By Dylan O'Neill | Sep 3 2018
Prof Ray Kinsella, a former professor of banking and financial services, and healthcare in the UCD Smurfit School, is to be a founding member of a new political party, Irexit Freedom, with the purpose of campaigning for Ireland to leave the European Union.Irexit Freedom is set to officially launch on Saturday 8th September at 13:00 in the Bonnington Hotel, Whitehall.Believing that Brexit will result in Ireland being left marginalized and dependent on the rest of Europe, Prof Kinsella claims that “the bailout negotiations the European Central Bank (ECB) cut the ground from underneath Ireland when we were at our most vulnerable,” and further states, “Facing into a post-Brexit scenario it’s clear that we cannot look to Europe to advocate Ireland’s national interests.”Another founding member of the political party is ex-Irish Ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, Ray Bassett. Having written extensively on the Brexit deal for the Sunday Business Post, Basset recently tweeted “[On the subject of Brexit] With Chequers proposals rejected and the EU intransigient, it is time for Ireland to sculpt its own proposals.” Basset will apparently list the reasons he believes Ireland will benefit from leaving the EU and its Customs Union at the party launch, according to an article in the Irish Times.The director of communications for Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFFD), Mr Hermann Kelly, was recently announced as the spokesperson for the Irexit Freedom party. According to the party's website, “We hold that the power to implement democratic change should be returned to the Irish people from the European Union and we are supportive of direct democracy including referenda for important public decision-making to the greatest practicable extent in our constitutional democracy.”Irexit Freedom intends to run candidates in the both national and European elections to “tackle corruption in key governmental institutions including the Gardai and our judicial and political systems.” They believe “that there must be legal and financial sanctions that penalise those involved in a culture of corruption and incompetence.”Previously, Prof Kinsella has written in the Irish Times to say that “[Europe] is a hegemonistic and increasingly militarised political behemoth, controlled by Germany and, to a lesser extent, by a Franco-German identity of interests.”The party launch on Saturday will feature speeches from Former ambassador Ray Bassett, Professor Ray Kinsella, Mr Hermann Kelly and be followed by the Irexit Freedom AGM.