Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill challenges Taoiseach Enda Kenny to secure special status within the EU for Northern Ireland during her Easter speech
Sinn Féin Leader in the North Michelle O’Neill MLA delivered the main oration at today’s Easter Commemoration in Dublin.
During the course of her remarks Ms O’Neill said Ireland’s political landscape, North and South, will change dramatically as a result of Brexit.
She said the issue has brought the issue of Irish reunification firmly back on the politicala agenda.
Ms O’Neill said; “The Brexit referendum result has swept away many of the previous political assumptions about the constitutional, political and economic status quo in Ireland.
“Ireland’s political landscape, North and South, will change dramatically – and this poses a severe threat to the Good Friday Agreement and the political and economic future of the island.
“This has brought the issue of Irish reunification firmly back on to the political agenda.
“The people of the North clearly voted to see their future in the European Union in the referendum last June. Those who voted remain came from all walks of life. They were nationalists, unionists, republicans and others.
“They did so not because the EU is such a great institution, but because it is in their best interests politically, socially and economically and because they did not want to see any strengthening of the border in Ireland.
“The British government's reckless Brexit agenda offers nothing to the people of the north who are being dragged out against our will.
“The Brexit referendum was driven by the narrow, right-wing interests of the most hardline elements of the British Tory party and the far right of UKIP. These parties have never shown any regard for the North of Ireland or our people.
“Since the referendum, Theresa May and her government have done nothing to indicate this has changed. In fact they have blatantly ignored the democratic will of the majority of the people of the north.
“Sinn Féin called for the Dublin Government to establish an all-Ireland forum to discuss the impact of Brexit and were successful in securing that.
“But what Enda Kenny must now do is stop standing by and start to take serious his moral duty and political responsibility to act in the national interest of all Irish citizens.
“He needs to make it clear that his government will formally adopt the case for designated special status for the North within the EU as a negotiating position when he enters the Brexit negotiations.”