IRELAND’S Ambassador to Britain has taken issue with an article in the Daily Telegraph suggesting "it won’t be too long before Ireland wants to leave the EU as well".
Daniel Mulhall took to Twitter to slam columnist and Brexit supporter Simon Heffer who also suggested that Ireland’s low corporation tax was the only thing keeping Ireland “economically viable.”
Heffer wrote: “I expect it won’t be too long before Ireland wants to leave the EU as well, not simply because of the importance of its trade with the UK, but because the EU is determined to forbid it to operate the 12.5% corporation tax rate that is just about the only thing keeping it economically viable.”
Mr Mulhall expressed his dismay at the comments made in the Saturday piece, saying: "Not impressed at snide comments of Simon Heffer.”
“I can assure him there is precious little support in Ireland for an EU exit.
Mr Mulhall added that Ireland’s economy has much more going for it than its low corporation tax rate, citing its “highly-educated, hard-working population and location within EU.”
1/2 Not impressed at snide comments of Simon Heffer @Telegraph. I can assure him there is precious little support in Ireland for an EU exit.
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) February 19, 2017
"Compare Ireland's economic performance 1922-73 with 1973-2017. Demonstrates the value of EU membership for a country like ours," he said.
Heffer’s article also said that a return to a hard border between Ireland and the North would not revive tensions in the border area.
He said: "It is scaremongering to say a “hard border” would revive terrorism; terrorism in Ireland has never died, and there is no link between it and new border controls."
In a column last year entitled “Easter Rising: it is time to apologise to the Irish”, Heffer compared the struggle of Irish republicans to that of Brexit voters.
2/2 & Simon Heffer, there's lots going for Irish economy other than 12.5% tax. Highly-educated, hard-working population, location within EU.
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) February 19, 2017
He wrote: “Many Britons now can understand how the Irish felt a century ago. We, too, want to govern ourselves, and determine our own future without the control of a foreign power.
“I am not sure that follows: but what we have in common remains so powerful that, if we do leave, our first bilateral deal should be with our Irish cousins.
"Potentially, we have no better friend on earth: on this somber centenary, let us recall that apparent paradox above all else.”
