Howlin launches stinging attack at 'supreme arrogance' of Fine Gael
Labour leader Brendan Howlin has launched a series of stinging attacks on the handling by Fine Gael of the Brexit negotiations, saying that a claim that it was the only party that could have guided Ireland through amounts to “supreme arrogance”.
Mr Howlin earlier addressed the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin regarding Ireland’s place in the world post-Brexit.
He said that the country’s twin goals must be close relationships with both Britain and the European Union, but that if both were not possible “Labour’s preference will be for a close relationship with the EU”.
But he reserved the majority of his ire for Fine Gael, which has campaigned predominantly in this election on the party’s handling of Brexit and the economy.
“This election marks the point where cross-party unity over Brexit policy has been contaminated by party political differences,” Mr Howlin said.
“As a matter of fact, the threat of a hard Brexit shows the weakness of what Fine Gael ultimately achieved.”
Far from ensuring a “bulletproof” settlement for Irish Brexit concerns, “we are now vulnerable to the capricious and mendacious politics of Boris Johnson” he said.
He said that any credit for how Ireland has negotiated Brexit to date should be attributed to “our exemplary diplomatic corps” rather than to the governing party, and added that “a hard Brexit is still a very real possibility”.
“The bottom line is that the only thing where you had complete consensus with everyone walking the same agenda was Brexit,” he said, regarding Fine Gael’s electoral claims, adding that that consensus “is their only success”.
“They haven’t solved the housing crisis, they’ve made a disaster of health. Everything under their watch has worsened.”
“Fine Gael doesn’t have anything different to say about Brexit for me, other than they think their team is better than someone else’s team. That doesn’t wash,” he said. “The idea that they’re the only people capable of doing it I think is a supreme arrogance.”
Mr Howlin added that in terms of the biggest election issues the answer is simple: “It’s health, health, health.”
“I think the public don’t believe there’s a solution and that’s why they’re frustrated, and that’s why all parties came together and that’s why we have a strategy,” he said.
“So the questions that should be asked are do you support the strategy, and if you do are you providing the money for it. And the answer to that is the only people who are are the Labour Party.”
