‘Brexit’ could put peace process at risk, says former ambassador

People in Britain need to be made aware of the potential consequences of an exit from the European Union of which they are not aware, including the possible impact on the peace process and on the relationship between the British and Irish governments, the MacGill Summer School has heard.

Former Irish ambassador to Britain Dáithí Ó Ceallaigh said that for him, the most important question in considering a possible "Brexit" was the relationship that exists between the British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland.

"The peace that exists in Northern Ireland and the fact that you can now drive across that border from Donegal to Enniskillen as if it didn't exist, that was brought about by the two governments. They drove a peace process. I was present at those meetings, I know what they were like. They were incredibly difficult," he said.

“It’s very fragile. It’s going to require at least two generations of very careful husbanding by the two governments. That must not be put at risk. And I really fear greatly that if there’s a British exit it will be put at risk.”

Mr Ó Ceallaigh also said the area of co-operation in judicial affairs and legal matters and between the police forces was of concern to him.

“Shortly after Mr Cameron came into power on the first occasion, they decided to exercise their right to withdraw from all sorts of arrangements on a European basis in legal affairs and in policing affairs. We Irish got very frightened indeed.”

He and Irish officials had visited Britain at the time to discuss those matters, he said.

“I remember what it was like in this country when we could not extradite, for political reasons, people from the South either to the North or to Britain, for very serious crimes that were committed, or vice-versa. There was no extradition. Nowadays under the European arrest warrant it happens willy nilly. You just write a piece of paper.

"Were Britain to pull out of the EU, that would all be raised again. All of these issues would be on the table. The whole question of police co-operation in areas like Europol, EuroJust would come into question."

Renegotiation

He said the British renegotiation on EU membership should become a European renegotiation and that this would make it much easier for European governments to make the necessary concessions to the UK government.

"I think we need to accept British exceptionalism. We need to accept that they are never going to join the euro, that they are never going to join Schengen, that they don't want to be part of this ever-closer union of the peoples of Europe.

“We should accept that and we should cut a deal which makes it quite clear that they are not committed to any of that and which enables us to move on. And that the deal should be such that it would hold for the foreseeable future.”

Mr Ó Ceallaigh also said he was was personally very frightened by the rise of nationalism on the right and left in Europe.

He said he believed when people were in a “nationalist cocoon”.

“It’s very easy to find yourself in a position where the person who is not like you is somehow not entirely human. We have to remember what we on this island have done to each other in the last 40 years. The savagery that took place on this island was unbelievable.

“I am very frightened of nationalism and I am afraid we are, throughout Europe going back towards it. It may be very nice and sound great but, for me, it’s worrying.”