Richard Boyd Barrett: Calls for all-Ireland NHS amid Brexit, COVID
Richard Boyd Barrett criticised Boris Johnson's handling of COVID-19 and Brexit, arguing their "buffoonery and recklessness" has worsened the public health emergency. He called for an all-Ireland response and a properly resourced all-Ireland national health service as part of arguing for Irish unity.
Critique of UK leadership
He compared Boris Johnson's conduct to Trump-like "buffoonery and recklessness", saying Johnson's slowness and reluctance to impose public health measures and his early dismissal of the pandemic contributed to a worse situation for many British people.
Risk of a crash out Brexit
He warned that Johnson's attitude risked a crash out Brexit with disastrous consequences north and south of the island. Barrett argued that the threat of a no-deal outcome makes it imperative to show people in the north that an alternative — including moves towards a united Ireland — would be better.
Case for an all-Ireland COVID response
Barrett said the case for an all-Ireland response to COVID-19 is apparent to people north and south, and lamented that it has been resisted by Johnson and some in the northern political system. He maintained that large numbers across communities see the value of cooperation on the pandemic.
Proposal for an all-Ireland national health service
He proposed an immediate move to a properly resourced all-Ireland national health service that treats health workers well, arguing that a two-tier or under-resourced health system would not attract those in the north to the idea of unity. Barrett described a unified, well-funded health service as crucial to winning support for closer north-south integration.
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The Trump-like buffoonery and recklessness of Boris Johnson has I think been fairly evident to most people in this house and in this country for quite some time but if there is something of a silver lining to the grim public health emergency and pandemic situation that we're facing it is that that buffoonery and recklessness on Johnson's part has been further revealed and of course for most people everything Brexit and everything else is currently being seen largely through the prism of this unprecedented COVID-19 emergency and that buffoonery and recklessness on his part has to my mind undoubtedly contributed to a worse situation developing tragically for many British people in terms of his slowness and reluctance to impose public health measures his sort of dismissal the initial stages of the seriousness of the pandemic but I hope both in Britain and indeed in the United States that the sort of that sort of recklessness and buffoonery that Trump and Johnson represent has been exposed in the eyes of more and more people and indeed I would hope that that's also true and I believe it would it is true in the north and elsewhere and given that that sort of recklessness which they have displayed in this is again you know continuing with Johnson you know essentially raising the spectre of a crash out of a crash out Brexit with the disastrous consequences that would have north and south of this island that it seems to me we have to use this opportunity to show ourselves to be so much better than what Johnson represents the recklessness and the recklessness and the recklessness and the recklessness and the buffoonery that his politics represent that if the possibility of a crash out Brexit emerges because of his attitudes and policies and his plans for a race to the bottom that we have to make the case to people in the north in particular for a break and a move towards a united Ireland and a united Ireland and I think you know the case for example for an all Ireland response to COVID-19 is very apparent to people north and south and as something if you like that has been resisted by Johnson resisted by some in the northern political system but is very apparent to huge numbers of people north and south regardless of you know their community background is very apparent to have an all Ireland response to have an all Ireland response to the threat of a no deal Brexit but if we are going to make that case and I would say to talk about the possibility of uniting the north and south of this island in every single regard we have to show ourselves to be better than Johnson notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding some differences of opinion and emphasis there is no doubt our response has been better than Johnson's but we have to continue to be better in every regard but we have to continue to be better in every regard and one area that it seems to me just is blatantly obvious is if we are going to make the case to unite this island to people in the north we have to as a minimum have an all Ireland national health service that is properly resourced with the capacity where we treat our health workers well because people in the north because people in the north are not going to be attracted by the idea of a united Ireland if it's a united Ireland evolving a two-tier under-resourced under-capacity health service so it seems to me one thing we could and should do now is indicate our determination to move to a proper immediately to a proper national health service something that's become a proper national health service that has become apparent to us in responding to COVID-19 but would also play a critical part I think in trying to win people in the north of this island who maybe still retain their allegiances to the UK that actually being part of a united Ireland would be about being in a state where we have a proper national health service on all parts of this island
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