EU rebuffs May, says no-plan Brexiteers deserve 'place in hell'

[webfact]

EU rebuffs May, says no-plan Brexiteers deserve 'place in hell'

By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald

 

European Council President Donald Tusk holds a news conference at the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Files

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will make no new offer on Brexit and those who promoted Britain's exit without any understanding of how to deliver it deserve a "special place in hell", European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.

 

The United Kingdom is on course to leave the EU on March 29 without a deal unless Prime Minister Theresa May can convince the bloc to reopen the divorce agreement she reached in November and then sell it to sceptical British lawmakers.

 

But as Tusk's pointedly blunt language showed, frustration runs deep among European leaders over the British parliament's rejection of the divorce deal and May's demands that the EU now give up on key principles or face disruption in just 50 days.

 

As companies and governments across Europe step up preparations for a disorderly no-deal exit, diplomats and officials said Britain now faces three main options: a no-deal exit, a last-minute deal or a delay to Brexit.

 

Rebuffing May's bid to renegotiate just a day before she is due in Brussels, Tusk said he had abandoned the hope he has often expressed that Britain's exit might be stopped and said his priority was now to avert a "fiasco" when it leaves.

 

"I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Tusk said at a joint news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

 

The remark by Tusk, who chairs summits of the EU's national leaders, angered Brexit supporters in Britain.

 

Veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage retorted: "After Brexit we will be free of unelected, arrogant bullies like you - sounds like heaven to me."

 

While Tusk was clear the EU would not reopen the divorce deal, he also said he still believed a common Brexit solution was possible.

 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker rammed home Tusk's message, saying the legal withdrawal agreement would not be reopened, and May knew that.

 

Varadkar said Britain's political instability further proved the need for a "backstop" insurance policy - the main obstacle to a deal - to keep the border between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland open after Brexit.

 

May will visit Dublin on Friday, Varadkar said.

 

For May, failure to deliver a revised deal would shatter the fragile unity in her Conservative Party, leaving her already-diminished authority in tatters, and ramping up uncertainty in financial markets over the fate of the British economy, the world's fifth largest.

 

Rating agency Standard and Poor's said a no-deal Brexit could result in negative revisions of their outlooks on Britain's credit ratings, but that there remained a very strong incentive for both sides to reach a deal.

 

IRISH UNITY?

In another stark indication of the stakes for Britain of a disorderly Brexit, Irish nationalists warned May that if she allowed a no-deal Brexit then there would have to be a referendum on Irish unity.

 

"In the event of a crash... she must as a democrat return to the Good Friday Agreement and she must begin preparation for a referendum on Irish unity," Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said, referring to the peace accord signed in 1998 that ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

 

The United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU has strained ties between its constituent parts: England and Wales voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.

 

May has said she will seek an alternative arrangement which avoids the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland, or legally binding changes to the backstop to introduce a time limit or create an exit mechanism.

 

Brexit has snagged on the 310-mile (500-km) frontier because there is disagreement on how to monitor trade without physical checks on the border, which was marked by military checkpoints before the Good Friday peace agreement.

 

Under the divorce deal agreed in November, the 'backstop' would come into effect if the two sides failed to come up with a better idea to keep the border open.

 

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS

But the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which props up May's government says it could endanger the province's place in the United Kingdom, while Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party worry it locks the country into EU rules.

 

At a meeting in Belfast on Thursday, DUP leader Arlene Foster told May the backstop needed to be replaced, but said their discussion had been useful.

 

The Sun newspaper said British ministers were examining a plan drawn up by Japan's Fujitsu to track trade across the border. The Telegraph said ministers had discussed delaying Brexit by eight weeks.

 

EU officials are asking May to embrace a proposal by the opposition Labour Party to join a permanent customs union with the bloc.

Such a move could remove the need for the backstop and, some in the EU believe, may win approval in Britain's parliament. But officials have low expectations ahead of the prime minister's visit to Brussels on Thursday.

 

"Theresa May is not delivering on what she agreed with us," a senior EU diplomat said. "Her inability to build a cross-party agreement is staggering."

 

(Additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast and Alistair Smout, William James and Elizabeth Piper in London; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and William James; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-07

[samran]

But but, they said it would be alright!!! It would be so simple they said! 

 

 

”After we Vote Leave, we would immediately be able to start negotiating new trade deals with emerging economies and the world’s biggest economies (the US, China and Japan, as well as Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and so on), which could enter into force immediately after the UK leaves the EU.”

 

http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/a_framework_for_taking_back_control_and_establishing_a_new_uk_eu_deal_after_23_june.html

[Samui Bodoh]

"...I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely..."

 

I imagine that the Brexiteers will condemn the man, but I think he his correct.

 

Implementing the most substantive public policy decision of the last 50+ years without a detailed plan is madness.

 

But, Johnson, Gove, Farage, etc won't be the people paying the price, will they?

 

I feel great sadness for the average 'man on the street'; they are the ones who will suffer the consequences...

 

 

[whatsupdoc]

Very misleading headline for the article.

 

Mr Tusk said: “I’ve been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”

 

Not the same.

