Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
NIGEL FARAGE’S ADDRESS at ‘Irexit: Freedom To Prosper’ conference at the RDS in Dublin last weekend has attracted the level of media coverage its organisers would have desired.
The former UKIP leader and current MEP, is a media savvy master of soundbite, who knows how to effectively convey his Euroscepticism to the masses.
The core messages from Farage at this event was his belief that pro-Irexit candidates could win votes from pro-EU politicians in the next European elections and that more public debate should occur on the topic of “Irexit”.
It’s worth remembering that the Brexit result itself, surprised many at the time, including many of the Vote Leave contingent such as Farage. However, the negative maligning of the EU in British politics and society was not a new phenomenon pre-Brexit and had existed for decades to the merriment of a growing dissenter base, a faction that has long revered their talisman Farage and his UKIP manifesto.
There is little doubt then, that the presence of a British right-wing politician like Farage addressing an Irish crowd about independence was both ironic and audacious. Particularly given the fractured Brexit talks to date under an increasingly weakened Prime Minister Theresa May, who’s disjointed Conservative Party is still being controversially propped up by the DUP.
Sam Boal
Sam Boal
In spite of such criticisms, however, has Farage raised a valid question for the Irish electorate to consider? Is it time for Ireland to re-evaluate its own relationship with the EU and debate the merits of “Irexit” if any?
The benefits of EU membership?
The salient advantages for member states is that the EU operates a single market which allows free movement of goods, capital, services and people between those member states. Therefore, member states are free to trade with other members at no additional taxation, while their respective citizens are open to many more work and educational opportunities.
Another key advantage is the significant funding available from the EU for agriculture, community projects and all levels of business and industry within its member states.
From a legal viewpoint, many of the legal protections afforded and enjoyed by all citizens of each member state, has either emanated or has been greatly enhanced through EU membership and the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Furthermore the historical basis upon which the EU was founded is as pertinent today as when initially envisaged at the end to the Second World War. A time when a new movement of unity was envisaged by influential thinkers, such as Britain’s Winston Churchill and French Minister Robert Schuman, who aspired to “Make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible “.
Therefore with the continual and growing instability in the Middle East coupled with a volatile US Presidency under Donald Trump- a strong united Europe based on the promotion and protection of peace, is far too valuable a benefit to not embrace during such testing times.
Euroscepticism
Despite such benefits of EU membership, dissent and scepticism has always existed to some degree throughout the EU’s history and has significantly increased in recent years.
Advertisement
The German election results last year sent shockwaves across the EU, when the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party stormed to an unprecedented 93 seats in the Bundestag election at the expense of Angela Merkel’s party.
Armin-Paul Hampel, member of parliament of the party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Alexander Gauland (R), AfD faction leader DPA / PA Images
DPA / PA Images / PA Images
Such growing cynicism and poor voter sentiment towards the EU, has been the catalyst for the substantial support enjoyed by these new wave of invigorated far-right and far-left leaning parties throughout Europe. Such political factions, play heavily on the economic hardship borne by its members, while using hardwired anti-EU rhetoric that questions the necessity of EU membership and laments nostalgically on the subject of greater sovereign rule.
Ireland itself, has also endured a rather chequered history of EU dissent in the recent past.
The Nice Treaty was initially rejected in June 2001 by the Irish electorate, a decision which was later reversed in a second referendum in 2002. A similar scenario occurred during the Lisbon Treaty with a rejection in 2008 and reversal in 2009, following concessions.
Protesters burn a poster of Brian Cowen from his Lisbon Treaty Campaign Sasko Lazarov
Sasko Lazarov
Further scientism increased against the EU following our devastating economic crash in 2008 and subsequent bailout negotiations with the EU, via the European Monetary Fund (EMF).
The political and economic bruising the Irish government and citizens experienced at that time, helped to create a damning image of the EU and its institutions, which was amplified with the EMF’s subsequent dealings with Greece during their economic woes.
