Irish PM says open to Northern Ireland-focused Brexit solution

[webfact]

Irish PM says open to Northern Ireland-focused Brexit solution

 

FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar arrives to take part in a European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium July 2, 2019. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

 

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar plans to discuss whether regulatory alignment between Ireland and Northern Ireland might form the basis of a Brexit deal when he meets British counterpart Boris Johnson on Monday.

 

But Varadkar said a breakthrough was unlikely during Monday's talks with the EU summit on Oct. 17-18 providing the most likely venue for any agreement.

 

Talks to secure an orderly British exit from the European Union have floundered on the question of how to avoid infrastructure along the border between EU member Ireland and the British region of Northern Ireland.

 

The so-called "backstop" protocol in the current withdrawal agreement mandates regulatory alignment between Ireland and the whole of the United Kingdom, which Brexit supporters say would complicate new trade deals.

 

Asked by journalists whether Ireland would consider a return to earlier proposals of Northern Ireland specific solutions, Varadkar said this was something Ireland had always been open to.

 

"It will be interesting to see whether we can explore tomorrow whether we could find some common ground on a Northern Ireland specific solution, but I will have to judge that tomorrow," he said.

 

Britain's Brexit negotiator David Frost proposed in Brussels on Friday that common rules for checking animals and animal products be established across the whole island of Ireland as an alternative to the Irish backstop.

 

Varadkar rejected the suggestion that all-Ireland system of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on agricultural products might provide a solution, saying such issues only account for around 30% of border checks.

 

"It's not enough on its own. We would need a single Irish economic zone, or whatever you would like to call it, to cover more than agriculture and food," Varadkar said.

 

Varadkar said he was not expecting a big breakthrough in the talks with Johnson in Dublin, but said he saw the meeting as "an opportunity to establish a relationship to see what common ground might exist".

 

"If we come to an agreement that will happen most likely in October at the EU summit," he said.

 

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by David Goodman and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-09

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[OneMoreFarang]

Maybe Boris should just suggest that Ireland should be united.

Then Boris can have his Brexit without backstop. Problem solved.

[soalbundy]

This is starting to look like 'game of thrones' without the dragons

[Chomper Higgot]

So..... Let’s put the EU/UK border in the middle of the Irish Sea.

 

Dublin might buy that, the DUP might have other ideas.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe Boris should just suggest that Ireland should be united.

Then Boris can have his Brexit without backstop. Problem solved.

That is perhaps the thinking behind Mr Varadkar's suggestions. 

 

Ah, wait, what about the Good Friday Agreement requirement that unification will require the consent of the people of Northern Ireland?

 

Oh, silly me. I should have realised, this is now a matter for the European Community - voting on it is now, how shall we say, less central to the issue?

[jsmythbkk]

Northern Irish unionists have always been more loyal to the '' half crown " than the crown. As soon as they see that they will be better off in a all Ireland economy aligned with the EU they will slowly come around to a united Ireland.

Some older readers will understand the '' half crown '' comment.

[gamini]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So..... Let’s put the EU/UK border in the middle of the Irish Sea.

 

Dublin might buy that, the DUP might have other ideas.

Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU, So your idea is is sensible

[blazes]

1 hour ago, jsmythbkk said:

Northern Irish unionists have always been more loyal to the '' half crown " than the crown. As soon as they see that they will be better off in a all Ireland economy aligned with the EU they will slowly come around to a united Ireland.

Some older readers will understand the '' half crown '' comment.

 

Good to see a common sense contribution to anything concerned with Brexit.  For almost two centuries, the Irish Question has dogged all British political life.

 

You are posing a very delicate question:  will the Prots of the North ever choose economics over religion as the deciding factor in their daily life???  Maybe we have come to a point in economic and social development where the Orangemen will finally choose economics???

 

Who knows?  But even if they were ready to choose their pocketbooks over the Archbishop of Canterbury, there would be such an explosion of noise and bombs from Belfast that probably Boris would be well advised to stay mum on this topic.

 

 

[nahkit]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe Boris should just suggest that Ireland should be united.

Then Boris can have his Brexit without backstop. Problem solved.

Was that a tongue-in-cheek suggestion?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49620049

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49582882

[Nigel Garvie]

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So..... Let’s put the EU/UK border in the middle of the Irish Sea.

