EuroParlRadio

Interview with Martina Anderson, Sinn Fein MEP on Brexit

Owen Stafford talks to the Sinn Fein MEP Martin Anderson about the upcoming Brexit referendum and the implications of a leave vote for Northern Ireland. 

Dur: 07:14

 

 

A ‘Brexit’ would justify referendum on the North - Anderson

A referendum on a united Ireland would be justified if the UK left the EU. That’s according to the Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson who was speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Her comments follow recent statements by the former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. He said a UK exit from the EU could trigger another independence referendum in Scotland. Martina Anderson says Northern Ireland ‘will be shackled’ to Britain and that partition will be ‘copper fastened’ if the UK votes to leave the EU on June 23^rd.  

Dur: 0.35

Brexit would see North-South border re-imposed - Anderson

Border controls will become a reality again between the north and south of Ireland if the UK leaves the EU. So claims Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson who is campaigning for Britain to remain an EU member in the upcoming in-out referendum on June 23. Supporters of a Brexit, including the UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers, have suggested that the free flowing border between the North and the Republic will continue to exist, if the UK votes to leave. However this is refuted by Ms Anderson, who states that the EU could insist on a closed border between both parts of the island.

Dur: 00:18  

Halawa may be sentenced in June – Boylan

Ibrahim Halawa, the young Irish citizen of Egyptian background, who’s languishing in an Egyptian jail, may be sentenced in June despite the fact that he’s never gone on trial. That’s according to the Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan. She recently visited Egypt where she brought up Ibrahim’s case. The 20-year old has been held in an Egyptian prison since August 2013 after the Egyptian authorities claimed he took part in violent protests in a mosque in Cairo.  Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International say the claims are false. Here’s Lynn Boylan.

Dur: 00:36 

MEP condemns 'frightening' deterioration of human rights in Egypt

The Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylanhas condemned what she’s calling the ‘frightening’ deterioration of humanrights in Egypt. Ms Boylan visited Egypt last weekend as part of a US led fact-findingmission. The Dublin MEP says the situation has worsened considerably since hervisit to the country last August. She met a number of human rights activistsand relatives of prisoners over her 2-day trip there.

Dur: 00:29 

Vigilance needed to keep beef permanently off EU-Mercosur deal – Harkin

There are no guarantees that a beef deal will remain permanently off the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations. That’s the warning from the Independent MEP Marian Harkin. The Midlands North-West MEP was speaking in the European Parliament where MEPs this week questioned the EU’s Trade Commissioner on news that a beef deal had been withdrawn from trade negotiations with the Mercosur states. However, Marian Harkin says the South American states will put huge pressure on the EU to put beef back on the Mercosur menu.

Dur: 00:31 

Ireland can influence ‘undecided’ on Brexit vote

Ireland has a duty to get involved in the Brexit debate and make sure the wider views about the need for unity in the EU are heard. So says the Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness who was speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Dur: 00:35 

Britain’s role in Europe ‘fundamental & very important’ - McGuinness

The Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness is calling on Irish voters in Britain to ensure they’re registered to vote in the upcoming Brexit referendum. With only weeks to go, polls in the UK show the gap between the Remain and Leave voters is very tight. The Midlands North-West MEP says Britain plays a critical role in the European Union.

Dur: 00:36 

When is an Irish sausage not an Irish sausage? - European Parliament

Many of you might be thinking of tucking into a delicious Irish breakfast over the weekend. But how confident are you that the sausages and black and white puddings that you eat are actually Irish? You may think from their labels that they’re Irish, but it may be the case that the ingredients used in them come from another country. Well the European Parliament wants an end to this practice. In a vote on Thursday, MEPs renewed calls for mandatory country of origin labelling of meat and milk. They say mandatory labelling would help improve consumer confidence in food products by making the food supply chain more transparent. The Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan now explains.

Dur: 00:33 

European Parliament renews calls for mandatory country of origin labelling of meat and milk

The European Parliament is demanding an end to the mislabelling of food products which confuse and mislead consumers.MEPs on Thursday renewed calls for laws that would force food producers to clearly state what countries the ingredients they use in their meat and dairy products come from. The Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan says in Ireland, traditional Irish foods such as the humble black pudding or sausage, may in fact contain ingredients that aren’t Irish at all.

Dur: 00:20