Brexit: Irish PM says no backstop as bad for Ireland as no deal

 

FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar arrives ahead of a European Union leaders summit after European Parliament elections to discuss who should run the EU executive for the next five years, in Brussels, Belgium May 28, 2019. John Thys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland will not allow the Northern Ireland "backstop" clause in Britain's EU withdrawal agreement to be dropped because doing so would be as big a threat to the country as Britain leaving without a deal, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Saturday.

 

While it is "alarming" that leading contenders to replace Theresa May as Britain's Prime Minister are increasingly threatening a no-deal Brexit, Ireland was 100 percent certain the European Union would not allow the backstop to go, he said.

 

Leadership contenders, including front-runner Boris Johnson, have called for the controversial Irish clause that is designed to avoid border checks between Ireland and Northern Ireland to be changed or scrapped. They have said Britain would be prepared to leave without a deal if there was no compromise.

 

"To me no backstop is effectively the same as no-deal because what the backstop is is ... a legally operable guarantee that we will never see a hard border emerge again," Varadkar told RTE radio. "If we don't have that, that is no deal."

 

How to manage the land border between EU-member Ireland and British-run Northern Ireland - including an emergency "backstop" solution to prevent the return of extensive frontier controls - has proven the most contentious element of Britain's planned exit from the European Union.

 

Varadkar again rejected a proposal for a time limit on the Northern Ireland clause, saying a backstop with a time limit is "not a backstop."

 

He said that Ireland remained open to the possibility of alternative arrangements that would allow an open border with Northern Ireland while protecting the European Union's single market - something Johnson has suggested may offer a solution.

 

But Varadkar said that would only be a possibility once the technologies required had been demonstrated to work effectively.

 

"What people are saying is give up the backstop, which we know will work legally and operationally in return for something that doesn't yet exist but might exist in the future ... I can't do that to the border communities," Varadkar said.

 

Varadkar said he was looking forward to sitting down with May's replacement, but said the next prime minister should not expect a better Brexit deal.

 

"The fact that the failure of the House Of Commons to ratify the withdrawal agreement somehow means they are going to get a better deal, that is just not how the European Union works," he said.

 

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Edmund Blair)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-16

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and I thought that his name was Le O'Varadkar ...

The whole land border in Ireland has been never been thought out in this fever to leave to get to the promised land ????

36 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

and I thought that his name was Le O'Varadkar ...

Perhaps it was him who rang Nick Ferrari? 

(Listen to the accent in the BJ thread ???? )

 

 

Edited June 16, 20197 yr by evadgib

leave first then make a deal

51 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

The whole land border in Ireland has been never been thought out in this fever to leave to get to the promised land ????

It is all simple really, the Irish Republic is in the EU, the UK leaves the EU, ergo,  the Republic of Ireland must have a EU/UK border in exactly the same way as the UK will have with the rest of Europe. They can't have their cake and eat it, which is what the two Ireland's always want and the rest of the UK can't be held to ransom by a idiotic religious based conflict between the same set of people that has been going on far too long. It's about time that Ireland was united and we in the rest of the UK left them to their own devices.  Too much blood has been spilt on this idiocy already.   

What if the UK simply does not put in border controls. Ireland may put them in of course but that would be their decision. Those who don't want a hard border can take it up with them.

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

The whole land border in Ireland has been never been thought out in this fever to leave to get to the promised land ????

It is the EU that wants it so really it is their problem.

 

The UK under TM has spent more than 3 years to get this far having been met with "Non" from the EU. 

 

IMO the UK citizens are fed up to their back teeth with Brexit and certainly with the Tory party and leadership. 

 

Just get it done whoever the next PM and then move on.

 

No deal or deal (the EU WILL NOT change their minds) so try for what you can get and if it is a no deal then live with it. There will be a large percentage of the population who will be disappointed one way or the other.

The most easy way to solve the problem with the backstop is to end the anachronism of having 2 Irish States. 

It's high time for a reunification! 

A good example how to do is Germany.

I guess if you ask the NI people if they want to stay in EU the overwhelming majority would cote for YES. 

54 minutes ago, Ulic said:

What if the UK simply does not put in border controls. Ireland may put them in of course but that would be their decision. Those who don't want a hard border can take it up with them.

1) I thought this Brexit was to have control over your own borders and sovereignty in between. When you cannot even agree where your borders are... 

2) The value of an agreement with the UK: 20 years. ( Good Friday agreement ) and when the UK does nto see the value anymore... trash box. 

30 minutes ago, billd766 said:

There will be a large percentage of the population who will be disappointed one way or the other.

Yes, but a mere ignorable 48,11 %, with the Brexit. And how many with the type of Brexit they get: Not the slightest idea.

13 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

The most easy way to solve the problem with the backstop is to end the anachronism of having 2 Irish States. 

It's high time for a reunification! 

A good example how to do is Germany.

I guess if you ask the NI people if they want to stay in EU the overwhelming majority would cote for YES. 

Yes but the UK doesn't want Ireland as we took the best bits years ago.

2 hours ago, wombat said:

leave first then make a deal

Shock, horror!  Politicians lie!  How surprising!

 

Fortunately, there are still some politicians who are putting their country's interests first.  Nobody voted to be poorer in the referendum. 

19 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

Yes, but a mere ignorable 48,11 %, with the Brexit. And how many with the type of Brexit they get: Not the slightest idea.

Nice try at diverting but what 48.11% are you quoting?

 

The ones who could be bothered to vote or 48.11% of the population?