[steve187]

4 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Implementing the most substantive public policy decision of the last 50+ years without a detailed plan is madness.

3 years almost! A deal could have been thrashed out as soon as the referendum result was known. A few meetings and some video conferencing should have had a deal thrashed out in a short period of time. If nothing could be agreed within say 6 months, then we should have walked away, we would be 2 years down the road to a recovery and new trade deals, with decent trading partners not the grater Eu federation pi** takers

[sammieuk1]

I would put it slightly stronger at deserves to be swinging off of tower bridge ????

[welovesundaysatspace]

25 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

I imagine that the Brexiteers will condemn the man, but I think he his correct.

Of course he’s right. No Tom, Dick and Harry would begin the smallest bathroom renovation without thinking it through properly. Every medium-sized company doing a carve-out, Integration or restructuring these days knows how to plan and prepare for it and to hire consultants to help them. 

 

But Brexiteers insist the biggest political and economical change in the UK’s history can be facilitated through closing your eyes and dreaming. 

 

The sad thing is:

1. It will be the public, especially the poorest, who will suffer from this. 

2. There is still no sense of regret and change. 

[vogie]

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

[Laughing Gravy]

Well done Tusk. Making remainers see just how bad the EU is. Great publicity for leave.Between him, Juncker and Verhofstadt they are really helping the UK truly understand how the EU works and their mentality. Keep it up fellas.

[Laughing Gravy]

2 minutes ago, vogie said:

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

Yes he is a charmer at best. He should be worried more about Poland as they would like him gone. He is the Tony Blair of Poland.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/13/poland-fumes-at-cheating-eu-for-keeping-donald-tusk-in-top-post

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-tusk-grilled-by-polish-parliament-committee/

 

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/poland-files-charges-against-tusk-before-eu-celebrations-1.3022479

 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

Where was your criticism of Johnson and Farage when they chose to dish out insults on the UK’s EU partners?

[vogie]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Where was your criticism of Johnson and Farage when they chose to dish out insults on the UK’s EU partners?

Please expand, but I still think you are deflecting somewhat. So are you saying his insults are warranted?

[luckyluke]

A phrasing can be considered as an insult/lie or an accuracy.

 

Depends on the perceiver.

[welovesundaysatspace]

20 minutes ago, vogie said:

Please expand, but I still think you are deflecting somewhat. So are you saying his insults are warranted?

He didn’t insult. Where do you disagree with him?

[samran]

36 minutes ago, vogie said:

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

I think you are right. He is also working to stamp out any residual sympathy that might exist for the UK within the EU.

 

Now you’ll be treated like outsiders, and given everything that goes with it. 

[vogie]

1 minute ago, samran said:

I think you are right. He is also working to stamp out any residual sympathy that might exist for the UK within the EU.

 

Now you’ll be treated like outsiders, and given everything that goes with it. 

I lost interest in clowns when I was 10 years old, watching Tusk Juncker and Verstadt performing their act does nothing for me now. The sooner we leave the big top the better.

[Chomper Higgot]

32 minutes ago, vogie said:

Please expand, but I still think you are deflecting somewhat. So are you saying his insults are warranted?

I don’t hold the view that Tusk has insulted anyone.

 

Insults dishes out by Johnson and Farage are a matter of public record.

[stephenterry]

Tusk is most probably peed off with the British government's inability to find any consensus, and especially May who continues to ignore parliament to crash out on 29 March, whatever. That is a totally irresponsible course of action, and I hope parliament take over the implementation by forcing the government to extend the time limit, although I doubt it would do any good while this government is in power.

 

If only Labour had a leader instead of Corbyn, it could have been a different story, albeit the UK will still stay divided on Brexit for generations, IMO. 

[whatsupdoc]

3 minutes ago, vogie said:

I lost interest in clowns when I was 10 years old, watching Tusk Juncker and Verstadt performing their act does nothing for me now. The sooner we leave the big top the better.

I'd prefer them over BoJo, David Davis, Chris Gayling, JRM......

[Spidey]

39 minutes ago, vogie said:

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Series currently running on the BBC on the 10 years leading up to Brexit.

 

Do you remember Cameron, under pressure from the Euro Sceptics, going to Brussels, cap in hand, asking for concessions on how we deal with migrants from within the EU, the big issue of the day?

 

Donald Tusk did everything he could to obtain those concessions for the UK, fighting hard to achieve the deal that meant that GB no longer needed to pay benefits for EU migrants for 7 years.

 

It's true that he fought hard to keep Britain in the EU, a cause he genuinely believed in, but did everything he could to accommodate Britain in that aim. A friend to GB, not an enemy.

 

He is now bitterly disappointed that, despite all his efforts, we still decided to leave. His vitriol is reserved for Brexiteers only and recognises that a large minority of Brits voted to stay. AS such he is still a friend to Britain.

 

One of the good guys in Europe.

[evadgib]

20 minutes ago, vogie said:

I lost interest in clowns when I was 10 years old, watching Tusk Juncker and Verstadt performing their act does nothing for me now. The sooner we leave the big top the better.

As i've said before re Recruiting Sgts:

 

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, samran said:

But but, they said it would be alright!!! It would be so simple they said! 

