ABOVE PHOTO: At the Forum were (from left) Regina Doherty MEP, Ingrid Miley, Gary Murphy and Ali Ugur.
A wide range of topics was discussed at the Forum on Europe panel discussion which took place at the Grand Canal Hotel, Dublin 4.
Ingrid Miley moderated the event which included a panel comprising Regina Doherty MEP (Dublin), Ali Ugur, Chief Economist with the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland and Professor Gary Murphy of DCU school of Politics and Government.
Among the issues debated were Pooling sovereignty: this has always been a point raised by Eurosceptics. To what extent did joining the EU boost or diminish Irish sovereignty?
Defence: given the global turbulence, including events in Ukraine and Gaza, is Ireland being press-ganged into abandoning neutrality? How long can we maintain a Jesuitical position where – unlike other neutral European countries – we fail to invest in defence? How long will it be tolerated?
The economy: did the harsh measures demanded by Europe make us forget the importance of European financial support in the early years? And as we became net contributors, did we really understand that it is our duty to support countries who are where we were five decades ago?
Society: would we have had social liberalisation and enhanced rights in areas ranging from employment to equality without the EU and the power of the ECJ?
Migration: the biggest challenge for Europe going forward?
The Moderator thanked all who contributed and also the generous financial assistance to help defray the costs of the event provided by the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland and its Chief Executive, Brian Hayes.