1 hour ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Yes but the UK doesn't want Ireland as we took the best bits years ago.

what 'best bits, there aren't any and we spent hundreds of lives to keep those supposed 'best bits'.  They should be gone, now. The Brexit is an ideal opportunity to rid the UK of the Irish Question once and for all. 

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

what 'best bits, there aren't any and we spent hundreds of lives to keep those supposed 'best bits'.  They should be gone, now. The Brexit is an ideal opportunity to rid the UK of the Irish Question once and for all. 

I guess we differ in opinion. if you don't know the best bits then it is pointless even discussing it.

3 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I guess we differ in opinion. if you don't know the best bits then it is pointless even discussing it.

worth, according to the internet, 3,600 lives since 1974?  I think not. 

3 hours ago, Ulic said:

What if the UK simply does not put in border controls. Ireland may put them in of course but that would be their decision. Those who don't want a hard border can take it up with them.

It's only the EU and Ireland who want a hard border. Which is the biggest problem for them - breaking the GFA or the potential increase in smuggling?

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

It is all simple really, the Irish Republic is in the EU, the UK leaves the EU, ergo,  the Republic of Ireland must have a EU/UK border in exactly the same way as the UK will have with the rest of Europe. They can't have their cake and eat it, which is what the two Ireland's always want and the rest of the UK can't be held to ransom by a idiotic religious based conflict between the same set of people that has been going on far too long. It's about time that Ireland was united and we in the rest of the UK left them to their own devices.  Too much blood has been spilt on this idiocy already.   

 

Who are you to decide that a part of the UK can be given away just to suit your politics?

 

Are you Corbyn's crony?

 

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

It is all simple really, the Irish Republic is in the EU, the UK leaves the EU, ergo,  the Republic of Ireland must have a EU/UK border in exactly the same way as the UK will have with the rest of Europe. They can't have their cake and eat it, which is what the two Ireland's always want and the rest of the UK can't be held to ransom by a idiotic religious based conflict between the same set of people that has been going on far too long. It's about time that Ireland was united and we in the rest of the UK left them to their own devices.  Too much blood has been spilt on this idiocy already.   

Agree, it’s high time that the U.K. give N. Ireland back to its rightful owners.  Problem solved.

23 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

worth, according to the internet, 3,600 lives since 1974?  I think not. 

 

So you're quite happy to give into terrorists and ignore the wishes of a majority of people as long as it suits you!

 

Taking "I'm all right Jack" to a new level!!

 

Must be a Tory from Essex or some other <deleted> county.

2 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Who are you to decide that a part of the UK can be given away just to suit your politics?

 

Are you Corbyn's crony?

 

A citizen  and I loath that duplicitous Marxist tramp of a Labour leader

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

 

So you're quite happy to give into terrorists and ignore the wishes of a majority of people as long as it suits you!

 

Taking "I'm all right Jack" to a new level!!

 

Must be a Tory from Essex or some other <deleted> county.

Oh so now I'm a Tory, get your story right mate. 

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

Oh so now I'm a Tory, get your story right mate. 

 

Seems the extreme left and right can be close - maybe politics is circular and not linear continuum.

 

In this case the left are pals of the IRA terrorists whilst the extreme Tories are happy to sell anyone out to get their own myopic vision. 

 

 

Has anyone checked with the DUP, it is after all they that are keeping this minority government in power?!

Off topic post removed

4 hours ago, sawadee1947 said:

The most easy way to solve the problem with the backstop is to end the anachronism of having 2 Irish States. 

It's high time for a reunification! 

A good example how to do is Germany.

I guess if you ask the NI people if they want to stay in EU the overwhelming majority would cote for YES. 

You are making an assumption that BOTH Eire and Northern Ireland even want to join together.

 

Just suppose that one side says yes and the other says no. What do you do then?

1 hour ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I guess we differ in opinion. if you don't know the best bits then it is pointless even discussing it.

Once again you demonstrate your clueless attitude & lack of knowledge of Ireland.

Britain kept the 6 counties of N, Ireland, not because they were the 'best bits' but the bits where the Britain-supporting settlers were in the majority.

 

This 'best bits' is quite likely now a united-Ireland suporting majority, costs the British taxpayer billions of pounds per annum, and actually voted (by majority) to remain in the EU.

 

Note that I'm not advocating a united Ireland as a solution to the Brexit mess. But the Tory party created most of the mess by bribing the DUP (who are in the minority regarding Brexit) to retain power and thus allowing the UK to be held hostage by the DUP.

1 hour ago, Loiner said:

It's only the EU and Ireland who want a hard border. Which is the biggest problem for them - breaking the GFA or the potential increase in smuggling?

The EU does not want a backdoor for the UK via the Irish Republic. The Irish Republic AND Northern Ireland want to  keep an open soft border.

I don't know what percentage of Northern Island voters voted in the the trick question referendum but if  in a significant minority perhaps they should be given leave to leave the UK? Problem then might be Scotland  would  demand  the same !????????

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

You are making an assumption that BOTH Eire and Northern Ireland even want to join together.

 

Just suppose that one side says yes and the other says no. What do you do then?

You got me wrong: I was referring to the backstop and a way of solution. As it is evident that the Republic will stay in EU the majority of NI is likely to join EU, means reunite with the other part. 

And I gave you the example of Germany. It was not explicit the wish of all Germans to reunite but the decisions of responsible politicians even between West and East. Unfortunately there is a lack of responsible politicians in UK who like to SERVE and not using the country for their ego and own career.