Cantillon: Horan takes swipe at McCoy over ‘Brexit’

Ibec and the trade unions are rarely at one – and so it is with Danny McCoy’s bold (and highly questionable) claim that Ireland could follow Britain out of the EU. After a chilly response to McCoy from the Government, former union boss Blair Horan has now taken aim at the Ibec boss.

Horan is secretary of the trade union Charter group, which campaigns for a social Europe and backed both the Lisbon and Fiscal Stability treaties. In a statement yesterday he said there was no substance to support McCoy’s claims and said he risked damaging the economy by creating uncertainty over Ireland’s EU membership.

“Ibec have raised the issue, so they should clarify their position and put some evidence on the table to show how Ireland could possibly benefit from leaving the EU following a ‘Brexit’,” said Horan.

“Casually suggesting that remaining in the EU may not be the UK’s best option is irresponsible for the leader of the main employer’s representative body.”

Horan said a “Brexit” would have serious consequences for Ireland, particularly in light in heavy exports into Britain. Yet leaving the EU was not the solution, he said.

British exports represent only between 15 per cent and 18 per cent of total Irish exports.

“In many ways it is quite extraordinary that Ibec would now suggest that Ireland might turn back the clock and return to being a client state of the UK in economic terms.

The reality is that there is no prospect of that happening as Ireland prepares to celebrate the centenary of 1916 next year.”

Not a fortnight has passed since David Cameron’s Tories secured an unambiguous victory in Britain’s election.

With an EU referendum there now a certainty, debate on the implications here is advancing. McCoy’s claim is a non-runner.

For many months to come, however, we will be in the grip of forces over which we have no control and very little influence.