Sligo students lectured on potential Brexit implications
BREXIT has been one of the hottest topics of the year, and Sligo students have been well versed in the topic all year thanks to the work of EDIC Sligo.
Last week, Mr. Francis Jacobs was invited by EDICSligo to give a lecture on ‘Brexit and its implication for Ireland’. Students from local secondary Schools, the Mercy and Summerhill as well as interested members of the public attended the event that was introduced by Sligo County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Seamus Kilgannon.
Francis worked with the European Parliament since the first direct elections in 1979 and was the Head of the European Parliament Office in Ireland from 2006 until his retirement in 2016. He is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin, and gives lectures on the European Union in several Irish Universities, as well as in a number of other countries.
His lecture looked at the Europe of the 60’s and 70’s and how the ‘British Empire’ was in full decline. The initial membership of both Britain and Ireland in 1973 to the EEC was a shifting of the balance of power even though Ireland was initially very dependent on its larger neighbour. His talk also looked at Euro Scepticism that was always evident within the UK Parliament & as a result of over confidence within the ruling Tory government was allowed to sway the referendum to vote ‘ leave’.