Brexit Head to head: Martin McGuinness – Why the North should vote Remain
Posted By: June 23, 2016
Irish Times. Thursday, June 23, 2016
‘Recent estimates put the cost of Brexit to the Northern economy at €1 billion per annum’
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party. Our core values are those of sovereignty and equality. We are an all-Ireland party. We are the only party with MEPs elected in each of the four European constituencies in Ireland. We speak with one voice, an all-Ireland voice in the EU.
There is much we want to change in Ireland and in the EU.
We want to end the power of the British government to impose its policies in any part of Ireland.
We want to end partition. Brexit has the potential to entrench partition. We want an all-Ireland approach to the EU.
We want to change the EU, to build a progressive, prosperous and social Europe. An EU that respects sovereignty and is accountable.
Brexit would hamper trade and investment across Ireland.
It would also remove the minimum safeguards that the EU provides and hand these powers of workers’ rights to a Tory British government.
Sinn Féin is campaigning vigorously against a Brexit and encouraging people to vote to Remain.
A British vote to leave the European Union would have huge implications for the entire island of Ireland, and in my opinion would run counter to the democratic wishes of the Irish people.
Many aspects of our society, from community groups to business and education to agriculture, have been able to grow and expand as a result of the support they have received from the European Union.
History demonstrates that the loss of European Union funding in the North will not be replaced by London. Northern Ireland is peripheral to the concerns of the Tories.
€1bn cost to North
Recent estimates put the cost of Brexit to the Northern economy at €1 billion per annum and the cost to the Southern economy at €3 billion per annum.
In the event of a Brexit, the agricultural sector in the North stands to lose €326 million in direct agricultural support payments per year.
Brexit is likely to lead to the reintroduction of Border controls, limiting freedom of movement, harming trade and adversely affecting cross-Border communities and workers, creating barriers to education, health and welfare. A British exit from Europe would be bad for the development of all-Ireland integration and for communities in the Border region.
In addition to possible tariffs, customs posts and barriers to trade, an isolationist position resulting from Brexit could lead to the application of domestic immigration controls.
Over the past decade, the EU has spent over £1 billion in the North and Border areas on projects for furthering the peace process. These funds would be lost.
Attracting jobs
I have also travelled the world with my Northern Executive colleagues, successfully attracting 40,000 jobs to the North through foreign direct investment on the basis that we are a gateway to Europe.
It simply does not make sense that some should now look to close that gateway.
Of course, there are many frustrations with the European Union. I share those frustrations, and there are many elements that we must work to change.
We understand why an increasing number of progressive forces have lost faith in the EU for legitimate reasons, particularly the democratic deficit and the dominance of neoliberal ideology and austerity.
However, we shouldn’t allow those concerns to be exploited by a British government, which is using EU membership and the Brexit referendum as a bargaining tool to further its right-wing, anti-poor and anti-worker agenda.
The battle for reform can’t be won by withdrawing.
It can only be won by uniting the socialist and progressive forces within Europe and those governments and parties – like ourselves – who dare to challenge the policy of austerity.
Sinn Féin believes that Ireland’s place is in Europe. However we do not believe in a federal Europe. Rather, we believe in a social Europe, a Europe of equality and solidarity, a Europe of equals akin to an Ireland of equals.
Sinn Féin believes in national sovereignty and the rights of individual countries to safeguard their domestic institutional and policy choice, while not excluding the importance of adhering to human rights and promoting social equality and development.
The British government agenda, on the other hand, is entirely regressive and ignores the severe consequences Brexit would have for the island of Ireland and for Irish people living here.
We cannot allow the narrow interests of a section of the Tory party to drag us out of Europe and set our political agenda.
The way to do that is by voting to remain.
