New UK PM Johnson heads to Northern Ireland, Brexit's toughest riddle

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets crew members during a visit to HMS Victorious at HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, Britain July 29, 2019. Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be confronted by the most intractable riddle ofBrexit on Wednesday when he visits Northern Ireland on a nationwide tour to sell his plan to pull Britain out of the EU with or without a deal.

 

A week after he took power, Johnson's office made no mention of Brexit in a statement overnight announcing plans for his visit to the province, the only part of Britain to share a land border with the rest of the EU.

 

Plans for the border have become the most contentious issue in Britain's negotiations with the EU over the terms of its exit. The bloc insists on a "backstop", an insurance policy to prevent border controls by requiring Britain to obey some EU rules in case both sides fail to agree a later trade deal.

 

Johnson rejects that demand as "undemocratic" and says Britain will leave the EU with no deal at all unless the EU drops it. He says technology can ensure a friction-free border even if Britain adopts separate customs and regulatory rules.

 

Northern Ireland voted to stay in the European Union in 2006 when the rest of Britain voted to leave. A Northern Irish political party, the Democratic Unionists, props up the minority government of Johnson's Conservative Party.

 

Johnson's office said he will call for Northern Ireland's suspended power-sharing executive, a critical part of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that ended 30 years of conflict, to be restored as soon as possible.

 

The power-sharing administration was suspended two-and-a-half years ago because of differences between the parties representing mainly Protestant pro-British unionists and mainly Catholic nationalists who favour a united Ireland.

 

"The people of Northern Ireland have now been without an executive and assembly for two years and six months – put simply this is much, much too long," said Johnson, who will meet the leaders of the province's five major parties.

 

"Northern Ireland’s citizens need and deserve the Executive to get up and running again as soon as possible, so that locally-accountable politicians can take decisions on the issues that really matter to local people."

 

The Good Friday agreement dismantled all physical border infrastructure, guaranteeing that people and goods on either side can move freely.

 

Johnson promised on Tuesday to lead Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 "no matter what", after speaking to Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar.

That hardline message sent sterling tumbling as financial markets concerns of a disorderly no-deal Brexit grow.

 

The Irish government repeated the EU's stance that it would not reopen the divorce agreement and that no other alternative to the backstop had yet been identified.

 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Peter Graff)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-31

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

I just read this article, wonderful.

Leo Varadkar looks like an adult because the UK is acting like a spoilt toddler

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/30/leo-varadkar-uk-ireland-boris-johnson

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He says technology can ensure a friction-free border even if Britain adopts separate customs and regulatory rules.

What technology is that then, johnson?

9 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

What technology is that then, johnson?

It hasn't been developed yet but he is working on it

8 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

It hasn't been developed yet but he is working on it

Ah so just more “jam tomorrow” promises then.

 

“'I'm sure I'll take you with pleasure!' the Queen said. 'Twopence a week, and jam every other day.'
Alice couldn't help laughing, as she said, 'I don't want you to hire ME - and I don't care for jam.'
'It's very good jam,' said the Queen.
'Well, I don't want any TO-DAY, at any rate.'
'You couldn't have it if you DID want it,' the Queen said. 'The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday - but never jam to-day.'
'It MUST come sometimes to "jam to-day,"' Alice objected.
'No, it can't,' said the Queen. 'It's jam every OTHER day: to-day isn't any OTHER day, you know.'
'I don't understand you,' said Alice. 'It's dreadfully confusing!'’

 

Lewis Carroll

 

I’ll look out for the details on the side of a bus outlining them..

32 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

What technology is that then, johnson?

This is the contradiction.

If the technology exists then the backstop becomes moot. It would never come into force.

Reality is that the divorce agreement stipulates a "back-stop"  till such time a (technical) solution is found and establishes such that a backstop is not necessary anymore.

 

So all Boris has to do, is to make a system be it technical system or otherwise, that all parties accept to be sufficient to lift the back stop. It seems so simple, be it that for the occasion Boris has to deliver something other than sweet talks.

Johnson playing chicken...

31 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Johnson playing chicken...

And playing fish

PM heads to Northern Ireland for discussions on restoring the devolved institutions

 

And this one has been updated:

 

Readout of PM call with the First Minister for Wales: 30 July 2019

Got booed in Scotland, got booed in Wales and I assume he will get booed in NI, first week in office and already the most unpopular Prime Minister in .the history of Britain.

There’s no problem that an lying idiot can’t make worse.

