Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:7. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with the European Council President, Donald Tusk. [27125/16]
View answerTuesday, 4 October 2016
Questions (7)
Oral answers (16 contributions)
My question is-----
The Taoiseach will answer first.
Before Deputy Boyd Barrett attacks me.
Seven and a half minutes remain.
I welcomed the President of the European Council, Mr. Tusk, to Dublin on 7 September. This was his first visit to Ireland in his current role, although he had visited before when he was Prime Minister of Poland. His visit to Dublin took place in the context of the Bratislava summit on 16 September and his intention to meet or speak to all Heads of State and Government in advance of that.
Our meeting in Dublin allowed us to exchange views about the main challenges and priorities of the European Union and where the focus of discussions at the Bratislava summit and beyond should be. We discussed the range of serious challenges facing the Union, including those relating to migration, economic stability and growth, security and Brexit. We agreed that the Bratislava summit should be part of the process of political reflection launched in June to look at the future of the EU and what we can do to improve the lives of our citizens in a real way.
I acknowledged the concerns of many of our EU partners regarding migration, terrorism and security. Of course I also highlighted the priority that Ireland and many other EU partners attach to economic issues, including investment, employment, the Single Market and the digital single market. I said that we should consider concrete measures in the areas which would directly and positively affect the lives of EU citizens. More generally, I assured President Tusk of Ireland's continued assistance and support in building a comprehensive response to the different and complex issues we face. I emphasised the need for a balanced approach as the process of reflection about the future of Europe continues. Further meetings are scheduled to take place in Malta in early spring and in Rome in March.
Although the meeting with President Tusk was not about the UK decision to leave the EU, we reaffirmed the agreed principles that there can be no negotiations before the UK triggers Article 50 and that access to the Single Market requires acceptance of all four freedoms. I gave him a brief account of my July meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Ms May, in Downing Street and took the opportunity to reiterate Ireland's specific concerns on this issue, particularly regarding Northern Ireland and the related Border and citizenship issues, the common travel area and the interconnectedness of our economies.
I will comment on what I see as the stunning lack of self-reflection and self-criticism from Donald Tusk and, for that matter, from the Taoiseach. Donald Tusk said in his speech here that people are turning against what they perceive as an irrational openness and that they see the world around them getting more chaotic with uncontrolled migration and terrorism.
First, these are unfortunate concessions to the scaremongering of those in the far right who are trying to whip up fear and racism against immigrants coming into this country. They were not helpful words from Donald Tusk in that regard. Moreover, they show a complete lack of self-criticism in the sense of asking about Europe's role in creating the sense of disillusionment that is widespread throughout Europe.
In the case of the meeting with the Taoiseach, I note that Donald Tusk declined to comment on Apple. Is it not a fact that the economic inequality throughout Europe is substantially a result of the fact that giant corporations evade tax or do not want to pay tax, the banks get it all their own way and people take it in the neck? Is that not why we have such widespread alienation? Is that not the seedbed for much of the racist sentiment that is then, wrongly, directed at immigrants?
I note the conversation with Deputy Martin earlier about Aleppo and so on and the absolutely justified criticisms of Russia's disgusting actions in Aleppo, its bombing there and so on. That criticism is right and proper. However, something is absolutely missing when they are talking about the Syrian crisis and the migration crisis. This much is clear from the comments of the Taoiseach, those of Deputy Martin or those from anyone in the European Union. What is missing is any sense of the culpability of Europe and the West in the very same cynical military intervention, intervention in Syria and in the wider region.
That is outrageous.
Where is the criticism of Britain bombing Syria 43 times in the past six months? Where is the criticism? There is none.
Deputy Boyd Barrett always qualifies Russian aggression.
Where is the criticism of US, French and British arms sales to the Saudi regime that has killed 10,000 people in Yemen? Where is the criticism? If there is no consistency in our humanitarian standards and in our opposition to bombing and war, then we have no standards, and everyone knows that it is no more than opportunistic and cynical.
Deputy, the Taoiseach has two minutes to respond and that will conclude questions to An Taoiseach.
Is the disaster in Syria, what is happening in Yemen and so on not an opportunity for Europe, the Government and, for that matter, Deputy Martin to start having a little consistency in their human rights standards?
The Taoiseach has less than two minutes and that will conclude these questions.
The discussion we had with President Tusk was about European issues. In reply to Deputy Martin's question, I referred to Aleppo and the disgraceful actions that led to so many men, women and children being killed there.
The Government decided to appeal the Apple case because of our belief in the integrity of the way the Revenue Commissioners have interpreted Irish law, the fact that they do not do sweetheart or behind-the-fence deals with any companies and that their dealings are straight up across every sector. We appealed this to the European judicial system for clarity on the opinion of the Commission, which we believe is wrong. Apple has also appealed.
In response to the question about European intervention in Syria and earlier in Libya, this is discussed normally at European Council meetings and High Representative Mogherini reports at length and in detail on those matters. We are not having a European army. We support, within the constraints by which we are bound and the regulations under which we operate, the European common defence strategy and we contribute to that.
Do we support bombing of Syria by the West?
The United States has broken off its conversations with Russia because of the bombing of the humanitarian convoy and the indiscriminate and deliberate obliteration of the remainder of Aleppo.