 

Dublin might buy that, the DUP might have other ideas.

Yup the DUP have the idea that the world is 10,000 years old, dinosaurs and all.

 

A united Ireland is fine by me, I think we should treat the RoI with care though. Apparently they make the worlds supply of Viagra and Botox, I don't use either, but some TV members may be looking forward to flaccid Dic#s, and wrinkly wives if we don't sort the border problem!!  ????????

[blazes]

17 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Yup the DUP have the idea that the world is 10,000 years old, dinosaurs and all.

 

A united Ireland is fine by me, I think we should treat the RoI with care though. Apparently they make the worlds supply of Viagra and Botox, I don't use either, but some TV members may be looking forward to flaccid Dic#s, and wrinkly wives if we don't sort the border problem!!  ????????

 

Clearly you don't use Thailand's answer to Viagra, namely Sidegra.  

and

Has anyone on TV ever seen a "wrinkly" Thai pooying?

[Nigel Garvie]

3 minutes ago, blazes said:

 

Clearly you don't use Thailand's answer to Viagra, namely Sidegra.  

and

Has anyone on TV ever seen a "wrinkly" Thai pooying?

Well it was true up to a point but in jest also of course. 

Viagra and Sidegra are the same thing. What you get here apparently,  is a generic version of Viagra/Sidegra. 

Young women of any country are not wrinkly agreed.

[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, JAG said:

That is perhaps the thinking behind Mr Varadkar's suggestions. 

 

Ah, wait, what about the Good Friday Agreement requirement that unification will require the consent of the people of Northern Ireland?

 

Oh, silly me. I should have realised, this is now a matter for the European Community - voting on it is now, how shall we say, less central to the issue?

20 1/2 years ago the British Empire ( or better wat is left of it) signed an agreement: the Good Friday agreement. Now already just a piece of paper, as a signature of the Uk proves to be worthless

[JAG]

1 hour ago, puipuitom said:

20 1/2 years ago the British Empire ( or better wat is left of it) signed an agreement: the Good Friday agreement. Now already just a piece of paper, as a signature of the Uk proves to be worthless

No, the government of the United Kingdom signed the Good Friday Agreement. The Government of the Republic of Ireland also signed, as did various parties involved in politics in the province of Northern Ireland. Neither the British Empire ( which, rather like the Dutch Empire for that matter is pretty well a thing of the past) nor the EU were party to it. The agreement (GFA) removed conventional border controls on the Island of Ireland. The government of the UK has no intention of reinstating them. The EU is the driving force behind reinstating them. 

 

Never mind, having piled so many chips (perhaps we should say "frittes") on your shoulders it is understandable that you don't wish the facts to get in the way of your little jibe!

[khunken]

3 minutes ago, JAG said:

No, the government of the United Kingdom signed the Good Friday Agreement. The Government of the Republic of Ireland also signed, as did various parties involved in politics in the province of Northern Ireland. Neither the British Empire ( which, rather like the Dutch Empire for that matter is pretty well a thing of the past) nor the EU were party to it. The agreement (GFA) removed conventional border controls on the Island of Ireland. The government of the UK has no intention of reinstating them. The EU is the driving force behind reinstating them. 

 

Never mind, having piled so many chips (perhaps we should say "frittes") on your shoulders it is understandable that you don't wish the facts to get in the way of your little jibe!

I was with you until 'the EU is the driving force behind reinstating them' which is a lie and part of the no-deal mob efforts to blame everyone else but themselves for the Brexit mess.

 

Neither Ireland or the EU wants to reinstate hard border controls and Boris has been given 30 days to provide an alternative solution to the backstop (which he accepted) which prevents those physical border controls and has been accepted by the EU & Ireland. Up to now he hasn't apart from vague bs.

 

This Regulatory Alignment could well replace the backstop (a) as it's similar to the backstop but excludes the UK mainland & (b) would need to include all trade. It's a start.

[JAG]

12 minutes ago, khunken said:

was with you until 'the EU is the driving force behind reinstating them' which is a lie and part of the no-deal mob efforts to blame everyone else but themselves for the Brexit mess

In what way is it a "lie"? The  UK government has said it has no intention of reinstating conventional "hard" border controls. I understand that it is a requirement of the EU that they should be reinstated if no other arrangements can be settled upon?

