A key agreement has been agreed on Britain’s path to Brexit.
Negotiators from the UK and EU have agreed a text which outlines the UK’s future relationship with the bloc, paving the way for a Council of EU leaders on Sunday.
It comes as one local Sinn Féin representative in Clare is accusing the county’s Independent TD of being ‘mischievous’ in his call for the party’s MPs to abandon their policy of abstentionism, so that they can have their say in any Brexit vote.
Today has seen EU and British officials agree on a draft text on the UK’s future relationship with the bloc.
The 26-page statement states that both sides will seek ‘ambitious, broad ties’.
But journalist Philip Webster says even if they agree to those terms at this Sunday’s Brexit summit, the chances of the draft text getting through UK Parliament in December are slim.
With the difficulty in getting the deal through, it means every single vote in the British Parliament is expected to be crucial.
With that in mind, Dr Michael Harty has called on Sinn Féin to abandon their longstanding policy of abstention in Westminster and ensure their seven votes are used to sway the parliament in favour of Irish interests.
He has labelled it an outdated tradition and says by using their votes, they can cancel out the DUP.
But here in Clare, Sinn Féin has hit out at those words.
The party’s policy of not taking up their seat in Westminster dates back to 1908, and Northern Irish elected representatives have continued that tradition ever since.
Shannon Sinn Féin Councillor Mike McKee, who’s hoping to gain a Dáil seat in the next General Election, says they will never swear allegiance to a foreign monarch.
And he doesn’t believe it would make any difference, if they did take up their seats and vote.
