their government.
There is no doubt that Brexit will damage the economy of the Republic of Ireland more than that of any other European Union country.
If the Republic is to continue to remain an EU member and start contributing to the EU budget, then, in the Brexit negotiations, with the support of responsible politicians in Dublin, it must aim to get a “Special Status”.
The Rt Hon Lord Kilclooney, Former MEP for Northern Ireland, Co Armagh