South Down MLA Colin McGrath says that Northern Ireland cannot be ignored on Brexit.
His key arguments centre around the significant issues that the:
* British Government has ignored democratic will of the people in the referendum and
* that the Government has triggered Article 50 with no Executive in Northern Ireland.
SDLP South Down MLA Colin McGrath has described the triggering of Article 50 against the wishes of people in Northern Ireland and at a time when there is no power sharing Executive in the North as “an act of democratic savagery”.
Mr McGrath called on all parties in Northern Ireland to unite around a common position on Brexit to promote and protect the interests of people here.
He said: “Brexit is the single greatest threat to prosperity and stability facing this island since partition. People in South Down recognised that and voted to remain in the European Union by 67%. We voted to remain in the single market, to continue to enjoy the benefits and protections of EU membership.
“The British government’s Brexit juggernaut is about to smash through the fragile complexities of Irish politics. But worse than that, PM Theresa May is planning to trigger Article 50 while we face a political crisis in the North.
“Dragging us out of Europe against the will of our people and while we have no Executive isn’t just an affront to the principles of devolution, it is an act of democratic savagery.
“People in South Down know how much we have to lose not just in terms of trade and investment but through the free movement of people across this island and the human rights protections we enjoy from Europe.
“The ignorance of this government must be met with strength from parties here. The referendum result is a mandate to take a stand against Theresa May’s tunnel vision and defend devolution.
“This challenge must unite us all.”
