EU's Tusk bemoans lack of a 'Great' to cut Gordian Brexit Knot

[webfact]

EU's Tusk bemoans lack of a 'Great' to cut Gordian Brexit Knot

 

FILE PHOTO: European Council President Donald Tusk arrives for the second day of a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2018. Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday bemoaned the lack of leaders great enough to overcome a deadlock on the Irish border in Brexit talks, which he compared to the Gordian Knot unravelled by Alexander the Great.

 

Casting gloom on the state of play ahead of a summit of EU leaders this week, Tusk said he wished for a leader of the likes of the Macedonian king, fabled to have solved the riddle of the Gordian Knot by slicing through it with one stroke of his sword.

 

"It looks like a new version of the Gordian Knot," Tusk said of an impasse over how to ensure there is no return to a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland.

 

"Unfortunately, I can't see a new version of Alexander the Great," he quipped. "It's not so easy to find this kind of creative leader."

 

With less than six months to go before Britain's departure, he said he hoped Prime Minister Theresa May would present something creative enough to solve the impasse at the leaders' summit but added there was not much grounds for optimism.

 

Asked whether May's former foreign minister Boris Johnson might have the mettle to find a solution,Tusk said such claims may be exaggerated.

 

(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-17

[Mike Teavee]

What I don't get is the Irish Border seems to be the main impediment to "Doing a Deal", but the alternative is "No Deal" which will obviously result in a Hard (harder than any that would be hammered out as part of a deal) Border, yet nobody seems to be highlighting this & stressing that there has to be a deal to avoid it.

 

It feels like "We all agree that there can't be a Hard Border in Ireland but can't agree how this is going to happen so No Deal" which will result in a Hard Border in Ireland ????

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Mike Teavee

[Esso49]

Thing is does the Irish border really matter ? On the great scheme of things nearly all exports/imports from/to the continent are via the Eastern coastal ports, air freight to the UK main airports or freight through the channel tunnel.  So what if a few Irish people have to queue longer at a conventional customs post. The only reason it is a concern to the UK government is that Teresa May relies upon the DUP to keep her in a job,  or for that matter, to get her there in the first place.

[Belzybob]

I know where I'd like to stick a tusk.

[jesimps]

3 hours ago, Esso49 said:

Thing is does the Irish border really matter ? On the great scheme of things nearly all exports/imports from/to the continent are via the Eastern coastal ports, air freight to the UK main airports or freight through the channel tunnel.  So what if a few Irish people have to queue longer at a conventional customs post. The only reason it is a concern to the UK government is that Teresa May relies upon the DUP to keep her in a job,  or for that matter, to get her there in the first place.

Nonsense! It's something the EU has fastened onto in an attempt to improve their bargaining position. If it wasn't that, it'd be something else. My money's on a so called "Hard Brexit" and quite right too. It's what the people voted for. In or out was on the referendum ballot paper.

[joebrown]

At the moment the island is only divided by sectarian difference of mind. There is no visible division apart from what's in peoples' minds either in a religious or National sense.

I understand the majority of the north voted 'No' (56%) to Brexit, but still want to remain in the UK. ie they want a cake, with cherries on top and they want to eat it. Why can't the politicians in Stormont could get their act together and press for immediate tripartite talks to enable Ireland to unite constitutionally with the blessing of all of those who are likely to suffer greatly should a hard Brexit happen.

[billd766]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

"Unfortunately, I can't see a new version of Alexander the Great," he quipped. "It's not so easy to find this kind of creative leader."

 

You certainly won't find one in the EU either, especially under the present EU commissioners and their president.

[robertson468]

1 hour ago, joebrown said:

At the moment the island is only divided by sectarian difference of mind. There is no visible division apart from what's in peoples' minds either in a religious or National sense.

I understand the majority of the north voted 'No' (56%) to Brexit, but still want to remain in the UK. ie they want a cake, with cherries on top and they want to eat it. Why can't the politicians in Stormont could get their act together and press for immediate tripartite talks to enable Ireland to unite constitutionally with the blessing of all of those who are likely to suffer greatly should a hard Brexit happen.

 

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

 

You certainly won't find one in the EU either, especially under the present EU commissioners and their president.

The reason they will not hold a vote for a United Ireland is that the next thing you know is that little Scottish non-entity of a Chief Minister will demand the same for Scotland and the next thing you know the United Kingdon would no longer be the "United Kingdom".

[whatsupdoc]

4 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

 

The reason they will not hold a vote for a United Ireland is that the next thing you know is that little Scottish non-entity of a Chief Minister will demand the same for Scotland and the next thing you know the United Kingdon would no longer be the "United Kingdom".

But it would be the "will of the people", everybody could get what they voted for (and maybe the City of London should get independence as well....)