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There’s no problem that an lying idiot can’t make worse.

Understood, but we'd be grateful if you didn't bother.

6 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Got booed in Scotland, got booed in Wales and I assume he will get booed in NI, first week in office and already the most unpopular Prime Minister in .the history of Britain.

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

12 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Got booed in Scotland, got booed in Wales and I assume he will get booed in NI, first week in office and already the most unpopular Prime Minister in .the history of Britain.

Already overtaken May or Broon? You must be a Corbynista!

13 minutes ago, vogie said:

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

It his ‘honeymoon’ all new PM’s get one, until their failings shine through.

28 minutes ago, vogie said:

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

I accept there always will be a few screaming "lefties" but I note the Tories inability to stage manage the usual blue rinse mob to drown them out...

 

As for top of the polls let wait for Friday...

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It his ‘honeymoon’ all new PM’s get one, until their failings shine through.

His only has to last until 31st October & for much of that time Parliament is closed. Not even Tommy Cooper could **** that up!????

3 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

What technology is that then, johnson?

Gove with a clipboard and magic marker????

2 minutes ago, Basil B said:

I accept there always will be a few screaming "lefties" but I note the Tories inability to stage manage the usual blue rinse mob to drown them out...

Normally the lefties are unemployed and have nothing better to do but to disrupt other peoples lives, maybe the "blue rinse mob" have better things to do with theirs.

 

39 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Got booed in Scotland, got booed in Wales and I assume he will get booed in NI, first week in office and already the most unpopular Prime Minister in .the history of Britain.

This was the post I replied to and it was factually incorrect, it would appear more people like Boris than don't, don't believe everything you read or hear on the biased media.

2 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Gove with a clipboard and magic marker????

Wasting £billions preparing  for something that has a "one in a million" chance of happening... 

 

1 hour ago, Basil B said:

Johnson playing chicken...

It looks like a Kipper to Boris how can we get this in an envelope and post it with all these absurd EU rules???? 

By now, Johnson should be realising that his right-wing approach to Brexit is not universally welcomed. While I do respect his energy, his 19th century approach towards ignoring the consequences and be damned is like using a chainsaw to pick nuts from a tree.

 

The simplest solution, IMO, is to engage with the EU by stating that the backstop issue should be carried forward during the transitional period, until an agreed solution could be found -technical or political. He'd get that past parliament and become a hero to Tory supporters.

 

As for Macron - his fishing threats would never work against the Brexiteers who would probably prefer to engage in a shipping war against France, which takes the UK back to imperial times, when Britain ruled the waves.  

 

All in all, what a '<deleted> up', it's becoming.

  

33 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Wasting £billions preparing  for something that has a "one in a million" chance of happening... 

Boris's 'Full Monty'

Full list of new ministerial and government appointments: July 2019

1 hour ago, Basil B said:

Got booed in Scotland, got booed in Wales and I assume he will get booed in NI, first week in office and already the most unpopular Prime Minister in .the history of Britain.

 

1 hour ago, vogie said:

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

More likely 'a few screaming remainers' rather than "leftists".

51 minutes ago, evadgib said:

His only has to last until 31st October & for much of that time Parliament is closed. Not even Tommy Cooper could f*** that up!????

Don't forget, Tommy Cooper (God bless his soul) died halfway through a performance, and for a while everyone in the audience enjoyed the joke. 

1 hour ago, vogie said:

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

Torries top of the pole... 

Tories 31%

Labour21%

LibDems 20%

Brexit Party 13%

Compare that to Cameron and May who used to get around 40% with Labour about 5% behind.

1 minute ago, Basil B said:

Torries top of the pole... 

Tories 31%

Labour21%

LibDems 20%

Brexit Party 13%

Compare that to Cameron and May who used to get around 40% with Labour about 5% behind.

Cameron and May didn't have the LibDems or the Brexit Party to worry about in those days, politics has changed now, so you cannot compare. Without L/D and Brexit Party I sure the Tories and Lab would be a lot higher than what they are polling at the moment. Not an unreasonable assumption I would have thought.

51 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

More likely 'a few screaming remainers' rather than "leftists".

I happened to be watching Sky yesterday when this popped up:

And again but this version inc additional Brexiter-friendly commentary:

 

2 hours ago, vogie said:

Nonsense, only a week in office and the Tories are top of the polls, don't judge your opinion on a few screaming leftists.

Glad to see that you, unlike so many other brexiteers, have faith in polls...