Speaking as the Stormont Assembly debated the Boris Johnson Brexit Trade Deal, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has said he opposed the deal and reiterated his party’s call for a border poll. He said:
“Johnson’s trade deal is being spearheaded by a government of posh, rich Tory MP’s so unsurprisingly it is not a good deal for working class people. Today, People Before Profit reassert our opposition to Johnson’s deal and to a Tory Brexit.
“This reactionary Tory government is presiding over what is the worst crisis in living memory for people across these islands. Their disastrous handling of Brexit is one element of it, but is now dangerously intersecting with the COVID health crisis, economic ruin, job losses and the deep social crisis that Britain and Ireland are now in the throes of.
“The prospect of a no-deal Brexit during this pandemic was clearly deeply troubling and no doubt many have breathed a deep sigh of relief in recent days. But the trade deal being pushed through Westminster is a dangerous one that will damage working class people.
“The Tory vision of exiting the EU was a fantasy vision to bolster the British Empire and they were happy to use racism in order to advance it, and even happier to throw their would-be allies in the DUP under the bus while they were at it. The new immigration system at the heart of the Tories post-Brexit plans will restrict the free movement of people and begin the process of a racist points based immigration.”
“The entire Brexit process has exacerbated the deep crisis at the heart of the British state, a reactionary state based on militarism, austerity and inequality. A state whose rotten record of austerity over the past decade is enough to illustrate the nefarious role of Britain in Ireland. I believe that progressives in Ireland should use the current context of crisis and instability within British capitalism to rid ourselves of the Tories once and for all.
“While moves have been made to prevent a hardening of the border in Ireland, this should only be the beginning. Historically, the border has divided people on this island, holding back progress and helping to bolster two conservative right wing states, north and south. For these reasons we have always opposed the border, we now need to see a border poll to allow people the chance to democratically decide the future of this island.”
“PBP wish to see a socialist Ireland, where unmandated decisions aren’t imposed upon people through elites in London, Brussels or indeed the out of touch establishment parties of Ireland, but where ordinary people have control of their own futures. We are a 32 county socialist organisation that stands in the tradition of the great James Connolly, who wanted to build a workers’ republic on this island, a workers republic that isn’t tied to elites and imperialists but instead represented the interests of the many. We reiterate that call today, now is the time to build that future.”
ENDS