[RuamRudy]

9 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

 

The reason they will not hold a vote for a United Ireland is that the next thing you know is that little Scottish non-entity of a Chief Minister will demand the same for Scotland and the next thing you know the United Kingdon would no longer be the "United Kingdom".

I think that you will find that the United Kingdom stopped being united some time ago. Nicola Sturgeon has been widely recognised as being the most competent and capable leader during this ongoing brexit shambles; if she is a non-entity, it speaks volumes about the shocking lack of competence and capability within those tasked with leading the UK out of the EU. 

[dunroaming]

What is 

3 hours ago, jesimps said:

Nonsense! It's something the EU has fastened onto in an attempt to improve their bargaining position. If it wasn't that, it'd be something else. My money's on a so called "Hard Brexit" and quite right too. It's what the people voted for. In or out was on the referendum ballot paper.

Not really.  People voted based on what they were told and that never included crashing out of the EU with no deal.  On the contrary, people voted leave because they were told that the EU would want to do a deal, "They need us more than we need them" was the line constantly used along with Liam Fox saying it would be the easiest negotiations imaginable.   Can't blame people for believing that at the time but they should at least be angry at the lies now.

 

 

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, whatsupdoc said:

(and maybe the City of London should get independence as well....)

and give birth to another mafia state...no thanks!

[puipuitom]

7 hours ago, Esso49 said:

Thing is does the Irish border really matter ? On the great scheme of things nearly all exports/imports from/to the continent are via the Eastern coastal ports, air freight to the UK main airports or freight through the channel tunnel.  So what if a few Irish people have to queue longer at a conventional customs post. The only reason it is a concern to the UK government is that Teresa May relies upon the DUP to keep her in a job,  or for that matter, to get her there in the first place.

A few decades ago, the EU had a minimum import price of raisins. With this, the Greeks - by coincidence - did hurt the Turkish raisin export to the EU dramatically. In no time the import of Turkish raisins into Switserland rose till the 5-fold.

Things like this, the EU wants to block by a normal border. Only: the irish and the Brits cannot come to a conclusion where. Means..pity, between Irish Republic and Northern Ireland when no deal can be hammered out. Sorry, but this at least the politicians and all educated Brits should have known before they started to support a Brexit. 

Still, the UK can apply for a re-entry, without any privileges, and.. accept Schengen, €uro, and right lane traffic.

[puipuitom]

2 hours ago, robertson468 said:

 

The reason they will not hold a vote for a United Ireland is that the next thing you know is that little Scottish non-entity of a Chief Minister will demand the same for Scotland and the next thing you know the United Kingdon would no longer be the "United Kingdom".

So… long live democracy ( for the short time) as voteers and politicians do not look long further as a few years… at max. 

[Brunolem]

A new Alexander the Great (Boris "hairhead" Johnson?) would certainly cut the knot, by crushing the pompous EU bureaucrats, annexing their countries and give his name to their capital cities (Borisgrad in Eastern European countries, Borisville in Western European countries).

 

If you want an Alexander, you have to take and deal with the whole package, not only the knot part...

[Guest]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

You certainly won't find one in the EU either, especially under the present EU commissioners and their president.

I think EU has done rather well. If only EU could have an adult counterpart government to negotiate with, Brexit would have been in real implementation planning phase for over a year by now.

 

Hopefully UK government can get it's act together so that Brexit can be dealt with in proper manner. 

[dunroaming]

14 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

So… long live democracy ( for the short time) as voteers and politicians do not look long further as a few years… at max. 

There is no such thing as long termism in British politics.  General elections every four/five years means that policies can be changed then along with governing parties.  

[Guest]

2 hours ago, robertson468 said:

 

The reason they will not hold a vote for a United Ireland is that the next thing you know is that little Scottish non-entity of a Chief Minister will demand the same for Scotland and the next thing you know the United Kingdon would no longer be the "United Kingdom".

Little Englanders don't care about that. They want the laws to be done in good old England and not by some unelected British bureaucrats in Westminster. 

[Baerboxer]

He's right. The world is currently blessed with an assortment of unfit untalented political leader shown to be a mixture of corrupt, drunk, perverted, in it for themselves bunch of liars.

 

And that includes himself.

[Brunolem]

30 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

He's right. The world is currently blessed with an assortment of unfit untalented political leader shown to be a mixture of corrupt, drunk, perverted, in it for themselves bunch of liars.

 

And that includes himself.

He is drunk with power, while his buddy Juncker is drunk with red wine...

Edited October 17, 2018 by Brunolem

[nauseus]

5 hours ago, whatsupdoc said:

But it would be the "will of the people", everybody could get what they voted for (and maybe the City of London should get independence as well....)

The Scots had their referendum already and London is still the capital of England, regardless of who lives there.

[nauseus]

2 hours ago, oilinki said:

Little Englanders don't care about that. They want the laws to be done in good old England and not by some unelected British bureaucrats in Westminster. 

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