Accusations ranged from such deals being too draconian, unjust and too federally focused at the expense of citizen rights and well-being.
Anti Lisbon graffiti during the second lisbon treaty in Dublin. Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland
Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland
Fuelling debate
We will need to wait and see if Nigel Farage’s attendance last weekend, will have any effect on stirring up or capturing EU dissent amongst Irish voters and whether the topic of “Irexit” will gain any widespread debate or political traction.
Although one might assume, there appears to be no substantive appetite or demand for Ireland to follow in the footsteps of the UK, it is still important for the Irish government and our people to evaluate and debate what exactly EU membership means to us as a nation and as a civil society.
This requires clear and constructive communication of membership benefits, as well as drawbacks and challenges, to develop an informed electorate with the necessary measured understanding to invoke change; if required.
This will in turn will enhance our ability to embrace the salient benefits and exploit the many opportunities that are still available through our EU membership, factors which now seem more real and relevant following Brexit.
It may also helpfully deter such prominent sceptics as Farage from unduly interfering in our democratic process and fuelling a debate, one feels he has little right to fuel.
Jason O’ Sullivan, is a solicitor and public affairs consultant at J.O.S Solicitors.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
170 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
So the wards and theatres will be empty of doctors (already a skeleton staff) for an hour while they sit in a room to have some overpaid fuckwit show them how to wash their hands…is there any wonder foreign doctors are voting with their feet and avoiding Ireland as a place to work?
The reason docs haven’t attended these classes is that they are run off there feet working like fools for 120 hours a week getting paid peanuts, doing the work of 3 doctors as the shite bucket that is the health system falls down around them. Unfortunately, unlike other unionised groups in the HSE the docs cannot take 2 hours off and disappear to sit in a room and listen to some hygienic nurse ‘specialist’ drone on about crap to justify her â
They should be given warning for not washing there hands and if the get 3 warning they get suspended and if they continue to be dirty bast**ds they should be sacked. They should not get rewarded for being clean. That’s the bloody basic minimum that should be done. My god it not the dark ages.
Also the title of this piece is appalling. There is no evidence to state that doctors are ‘dirty’ in the story in any way. Would the Journal be so brave to label special needs assistants or nurses with such a disgusting, unfair and unprofessional adjective?
I thought the journal is above lazy tabloid garbage headlines.
Had an operation on Monday and in the pre-theatre room there was a big sign stating that no food and drink should be taken into the room. I was surprised to see 4 takeaway coffee cups in a tray underneath it.
Sorry? Doctors have to be threatened to make them wash? These are the same ungrateful fucktards that cost 150k to train and then piss off somewhere for more money leaving us with Romanians that can’t take a pulse!!!
Ah Brian, that’s the hse spin you’ve swallowed. Reality is that our health service is heavily dependant on foreign trained (usually 2nd/3rd world) doctors, as anybody who has ever been ill will have noticed. The uk has been asked by the W.H.O. to stop poaching nurses and doctors from poor countries who can barely afford to train them; we engage in an identical practice. But after years of been treated like shite, and nasty media attacks on doctors like this article,they are leaving, which is why there is now a staffing crisis… not because a few rookie Irish grads go travelling for experience after qualifying for 6-12 months!
…and they haven’t been threatened to make them wash, they’ve been commanded to leave their patients, probably without adequate cover, in order to attend a patronising lecture on how to wash, get it right!
'Nowhere else was getting money like Cork was under the last government'
Eoghan Dalton
5 hrs ago
3.9k
Tipperary
Gardaí investigating after rocks thrown at trucks on motorway
6 hrs ago
9.3k
The Daily Poll
Poll: Should the Taoiseach visit US President Donald Trump for St Patrick's Day?
18 hrs ago
48.8k
145
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 143 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 98 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 128 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 98 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 73 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 72 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 36 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 32 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 119 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 59 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 70 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 77 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 38 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 42 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 24 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 79 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 89 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 65 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 47 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 77 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 57 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say