“My opinion is that the EU used Ireland as a bit of a battering ram against the Brits,” he told journalist Pat McArt. Instead, the relationship between London and Dublin, painstakingly built up during the peace process, was destroyed – damage that is only now starting to heal. His observations on Brexit were all the more intriguing for being offered after McArt asked about a united Ireland. Bassett said a Jim O’Callaghan-led Fianna Fáil could change the conversation on a united Ireland. Helping the UK to make deals with Europe helps to reduce trading frictions in Northern Ireland, and vice versa.

Source: The Irish Times January 29, 2026 07:30 UTC