{"id":23724,"date":"2021-10-31T15:39:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T19:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23724"},"modified":"2021-11-01T09:43:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T13:43:17","slug":"brexit-destructive-to-politics-in-the-north-says-taoiseach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23724","title":{"rendered":"Brexit ‘Destructive’ To Politics In The North Says Taoiseach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miche\u00e1l Martin also defended how the EU has handled the fallout over the Northern Ireland Protocol, saying the Commission proposed a \u201cgenerous and comprehensive\u201d set of changes to how goods are dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin made the comments as he addressed his party\u2019s annual commemoration of Wolfe Tone in Co Kildare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been suggested that there are those who simply have no intention of allowing Brexit to fade as a day-to-day political issue \u2013 and that they have no intention of honoring agreements which respect the right of the European Union to regulate and protect its own internal market,\u201d Mr Martin told the assembled crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause if it was, it would be both reckless and destructive \u2013 causing damage which history would record as benefiting no one and causing profound damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRespecting 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe role of the European Convention on Human Rights in Northern Ireland remains secure irrespective of what is decided in relation to England and Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is central to the Good Friday Agreement and to the legislation which implemented it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cOur priority should be on the issues defined by the public \u2013 addressing entrenched poverty, increasing housing supply, improving services and creating well-paid jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever the sad reality is that Brexit continues to be destructive of being able to focus on these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday, Boris Johnson told the European Union\u2019s top official that \u201creal progress must be achieved soon\u201d in the negotiations to find a solution to the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British prime minister told European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen that a fix was needed \u201crapidly\u201d to prevent further disruption in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the EU put forward radical solutions to address some of the issues arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin said the conditions are there for a \u201crapid conclusion\u201d of discussions if \u201cpeople are sincere\u201d in getting it resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now have in my view a very negative debate over the last while. There is a need to acknowledge that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I am essentially saying is that central to the debate is the ongoing stability, the ongoing need to protect what we\u2019ve achieved, both governments, along with all parties in Northern Ireland, over the last number of decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve achieved an awful lot in terms of the transformation of politics on this island, and it\u2019s extremely important that we protect that and that\u2019s the key context in which I\u2019ve made my remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n

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