Johnson's opening Brexit bid: rip out the Irish border backstop

By Kylie MacLellan, Guy Faulconbridge

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Fusion Energy Research Centre at the Fulham Science Centre in Oxfordshire, Britain August 8, 2019. Julian Simmonds

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has fired the opening salvo in his bid to renegotiate Britain’s divorce from the European Union, demanding that an insurance policy for the Irish border be removed from the Brexit deal and replaced with a pledge.

 

After more than three years of Brexit crisis, the United Kingdom is heading towards a showdown with the EU as Johnson has vowed to leave the bloc on Oct. 31 without a deal unless it agrees to renegotiate the divorce terms.

 

The bloc and its leaders have repeatedly refused to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement, which includes a protocol on the Irish border “backstop” that then-prime minister Theresa May agreed in November.

 

In his opening bid to the EU ahead of meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week, Johnson wrote a four-page letter to European Council President Donald Tusk setting out his demands.

 

“I propose that the backstop should be replaced with a commitment to put in place (alternative) arrangements as far as possible before the end of the transition period, as part of the future relationship,” Johnson wrote. “Time is very short.”

 

A diplomat from one EU country told Reuters that Johnson’s letter was “pure PR” and not meant to spur constructive talks but rather set the stage for a “blame game” with the EU. An Irish source said Johnson had provided no detail on alternative proposals.

 

In a call with Johnson, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar reiterated the EU’s position that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened.

 

The riddle of what to do about Ireland’s 500-km (300-mile) land border with the British province of Northern Ireland remains has repeatedly imperilled Brexit talks.

 

The EU wants to ensure that its only land border with the United Kingdom after Brexit does not become a back door for goods to enter the EU’s single market - which guarantees free movement of goods, capital, services and labour.

 

But Ireland says checks could undermine the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which brought peace after more than 3,600 died in a three-decade conflict between unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain British and Irish nationalists who want Northern Ireland to join a united Ireland ruled from Dublin.

 

And the United Kingdom does not want there to be any border - effective or virtual - between Britain and Northern Ireland. Johnson’s government is propped up by Northern Irish unionists.

 

BREXIT SHOWDOWN?

 

The backstop was a compromise aimed at squaring the circle: it would keep the United Kingdom in a customs union with the EU until a better solution was found, and keep Northern Ireland aligned to the rules of the EU’s single market.

 

Johnson wrote that the backstop was anti-democratic and threatened the United Kingdom’s sovereignty as the application of single-market rules in Northern Ireland could divide Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

 

“It presents the whole of the UK with the choice of remaining in a customs union and aligned with those rules, or of seeing Northern Ireland gradually detached from the UK economy across a very broad range of areas,” Johnson said. “Both of those outcomes are unacceptable to the British government.”

 

He also argued that the backstop risked weakening the delicate balance between nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland.

 

He said the best solution was a pledge to put in place arrangements as far as possible before the end of the transition period, and that this could be agreed as part of a deal on Britain’s future relationship with the EU.

 

Dublin does not accept the assertion that the backstop is a threat to peace, an Irish government source said, adding that, while the letter refers to alternative arrangements, it gives no detail of what these might be.

 

Under the current text of the Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop would be invoked at the end of the transition period in 2020, creating a single EU-UK customs territory, including “level playing field” rules ensuring fair competition in areas such as environment, state aid and labour standards.

 

The clause is designed as a default mechanism to remain in place “unless and until” it is superseded by alternative arrangements that ensure the same outcome.

 

Brexiteers fear that this would keep Britain dependent on rules set from Brussels over which they would have no say, and hinder their efforts to strike trade deals with third countries - one of the key benefits they see from leaving the EU in the first place. Some pro-Brexit politicians have said it would make Britain a “vassal state”.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-20

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Which he knows is not acceptable to Eire or the EU.

A pity a major issue like this did not receive any attention in the run up to the referendum.

Full umbilical severance is his mandate. Anything less is BRINO and will render him and his party extinct.

A typical Brexiteer letter. No solutions, but we want the cake and eat it, and it’s your responsibility to make it happen. 

16 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Full umbilical severance is his mandate. Anything less is BRINO and will render him and his party extinct.

And wouldn't that be lovely. I'll drink to that!

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Which he knows is not acceptable to Eire or the EU.

That didn't take long:

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/20/donald-tusk-rejects-boris-johnsons-bid-to-remove-the-backstop-brexit

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has fired the opening salvo in his bid to renegotiate Britain’s divorce from the European Union, demanding that an insurance policy for the Irish border be removed from the Brexit deal and replaced with a pledge.

Not going to happen. 

 

A pledge from perfidious Albion is worthless. 

44 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Not going to happen. 

 

A pledge from perfidious Albion is worthless. 

It is incredible that the man who is PM believes he can conduct international agreements on the basis of a pledge. 

 

Putting aside the fact that Johnson is an inveterate liar and nobody but a fool would believe any pledge he makes, is he not aware that international agreements are made by treaty?

 

The man is not just a liar, he's an idiot, worse still he takes others for being idiots. 

 

Depressingly, some willingly play the part. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 20196 yr by Chomper Higgot

He may need to rip out Tusk, Barnacle, Macron, and Merkle's, liver at the same time before any likely deal on the boarder????   

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

A pity a major issue like this did not receive any attention in the run up to the referendum.

