Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
In our audit of theMidlands North WestEuropean election candidates, we asked candidates to answer questions on nine of the most pressing issues facing Ireland and Europe in the coming years.
Do you want Brexit to happen? Should Ireland make concessions on the backstop?
Fidelma Healy Eames
I’d prefer if Brexit didn’t happen but at the very least I want a deal.
Peter Casey
My preferred option would be for Britain to remain in the EU. However, I do accept Brexit has dragged on far too long and it’s time for Britain to make up its mind, one way or the other. What we need to do is put plans and emergency funds in place to protect our farmers and businesses, to ensure they can make it through without any financial upheaval.
Matt Carthy
I don’t want to see Brexit happen and I particularly don’t want to see the North of Ireland dragged out of the EU against the will of voters there who chose to Remain. Sinn Féin MEPs have played a crucial role of providing political leadership on the issue of Brexit since 2016.
We advocated a Remain vote in the referendum while others, some who are now EU candidates, recklessly promoted the Tory Brexit agenda.
We proposed that the North should be granted a designated special status, a position that has now been widely accepted by EU and Irish leaders. Sinn Féin MEPs have also played a constructive role in helping shape the withdrawal agreement that includes the pivotal backstop.
There can be no dilution of that provision; it represents the least worst option for our country. Anything less is a major threat to the Good Friday Agreement, to our economy and to our rights. I have also been advocating since 2016 for a Brexit relief fund for Ireland, including an automatic mechanism that can easily be triggered in the event of tariffs being instated, significant currency fluctuations or other Brexit-related shocks.
Cyril Brennan
I am an EU critic because the current set up is based on a neoliberal outlook. I am against the Tory Brexit because it means even more neoliberal measures. I don’t think there should be any concessions that would lead to a hard border. Quite the opposite – the Irish government should declare that it will refuse to implement a hard border if the EU orders it to do so -and it will support active civil disobedience if the British attempt to impose one.
Michael O’Dowd
No I don’t want Brexit to happen. I also support a Border Poll.
Brendan Smith
I do not want Brexit to happen. It is not good for Europe or for Ireland or indeed for Britain.
There are some candidates running in these European elections who are so virulently anti-EU that they were happy to see Britain vote for Brexit. They were wrong.
The notion that a divided Tory party would rally behind both the Withdrawal Agreement and Prime Minister May if Ireland were to give way on the Backstop is a fallacy.
The backstop is an essential insurance policy that both sides hope will never have to be called upon. You don’t cancel an insurance policy when there are reckless people playing with matches across from your house.
Patrick Greene
Yes Brexit should happen. The people of the UK and Northern Ireland had a referendum and who are we to object to their collective decision?
The present FF/FG government should have looked after the Irish nation first instead they put the interests of the EU before those of the Irish people. Leo Varadkar was involved with the EU from a very young age, an EU first policy cannot be ruled out. The UK is our biggest trading partner and at this stage it is not about concessions it is about a failed Irish government strategy and how to recover from it.
It must also be remembered that Ireland was always going to be the most affected country (province) of the EU, so why were we not allowed into the room and have a seat directly at the negotiations?
DD or citizen initiated referenda would have allowed the people of Ireland the opportunity to correct the failed FG/FF government policy and most likely ensured us a seat in the room and at the negotiation table.
Saoirse McHugh
I think that a people’s vote would be the best idea. In general my answer to that would be no, I don’t think Ireland should make concessions on the backstop.
Anne Rabbitte
I think the ideal situation is that Brexit didn’t happen and that the UK remained in the EU. The people had their say in 2016, however, and the democratic will must be respected. At this point, Westminster has to be given the time and space it needs to figure out how exactly it wants to proceed, whether that’s crashing out with no deal, some form of agreed withdrawal or People’s Vote.
There’s so much at stake on this island if Brexit happens, and it could be an economic disaster for Ireland, particularly for many of the counties in the Midlands-North-West. It’s crucial we protect the Good Friday Agreement and the peace we’ve cultivated over the last two decades and on that basis alone, Ireland should not make any concessions on the backstop. There’s too much at risk.
Mairead McGuinness
I regret the result of the Brexit referendum. I think Brexit is damaging for Ireland – but also for the UK. In Ireland, as close friends and neighbours, we can point to how damaging Brexit is already. Right now Brexit is inevitable – but whether it will be an orderly or disorderly Brexit isn’t clear.
I am working to ensure it is orderly as the consequences of a hard Brexit would be very serious.
The backstop contains the necessary measures to prevent a border on the island of Ireland: which both sides in negotiations want. Ireland and the EU have already made concessions on the backstop – accepting British PM Theresa May’s request that the whole of the UK should stay in the same customs territory as the EU and not just Northern Ireland.
Ideally the backstop will never be needed and the issues will be addressed in the future UK-EU relationship.
But at this stage the problem isn’t the backstop itself: the UK still wants contradictory things from Brexit. The UK wants a close economic and trading relationship with the EU with “frictionless” borders – but it also wants to “take back control” of its laws, regulations, trade deals, borders and immigration. The backstop demonstrates in legal text that the UK can’t have its cake and eat it too. And they can’t have our cake either! Further concessions on the backstop would weaken the guarantee it provides that there won’t be a hard border, while letting the UK kick the can down the road on difficult issues it still hasn’t faced up to some three years after the referendum.
Maria Walsh
During this campaign, I have met business people, farmers, families and people from all walks of life, who like me, do not see any benefit in the UK leaving the EU. However, that is a decision which was made following a referendum and we have to respect that mandate given to the UK Government.
No the backstop is vital. As a candidate for the European Parliament I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Nothing but a money making scheme, how many accidents have been on this stretch of road? Soon these ‘safety’ cameras will be generating millions, at the expense of the motorist, on every motorway in Ireland.
@Hugh Fogerty: not really. They work really well in the UK. 120kmph is more than enough for anyone to be doing on any road in Ireland. If you know you will end up with points and a fine you just won’t speed! Simple.
@Hugh Fogerty: If people stick to the limit, they won’t get fined. It’s that simple.
@Hugh Fogerty: Very easy way to throw a spanner in the works of this money making scheme.
@Hugh Fogerty: you probably think taxation is theft too, yeah?
@Hugh Fogerty: If you’re thick enough to get penalty points on this stretch of motorway, and it’s very clearly indicated that it’s an average-speed zone, then you deserve to be fined and get penalty points.
@Hugh Fogerty: you don’t have much faith in the intelligence levels of Irish motorists do you? Only way this will generate money is if people speed.
@Hugh Fogerty: why would you need to go any faster than the speed limit? Standard of driving in this country is appalling.
@Edward Reid: vast majority of motorways in Europe are 130km/h… 120 would be low compared
@Hugh Fogerty: only the BMW and Mercedes drivers need worry.
@Hugh Fogerty: Quite a lot actually it is a spot that, quite a lot of rain water stays on because it was built on a bog and has been a lot of accidents with aquaplaning.
@Paul Furey: You can add Audi to that list as well.
@Brendan Nolan: quite a lot is an interesting quantum, not sure if I said not very much would that be as big a number? Without actual figures it’s all conjecture. I’ve never seen an accident on that stretch of road.
@Brendan Nolan: so what you are saying is that stretch of road was badly engineered?
@Saigionsive: taxation is theft when it’s not used for what it was intended.
@Hugh Fogerty: every day there are accidents on these roads. I don’t think speed is the problem though so this figure won’t change.
If compliance was below 70% on a road, would one not think to assess if the 120kph limit was still correct? Maybe that was a sign 130kph or higher would be suited.
* fixed comment – give me edit!
@Richard: I’m not sure. If you give more people end up taking more. They would push to 140/150 if the legal limit was 130. I think the majority of people stick to 120 as it is, only some people think they should be allowed to do as they wish whether or not it puts anyone else in danger or not. I’m all for each to their own but if you cause an accident just because your a macho man showing of or whatever the reason and it killed my family or kids it changes the situation. Slow down, enough families have suffered already.
@Richard: We need to start reducing speed limits.
Fuel consumption at 130 km/HR would be much higher than say 100km/HR..
Electric cars are not suited to high speed as they have huge battery consumption above 100 km/ HR.
@Roger Bond: that should be a person own personal choice and use of money to spend it burning fuel or reducing their electric range. 130km in most European countries as the norm on motorways
@Richard: What’s the point? Driving at 130kph instead of 120 saves you about 24 seconds on a 10km journey. Are we really in that much of a hurry that it’s worth the increased danger and fuel consumption? If we say Limerick to Dublin is about 200km which is a long journey in Ireland, that’s just 8 mins knocked off the entire journey! And that’s assuming a direct motorway with no slow-downs or stops. Each increase above that gives you less and less saving on time.
@Roger Bond: that’s why you should not buy toy cars.
Another nanny state intervention. “if you get to the next camera too quickly you will be flagged on our server.” How about people just follow the safety rules? Seems that the government has taken over the church for “rule following” and being forced into submission.
How about free will, trusting people to do the right thing and give them a ticket if they are caught speeding by a Garda officer?
@Seeking Truth: its more simple than this tbh.
It was simply put in to make money.
None of them gives a flying f… about people.
@John Johnes: Seems to be a way to let people decide if they want to throw money away. The average speed zone will be well flagged on approach.
@Seeking Truth: the issue with that is that not every person speeding is caught by a speed camera van, as there simply aren’t enough of them in place at each location. I think this new system will be a positive one in that it still gives people the option to speed, or not, while guaranteeing that they are caught if they do. Their choice, with consequences for the wrong one.
@Seeking Truth: so if you think this is a nanny state should we drop health and safety in the workplace and let the ordinary worker set the the standards or have none and more deaths. Should we not have regulations for electrical devices and import potential fire hazards from every country in a race to the bottom.
@Seeking Truth: Because, left to their own ‘free will’, a lot of people behave badly.
@Seeking Truth: we’ll they have being allowing people the choice till this morning, the result has been 6 deaths and 54 serious accidents on this particular stretch of road so if given some people haven’t kept to the speed limit they have opted to enforce the speed limit. I don’t understand the issue here, what is the issue with keeping to the 120 limit? Are you so important and or in such a rush that speed limits don’t apply to you?
@Peter: is that in the past week? That’s quite a lot tbf.
Do you have a source for those numbers? We’re they in dry conditions or other conditions?
Personally I think the speed limit should be variable, higher in dry weather and low traffic volumes, lower in bad weather and or high traffic volumes. We have regional roads that used to be safe for 60mph with older less safe cars yet we are now told we have to drive 80kph on them now. Its not about safety it’s about revenue generation.
As cars are being made safer and faster we’re lowering limits, doesn’t make sense, speed limit should be raised to 140 on major motorways in the right hand lane anyway
@pkunzip doom2.zip: at 110 KPH versus 120 KPH I get an extra 10% more kilometers from my tank of diesel. That saves around 11.00 euro per fill.
@pkunzip doom2.zip: if I set my speed limiter to 110 KPH versus 120 KPH I get an extra 10% distance. At current diesel prices that is a saving of €11.00 per fill.
@Rudy de Groot: that’s great for you, well done. When I drive my leaf at 115km I get 250km from a €6.40 charge but when I want to overtake some dckhead in a leaf doing 115km and I’m in my Golf I don’t want to 3 points for driving safely, well within the car and drivers capabilities
@Rudy de Groot: you’d get even more out of your tank if you drove at 80kph
@Anthony Guinnessy: not everyone is concerned about their mileage as you seem to be, if you drive at 80km/h on a motorway you deserve a fine for dangerous driving
Can these camera be used to catch drivers that do not Indicate when overtaking and undertaking ??
@lorcmulv: the answer is in their name!
@lorcmulv: and the roundabouts. In a normal world – whoever does not use their indicators are being fined.
If compliance was below 70% on a road, would one. It think you assess if the 120kph limit was still correct? Maybe that was a sign 130kph or higher would be suited.
just as well my old van wont go over 120km
It’s about time these got rolled out, they need to be put on every stretch of motorway in the country along with variable speed limits. Both have been proven to work for reducing accidents and deaths and traffic flow. If people are driving as per the rules of the road then they have nothing to worry about. For those saying it’s a money making racket I would say they are the very people that are being targeted, not to make money from them but to change the way they drive so they are complying with the posted speed limits.
@Peter: why then are most motorway speed limits higher in Europe? Ever heard of the auto bahn? “Measurements from the German state of Brandenburg in 2006 showed average speeds of 142 km/h (88 mph) on a 6-lane section of autobahn in free-flowing conditions.[3]”
^^ thats a proper road network and just as safe as ours.
I find if I put my speed limiter to 110 KPH I get an extra 10% from my tank of diesel. Considering the cost of fuel it makes sense to reduce speed and save money (and be kinder to the environment too)
@Rudy de Groot: I’d say you’ll find if you put your speed limiter to 80kph you’ll save even more. What’s your point?
Have we invested anything in preventing drivers from travelling in the wrong direction on this motorway?
Ireland catching up with the rest of Europe.
@FliepFlap: Ireland falling further behind the rest of Europe. Safer cars, better roads should mean higher speed limits.
Drove it this morning, main issue was drivers in the overtaking lane doing 120, makes it difficult when you come up behind a slow vehicle and cant pass for the queue of cars cruising in the overtaking lane.
Then once past the second camera off they are like rockets…
If there was a bit of dirt causing the number plate reader to record an 8 or 9 out of a 3 or perhaps a 7 out of a 1 there will be no actual photo of the car showing the make, model and colour of the vehicle so you could not dispute the alleged offence. Normally you are innocent until proven guilty. With this system you are guilty…full stop.
Good grief, the amount of whinging here on this Monday morning. Don’t speed! I do a lot of motorway driving and get over 200km extra on a full tank by driving 95-100kmh on the motorways. It means an extra 10 to 15 mins on a drive from Dublin to Kilkenny but its worth it.
@Paul Furey: no its not, an extra 16 minutes a day each way would be 24hrs extra a year (conservatively). That’s 3 working days you’re giving up per year. Over a lifetime you are losing 147 working days.
@Anthony Guinnessy: what a waste of sums. Leave earlier.
We know where they are hit cruise control at 118 kmph then away u go
@James Johnson: all cars are 4-5km overstated so 124 and you’d be doing 120
Be warned if passing these at night they shine a light across the motorway that’s absolutely blinding
Years and years behind…
It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s too little too late considering these have been around for years in other countries. Motorways are built for speed. How many deaths actually occur on them? Meanwhile the technology exists to measure your speed wherever you go! Most runners have watches that give all sorts of statistics about your run. Put one of these on every car that reports safe driving back to a central server. Compliant people get a discount on their car insurance. The discount is paid for by the reduction in claims this will no doubt bring about. If you frame it as a bonus for being safe rather than a fine for speeding you’ll get much better buy-in.
What about teleportation.?
Why must everyone else slow down just because of a minority of people who can’t drive properly?
I’m sure they’ll be really useful on the M50.
What happens if you drive too slow, surely the concertina effect is equally the same as too fast but slightly more dangerous e.g overtaking.
have your say