Debate contribution: European Future for Northern Ireland

Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on 2 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

2 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

European Future for Northern Ireland

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4981532

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Well, well, well: the rigorous implementers have well and truly fallen out with themselves. Barnier's "Brady Bunch", who all went down to Dublin together to try to impose the current sanctions here in Northern Ireland, have now fallen out because, unfortunately, the Alliance Party, through wilful ignorance or intentional neglect, has found out what the imposition of the protocol was really all about. In fairness to the leader of the Opposition and Sinn Féin, they made it clear for the entirety of the way through that they saw the implementation of those measures as a constitutional attack on Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom, but the Alliance Party, so blinded by its loyalty to its EU masters, went along with it. Unfortunately, the motion means that the Alliance Party's fence sitting has to come to an end. That is why we have seen Members on the Benches opposite being so irate with the Opposition for tabling the motion: they have called their political bluff. Instead of aiming the entirety of their contributions at the Democratic Unionist Party and insulting the 17·2 million people across the United Kingdom who willingly expressed their democratic consent to leave the European Union, they may wish to look at how they behaved over the past nine years. It was clear that it was always going to end like this. When you get caught out, you lash out at those who are closest to you. We have seen the leader of the Opposition being subjected to that abuse because, unfortunately, he has politically outmanoeuvred them here today. Remarks that have been made explain why the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. They see their political leaders talk down to them as though they are intellectually or morally inferior because they dared to choose to leave the European project. We thought that we had learnt lessons from doing that, but, instead, we have Members saying that 17·2 million people decided to leave the European Union because of an advert in the 'Metro' newspaper. I will just remind the Members for East Antrim and Lagan Valley, who have spent their time attacking that democratic decision, that their constituents — not mine — voted to leave the European Union.

Mr McGrath did a much better job than I ever could of attacking his sister party, the Labour Government, and the terrible policy decisions that they have taken. I just hope that, at the next Westminster election, when we hear party political broadcasts telling us to vote for the SDLP because it has an in with Labour and can influence its decisions, Mr McGrath will be a bit more honest with the public, because the SDLP has no influence over or say in the issues on which the Labour Government will decide. Finally, I will pick up on some of the points made. It was said that we have to be a member of the European Union to preserve peace in Northern Ireland or to be kind to our neighbours. Let me be clear once again: the European Union did not deliver peace in Northern Ireland. It was the public at large, who rejected terrorism from wherever it came, rejected paramilitarism and stood up to those terrorist thugs, who delivered peace here. We do not need to be part of the European project to know right from wrong. Looking after our neighbours is a core value of people in Northern Ireland, be they unionist, nationalist or neither. We do not need to be a part of the European Union to continue to show generosity. I see Mr Honeyford getting active in his seat, so I am happy to give way to him.

As a seven-year-old, I did not have too much say at the time of the Belfast Agreement.

This party has never campaigned against peace. This party, unlike your party, campaigned against the release of terrorists who continue to inflict damage on society today, so your party should be the one that is ashamed of itself, not Members on these Benches. The people of Northern Ireland want us to focus on the issues that matter most to them: fixing our NHS, growing our economy and sorting out issues with childcare. That is where the focus of this party will continue to be. It is clear that the non-binding motion from the SDLP will not pass today, nor will the Alliance amendment. We have managed to spend two hours of precious time rehashing the arguments of nine years ago, but, finally, we have exposed the Alliance Party for what it is: a party that blindly follows the pan-nationalist front that wants to deliver Irish unity.

781 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Qualifying Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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