Fianna Fáil’s right arm doesn’t know what its left arm is doing on Brexit – Richmond

Fine Gael Senator, Neale Richmond, has called on Fianna Fáil to get its story straight when it comes to attacking the Government on Brexit.

The party’s newly installed Brexit spokesperson Lisa Chambers proclaimed from on high that the government was “too soft” in Brexit negotiations yesterday (Wednesday).

Her claims of the Government being “far too facilitative” are in stark contrast to the views of her party leader, Mícheál Martin, who declared previously that the Government was “too hard” and using “megaphone diplomacy”.

Senator Richmond said: “The Fianna Fáil party is behaving like Goldilocks and can’t figure out if the Brexit plan is too soft or too hard. Which is it?

“Thankfully while they grapple, the Government has a good plan and has kept Irish issues at the centre of the Brexit negotiations.

“We secured the backstop insuring no return to a hard border and the UK and EU agree there will be no Withdrawal Agreement without that backstop.

“We are now at an important stage of negotiations. As Michel Barnier said, we need substantial progress on the backstop by June. Fianna Fáil should stop trying to score petty political points and get its story straight.

“From the party that has at various stages called for hard border infrastructure to deal with migration; skipped multiple stakeholder meetings; asked for a Minister with no EU council function and advocated direct, bilateral negotiations with the UK that would destroy the credibility of the Irish position, it is clear that Fianna Fáil hasn’t the first idea on how to approach possibly the biggest issue the state will face in its history,” Senator Richmond added.

ENDS