Miscellaneous
Ray Bassett is a Former Irish Ambassador who served as a senior Advisor to successive Irish Prime Ministers. Originally from Dublin, Bassett has a PhD in Biochemistry from Trinity College, Dublin but spent almost his entire career in the Irish civil service. A key back-room figure during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations, he knows the UK – and British politics – well. While disappointed that the UK voted for Brexit, since retiring form the Civil Service in 2016, Bassett has been alarmed by the stance his government and country have taken – particularly towards the Irish border. In this interview, he explains why, in his view, the Irish government should just sit down with the British and solve this issue – and if that means breaking a few EU rules, so be it.