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Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald has urged the Taoiseach to stand firm over a proposed backstop plan to prevent a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.<\/p>\nSinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald has urged the Taoiseach to stand firm over a proposed backstop plan to prevent a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald was speaking to the media after it emerged that Leo Varadkar told UK Prime Minister Theresa May in a phone conversation that he was willing to consider proposals for a review clause in any backstop plan.<\/p>\n
The backstop is a safety net-type proposal designed to prevent a hard border after Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK leaves the European Union next year.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the Government said both leaders emphasized their commitment to avoiding a hard border and the need for a legally operable backstop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe (British) Prime Minister raised the possibility of a review mechanism for the backstop,\u201d the spokeswoman added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Taoiseach indicated an openness to consider proposals for a review, provided that it was clear that the outcome of any such review could not involve a unilateral decision to end the backstop.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a public message to Mr Varadkar, Ms McDonald warned the backstop \u201ccannot be diluted\u201d.<\/p>\n
She urged him to \u201cshow leadership\u201d and not \u201cleave behind\u201d the people of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Now is not the moment to cloud issues or muddy the waters, now is the moment for leadership and absolute clarity<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything that weakens or softens the Irish Government\u2019s position as to the baseline protections that we need is something to be avoided,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI very much hope and I very much expect that the Taoiseach, the Government and the (Michel) Barnier team will remain on track, I fully expect that the promises and commitments freely made last December to protect Ireland to be honored, and it is the job of the Taoiseach to ensure that it is so.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is not the moment to cloud issues or muddy the waters, now is the moment for leadership and absolute clarity, and the backstop as agreed last December is the bottom line, it can\u2019t be walked away from, it can\u2019t be diluted down. It is the bottom line and it is what must be delivered if there is to be a withdrawal agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Taoiseach assured people in the north that they would never again be left behind, and now is truth time, now is the moment for that pledge to be honored, we expect that it will be. All of us who care about this island, north and south, all of us who wish to see prosperity, equality and opportunity and a decent shared future, all of us need to hold firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is the moment that leadership is required, we expect that that will be provided by the Government in Dublin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald was accompanied by her party\u2019s vice president Michelle O\u2019Neill and South Belfast MLA Mairtin O\u2019Muilleoir at Belfast City Hall as they met business leaders who have raised concerns about the impact of Brexit on labor supply.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill commended the letter signed by 1,000 nationalists across Ireland to Mr Varadkar, urging him to defend the rights of Irish citizens north of the border amid uncertainty caused by Brexit and Stormont\u2019s political crisis.<\/p>\n
The signatories included actors, academics, lawyers, teachers and doctors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it sends a very strong message that the nationalist community here are not going to stand idly by and allow the British Government to disrespect them when it comes to their rights, they\u2019re not going to allow the north to become a backwater when it comes to marriage rights or language rights,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is vitally important that people no longer sit on the fence, people need to make their voices heard, so I very much welcome that civic nationalism have come together again to hold the Taoiseach to account for what he said last year.\u201d<\/p>\n