So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

I can barely bring myself to type the “word” Brexit.  Partially because it’s an utterly ridiculously constructed term and partially because the whole scenario is quite frankly, utterly ridiculous.  Like a ship without a sail, Britain drifts into uncharted waters.  Those that encouraged the maiden voyage, abandoned ship, rowing as fast as they could away from the outcome, their political reputations in tatters.  The rest of us hold our breaths and wait for the fall out.  That any right minded person voted in favour to leave is bizarre in the extreme to me, but democracy is democracy, right?

Whilst chatting to an English person recently, I asked what their opinion was. They said they would have voted leave and when I asked why, answered that they had witnessed huge changes in society, and not positive ones.  It led me to reflect on the very many positive changes that Europe has brought to us here in Ireland.

I’m an 80’s baby.  I grew up against the backdrop of dramatic change for women in Irish society.  In 1973 the European Economic Community opened its doors to us, dragging us kicking and screaming out of the dark ages. Before Europe it was legal for a man to rape his wife.  There was a compulsory ban on married women in the workforce - becoming a wife equaled unemployment.  It was legal to pay women less money for the same work.  There was no such thing as a deserted wives benefit, unmarried mother’s allowance or children’s allowance.
It was legal to fire a pregnant woman.  It was illegal to take the pill or to buy condoms.  There were no Women’s Aid or Rape Crisis centres.  Legislation in these and many, many more areas came because Europe told us it had to.  In fact, even when Ireland abandoned the marriage bar, our government tried to negotiate a clause whereby they could continue to pay women less than their male counterparts. Thankfully, Europe said no!

Domestic violence legislation, equal access to social welfare, maternity and paternity legislation, human rights and anti-discrimination legislation, family law, environmental legislation, all came as a result of European directives.  Directives that Ireland is sometimes lax in implementing.  In 1995 the State was forced to pay arrears to over 70,000 married women who had been discriminated against in social welfare payments, due to delays in implementing the 1985 Social Welfare Act.  And in 2012 we were ordered to pay €3.5 million by the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with environmental law.  The European Courts allow for domestic laws to be challenged on a daily basis. That is a very good thing.  It creates accountability and provides stability.
Yes, the European Union has problems and undoubtedly reform is needed but it is an overwhelming success. The European project emerged as a direct consequence of World War 2, during which over 60 million people were killed.  It is an alliance, a peaceful means of negotiation and economic integration and sadly, almost 60 years after its formation, all the Leave campaign have done is display a complete ignorance of the source of the legislation that they have benefited so hugely from. That, and attempt to legitimise racism. Bravo Boris!