It is becoming increasingly clear that the Brexit negotiations are a competition between two reactionary imperialist blocs. On one side are the Tories who have been forced to face the reality that no hard border will be accepted in the North. Nor will their vision of a Tory ‘Hard Brexit’ be acceptable either. Theresa May’s own position in the talks has been humbled by the actions of her reactionary bedfellows in the DUP.
One the other side are the bureaucrats in the EU Commission who are attempting to use the Brexit negotiations to sleep walk Ireland into supporting PESCO—which will end Irish neutrality, and incorporate the South into a new EU imperial super army.
Those who continue to cheerlead the EU as a progressive institution must now answer for Ireland’s neutrality being dissolved into an EU imperial army for an EU superstate. The question must be asked what use is it to call for an end to the British Empire only to dissolve Irish sovereignty into a new EU empire? Whose interests will this army serve and protect?
It should be clear by now that neither the Tories nor the EU have any interest in protecting people in Ireland. The only consistent position for progressives is the People Before Profit position—’we serve neither London nor Brussels but a Socialist Ireland’.
People Before Profit continue to call for referenda to be held North and South on any Brexit deal. Ordinary people should have the final say in whatever deal is made, as a matter of democratic principle. We maintain our call for civil disobedience if talk of a hard border returns. We call on the Irish government to immediately halt plans to offer any support to an EU army. Moves to support PESCO will result in £400bn of the Irish budget being dedicated to EU defense — away from the housing and homelessness crisis. Like any attempt to impose a hard border, this should be opposed and actively resisted. Finally, we call on the Irish government to commit to using their veto to stop any Brexit deal which would detrimentally affect the lives of people North and South of the border.