 

I don't really like being called a liar by the way.

Edited September 9, 2019 by JAG

[khunken]

9 minutes ago, JAG said:

In what way is it a "lie"? The  UK government has said it has no intention of reinstating conventional "hard" border controls. I understand that it is a requirement of the EU that they should be reinstated no other arrangements can be settled upon?

 

I don't really like being called a liar by the way.

I'm not calling you a liar but you did repeat the lie from the no-dealers. The EU is not the driving force of a hard border - Ireland and NI trade is if the UK can't sort it out.

It has been obvious all along the the EU & Ireland DON'T want a hard border which is why they agreed to the backstop with the UK.

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by khunken

[puipuitom]

10 hours ago, JAG said:

That is perhaps the thinking behind Mr Varadkar's suggestions. 

 

Ah, wait, what about the Good Friday Agreement requirement that unification will require the consent of the people of Northern Ireland?

 

Oh, silly me. I should have realised, this is now a matter for the European Community - voting on it is now, how shall we say, less central to the issue?

Who wrote any unification of N + S Ireland will NOT be with the Mutual consent of both nations ?

Has NOTHING even to do with the EU, only with the N+S Irish and maybe the UK ( or England) 

[puipuitom]

2 hours ago, JAG said:

No, the government of the United Kingdom signed the Good Friday Agreement. The Government of the Republic of Ireland also signed, as did various parties involved in politics in the province of Northern Ireland. Neither the British Empire ( which, rather like the Dutch Empire for that matter is pretty well a thing of the past) nor the EU were party to it. The agreement (GFA) removed conventional border controls on the Island of Ireland. The government of the UK has no intention of reinstating them. The EU is the driving force behind reinstating them. 

 

Never mind, having piled so many chips (perhaps we should say "frittes") on your shoulders it is understandable that you don't wish the facts to get in the way of your little jibe!

So, the ironly about the "British Empire" was clear.

2) I thought, the UK want sovereignity between their borders. Which border, where ? 

At least, the EU - just like any country, federation or Union - wants to have BORDERS, which are not open for a 500 km without any control. To give you an example: in my working years ( around 1988) , as dried fruit trader, the EU agreed a minimum import price for raisins when Greece joined the EU. When the import price was too low, an extra levy (even till DM 300/ton) could be charged. By coincidence, the Californians, Chileans, South Africans nor Australians were affected, ONLY the Turks.

In ONE year, 800.000 tons of raisins were imported into the EU from.. Switserland, seen the open border with the EU. The EU will NEVER make such a blunder again.

Can you imagine an open N-S Irish border ? And the EU to set up some camps for migrants from Asia and Africa now stuck at the gGreek islands or in Ceuta, just 100 mtr away from that line... I wonder what Boris the Liar and his brains Dominic Cummins will say then. Drinking tea with milk or warm beer will not solve the problem then anymore.

But, Boris will soon come with a solution, as most of the 30 days are already gone. ( I still see Merkel laughing after the reply of Boris ) 

[JAG]

30 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

So, the ironly about the "British Empire" was clear.

2) I thought, the UK want sovereignity between their borders. Which border, where ? 

At least, the EU - just like any country, federation or Union - wants to have BORDERS, which are not open for a 500 km without any control. To give you an example: in my working years ( around 1988) , as dried fruit trader, the EU agreed a minimum import price for raisins when Greece joined the EU. When the import price was too low, an extra levy (even till DM 300/ton) could be charged. By coincidence, the Californians, Chileans, South Africans nor Australians were affected, ONLY the Turks.

In ONE year, 800.000 tons of raisins were imported into the EU from.. Switserland, seen the open border with the EU. The EU will NEVER make such a blunder again.

Can you imagine an open N-S Irish border ? And the EU to set up some camps for migrants from Asia and Africa now stuck at the gGreek islands or in Ceuta, just 100 mtr away from that line... I wonder what Boris the Liar and his brains Dominic Cummins will say then. Drinking tea with milk or warm beer will not solve the problem then anymore.

But, Boris will soon come with a solution, as most of the 30 days are already gone. ( I still see Merkel laughing after the reply of Boris ) 

I'm sorry, but your post was so incoherent, I simply could not understand what point you were trying to make!