If they only wrote it on big red bus, with really big letters. 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

That didn't take long:

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/20/donald-tusk-rejects-boris-johnsons-bid-to-remove-the-backstop-brexit

Great news. The deal without the backstop is still a terrible deal. The 39 billion needs to lose a zero as well.

 

Hopefully the EU dont budge and we can leave with  No Deal.

and the bomb incident in Northern Ireland (seems to be the third one in 3 months), brexit related or just nostalgia?

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

A pity a major issue like this did not receive any attention in the run up to the referendum.

Funny that !  lol

3 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

and the bomb incident in Northern Ireland (seems to be the third one in 3 months), brexit related or just nostalgia?

The various Irish republican terror groups remain active and are becoming more so. The Stormont situation is probably more to blame than Brexit. 

 

It's not necessary to have infrastructure on the border after the UK leaves the EU. The EU and the Irish PM know this. It's just a useful stick to beat Brexiteers with. 

 

2 minutes ago, Blue Mango said:

 

It's not necessary to have infrastructure on the border after the UK leaves the EU. The EU and the Irish PM know this. It's just a useful stick to beat Brexiteers with. 

How many borders in the world between countries not in a single market do you know that don’t have infrastructure? 

 

If the UK wants to keep its border open that’s up to the UK. The EU will not do so but protect the single market. 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

That didn't take long:

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/20/donald-tusk-rejects-boris-johnsons-bid-to-remove-the-backstop-brexit

I suspect that the Johnson government is one who is not prepared to take Yes for an answer anyway. From a European perspective, why bother, then?

The plan has to be that we crash out, the moneymen enrich themselves further and dump the blame on the 'Froggies' and 'Krauts'. Their followers will continue to lap it up. 

41 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Great news. The deal without the backstop is still a terrible deal. The 39 billion needs to lose a zero as well.

 

Hopefully the EU dont budge and we can leave with  No Deal.

On the button (as usual)  ????

(A reminder that it's Content not poster)

Edited August 20, 20196 yr by evadgib

I mean, how many countries have they negotiated new trade deals with, how are we going to trade with the rest of the world as from 31st October?
Has Boris put out any tenders to the printing industry for ration books yet?


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 A diplomat from one EU country told Reuters that Johnson’s letter was “pure PR” and not meant to spur constructive talks but rather set the stage for a “blame game” with the EU. An Irish source said Johnson had provided no detail on alternative proposals.

 

A Hot Air BJ letter direct in the Trash bin.

At some point in the EU, too, the good will comes to an end. The financial damage is already huge. No special treatment for the UK anymore. Negotiated for 3 years. Money and time wasted for nothing.
It's enough.

Don’t stop there Boris. There’s another 500+ pages to rip out.


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5 hours ago, stevenl said:

A pity a major issue like this did not receive any attention in the run up to the referendum.

 

    Correct , the  run up to the referendum was a just a jolly .

    Big red bus , and pantomine star, pied piper farage . 

      How stupid can  ill educated voters be .  

       Democracey , my <deleted>/ toot ...

 

      

 

Edited August 20, 20196 yr by elliss

I’m wondering for how long he wants to ridicule himself and his country. He’s like a guy coming to a vegetarian restaurant demanding a steak, and when being told there’s only salad and tofu, he’d come back every three weeks demanding everyone to be more flexible, otherwise he would starve to death but the restaurant would surely lose some profit and the beef industry would certainly protest. Fool. 

 

 

If the UK wants to keep its border open that’s up to the UK. The EU will not do so but protect the single market. 

 

They’ll be drinking to both Brexit and the GFA in every pub on each side of the NI border. A bigger and better smugglers paradise than it has ever been.

How’s your beloved SM going to to cope with that?

19 minutes ago, Loiner said:

 

They’ll be drinking to both Brexit and the GFA in every pub on each side of the NI border. A bigger and better smugglers paradise than it has ever been.

How’s your beloved SM going to to cope with that?

Don’t worry; both sides will be fine. On the EU side, checks and law enforcement will keep your chlorinated chicken away. As the UK side intends to keep their border open, they can continue to benefit from quality EU products for the starving people and quality migrant workers. 

5 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

 A diplomat from one EU country told Reuters that Johnson’s letter was “pure PR” and not meant to spur constructive talks but rather set the stage for a “blame game” with the EU. An Irish source said Johnson had provided no detail on alternative proposals.

 

A Hot Air BJ letter direct in the Trash bin.

At some point in the EU, too, the good will comes to an end. The financial damage is already huge. No special treatment for the UK anymore. Negotiated for 3 years. Money and time wasted for nothing.
It's enough.

EU goodwill. Wot a larf! 

2 hours ago, nauseus said:

EU goodwill. Wot a larf! 

"Wot a larf"? From which university did you post this. 

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

"Wot a larf"? From which university did you post this. 

Kings Bollege Bambridge, m8.

Just do what the french and Italians do yes yes to Brussels and then do what they want.

I see 3 ways of looking at this.

 

1. He's gone soft and wants to reheat May's withdrawal treaty (relabel and soften the backstop). Very, very bad idea ????.

2. He's just pretending to negotiate so he can say that he tried his best and then blame the EU when we leave with a glorious, clean break Brexit. Great idea ????.

3. He's just pretending to favour a softer Brexit to bolster support amongst the predominantly Remain Parliament in anticipation of the impending Confidence vote. Once he's won that he'll lean back towards his more sensible, glorious, clean break Brexit. Pretty good idea ????.

 

Hopefully it's 2 or 3.