 

 

”After we Vote Leave, we would immediately be able to start negotiating new trade deals with emerging economies and the world’s biggest economies (the US, China and Japan, as well as Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and so on), which could enter into force immediately after the UK leaves the EU.”

 

http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/a_framework_for_taking_back_control_and_establishing_a_new_uk_eu_deal_after_23_june.html

you are 200% correct, was looking for that info on May's government comments about making new deals.... great one thanks

[evadgib]

16 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Nothing could be further from the truth. Series currently running on the BBC on the 10 years leading up to Brexit.

Funny you should mention them....

 

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, whatsupdoc said:

Very misleading headline for the article.

 

Mr Tusk said: “I’ve been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”

 

Not the same.

who cares, the end it's the same, the meaning the same and the point was made, that's the purpose

[vogie]

11 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Nothing could be further from the truth. Series currently running on the BBC on the 10 years leading up to Brexit.

 

Do you remember Cameron, under pressure from the Euro Sceptics, going to Brussels, cap in hand, asking for concessions on how we deal with migrants from within the EU, the big issue of the day?

 

Donald Tusk did everything he could to obtain those concessions for the UK, fighting hard to achieve the deal that meant that GB no longer needed to pay benefits for EU migrants for 7 years.

 

It's true that he fought hard to keep Britain in the EU, a cause he genuinely believed in, but did everything he could to accommodate Britain in that aim. A friend to GB, not an enemy.

 

He is now bitterly disappointed that, despite all his efforts, we still decided to leave. His vitriol is reserved for Brexiteers only and recognises that a large minority of Brits voted to stay. AS such he is still a friend to Britain.

 

One of the good guys in Europe.

What your post has to do with the topic is mystifying, at least 90% of it anyway. It's like somebody committing a crime, then going to court with a charactor witness to vouch for him, hoping the judge will lesson the sentence.

He insulted the majority of the UK, at the very least his remarks were very unprofessional. Even the Irish Prime Minister Varadkar told him so.

We all know that Tusk is an EU fanatic, but he should still have the ability to accept the democratic decision the UK has chosen.

[Grouse]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/house-of-commons-adjourned-four-hours-early-at-327pm-mps-a8766471.html

 

MPs have nothing to debate??!!!

 

The lot of them can go to hell!

 

Time for a major shake up.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I imagine that the Brexiteers will condemn the man, but I think he his correct.

 

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

But Brexiteers insist the biggest political and economical change in the UK’s history can be facilitated through closing your eyes and dreaming. 

The pathetic limpwristed and incompetent government with which the UK is currently saddled has from the very start approached the who;e matter with the intention of not actually leaving the EU. They have made no concrete proposals, rather they started the whole process by essentially agreeing to pay the EU an eye-watering sum of money. Once that was offered and accepted, they then turned their attention to arranging (not negotiating) an arrangement which effectively binds the UK to the EU permanently, with no representation or input. A vassal state, as it has been described. To nobody's surprise, it was rejected by parliament, they (the government) are the ones who have closed their eyes and are dreaming.

 

As for Tusk, and his coterie of unelected, essentially unaccountable "Presidents", Commissioners" and assorted functionaries, (who have managed to invest themselves with all the trappings and titles of a putative European Federal State), they too are party to it. They must have thought May and her government's intentions to be just the ticket. They "own" the mess to a similar extent. Tusk is perched triumphantly on top of this steaming crock of shit, proclaiming "about special places in hell" for those who don't want it. 

 

 The referendum, subsequent acts of parliament, and a general election, all determined that the UK would leave the EU. Parliament decided, absolutely constitutionally, that should happen in March 2019. This charged the government with making adequate arrangements, which parliament could pass into law. The government has failed (deliberately in my opinion), to make any sort of adequate arrangements. Tusk knew that - he must have done - just as he must have known that May's deal would not pass parliament.

 

Now, I believe that you are a Canadian, Samui Bodoh? Would you, in the context of the North American continent, (were your various trade agreements to have progressed in the way that the EU has), be happy to allow a second rate Mexican politician, for whom you cannot vote, either to put in or remove from office, pass those sort of comments, or head an organisation in which he could essentially tell Canada what it could or could not think or decide, no matter what your House of Commons or Senate decided or wished?

I'm sure you wouldn't, but that is what you are suggesting that the UK should be.

 

 

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, vogie said:

What a fine statesman Tusk is, if he thinks insulting other nations is fine and dandy, he is wrong. He has and still is doing more for the brexit cause than Jeremy Corbyn could even dream of. He is used to getting his own way, and when he doesn't, he just cannot control himself.

 

 

in democracy people have freedom of speech and freedom of opinion.... the man is right and he's frustrated with all the non sense from the Tories, give high 5's

[Grouse]

1 hour ago, whatsupdoc said:

Very misleading headline for the article.

 

Mr Tusk said: “I’ve been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”

 

Not the same.

In these febrile times I think it essential that care is taken not to whip up hysteria. Imprecise OPs don't help

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Where was your criticism of Johnson and Farage when they chose to dish out insults on the UK’s EU partners?

Farage responds to Tusk: