Irish PM says on Brexit: Biden wants a deal so Johnson should knuckle down

By Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Smout

 

Ireland's Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Micheal Martin arrives for the European Union leaders face-to-face summit in Brussels, Belgium October 16, 2020. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool/Files

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Thursday that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden wanted Britain to reach a Brexit trade deal with the European Union, so Prime Minister Boris Johnson should knuckle down.

 

Biden's win in the U.S. presidential election has changed the international context of Brexit: U.S. President Donald Trump backed Britain's decision to leave the EU, while Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama, who advised against it.

 

Biden, who is proud of his Irish heritage, has repeatedly said the U.S.-brokered 1998 "Good Friday" peace deal for Northern Ireland must not be undermined. That has been seen as a warning against a bill proposed by Johnson that would negate parts of Britain's EU divorce agreement governing the UK-Ireland border.

 

Biden repeated his support for the Good Friday agreement in a phone call with Johnson on Tuesday. The president-elect has said that if Britain undermines it, London will not be able to obtain a trade deal with the United States.

 

"He is very committed to the Good Friday Agreement," Martin said of Biden. "Particularly in relation to Brexit, he would favour obviously a deal between the European Union and Britain."

 

"And I think that's where, if I could respectfully say it, that's where the British government should head, in that direction, in my view. It should knuckle down and... get a deal with the European Union," Martin told BBC radio.

 

The United Kingdom left the EU in January. The two sides are trying to clinch a deal that would govern trade once a status quo transition period ends on Dec. 31. Many businesses say an exit without a deal would cause chaos.

 

BIDEN AND BREXIT

 

But the clock is ticking: the talks are now likely to go beyond yet another Brexit deadline - this time Nov. 15 - though negotiators are racing to clinch a deal with enough to ratify it before the end of the year.

 

Martin said Johnson's Internal Market Bill, which London has acknowledged could violate international law by overturning parts of the Brexit divorce agreement on Northern Ireland, had raised concerns about how far the EU could trust him.

 

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said Britain would not compromise on its sovereignty but that the government hoped for a deal in the days ahead.

 

"We hope that in the days ahead, admittedly, time is short, but in the days ahead, both sides will be able to reach agreement and the EU will show some further flexibility in those respects," he told the BBC.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-12

 

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 neither of them represent the UK, however, splitting The North from the UK would certainly  not preserve the Good Friday Agreement for "loyalists".

The Irish telling the English to do what America wants while budgie smuggler Abbot is in UK to show them how Australia survives with no deals to the EU .....that's my laughs for the day 

Seems like the walls are closing in on Johnson and the Brexiteers. 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Biden, who is proud of his Irish heritage

His great, great, great great, great, great, grand-daddy once had a pint of Guinness.......so he's Irish.

51 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

Seems like the walls are closing in on Johnson and the Brexiteers. 

But does not change the fact that Brexit is done and dusted, get over it chap.....????

1 hour ago, wombat said:

The Irish telling the English to do what America wants while budgie smuggler Abbot is in UK to show them how Australia survives with no deals to the EU .....that's my laughs for the day 

About 8% of Australia's exports go to EU. About 45% of UK's do. 

42 minutes ago, transam said:

But does not change the fact that Brexit is done and dusted, get over it chap.....????

Done and dusted?

So we have a trade agreement then? Its all been signed? Brexit is not done and dusted because for one thing you Brexiteers had no idea what you were voting for and no clue as to how to implement leaving the EU.

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

Done and dusted?

So we have a trade agreement then? Its all been signed? Brexit is not done and dusted because for one thing you Brexiteers had no idea what you were voting for and no clue as to how to implement leaving the EU.

Done and dusted, we are out of the EU, get used to it.

"At ease" chap....

Knuckle down nuts. Martin sounds just like that Varadkar bird singing to his new US and EU heroes. 

23 minutes ago, transam said:

Done and dusted, we are out of the EU, get used to it.

"At ease" chap....

Another asinine post.

1 minute ago, Rookiescot said:

Another asinine post.

If you say so.......????

Just now, transam said:

If you say so.......????

 

I do.

33 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Knuckle down nuts. Martin sounds just like that Varadkar bird singing to his new US and EU heroes. 

Yes, well but at least Martin has some friends on the international scene. With the loss of the unregretted Trump who can Britain turn to?

5 minutes ago, George Aylesham said:

Yes, well but at least Martin has some friends on the international scene. With the loss of the unregretted Trump who can Britain turn to?

 

Who does Britain need to turn to?

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

 

Who does Britain need to turn to?

Any country that will quickly give her a trade deal. I see Trudeau reckons the UK cannot forge a new deal by New Year so we'll be trading with them on WTO terms. 

4 hours ago, transam said:

But does not change the fact that Brexit is done and dusted, get over it chap.....????

Might be. But everybody with some brain would see that Boris ' ego is much more important than the future of Britain. He is definetely the British Trump, an erratic clown trying to fit in a role.

A deal with the Bloc is the only alternative way for UK to survive. Law breaking and cherry picking is over. ????

2 hours ago, nauseus said:

Knuckle down nuts. Martin sounds just like that Varadkar bird singing to his new US and EU heroes. 

No, he uses his brain. UK clowns should do the same. ????

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

It should knuckle down and... get a deal with the European Union," Martin told BBC radio.

 

I think the Irish PM wants the British to knuckle under, not knuckle down.

11 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

No, he uses his brain. UK clowns should do the same. ????

 

He is a puppet - like his predecessor.

Well Well Well and how about Biden puts pressure on the EU to cut a reasonable deal? That is what the Irish guy should be telling his American cousin.

If Biden wants to broker a mutually beneficial deal between the EU and UK then fine. He needs to come with something that will encourage the UK rather than threats, otherwise he is already heading for a presidency that will be remembered for the wrong reasons. He already appears to be undermining the UK negotiations.

14 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Well Well Well and how about Biden puts pressure on the EU to cut a reasonable deal? That is what the Irish guy should be telling his American cousin.

If Biden wants to broker a mutually beneficial deal between the EU and UK then fine. He needs to come with something that will encourage the UK rather than threats, otherwise he is already heading for a presidency that will be remembered for the wrong reasons. He already appears to be undermining the UK negotiations.

Biden has no interest in helping the UK out of the mess Brexiteers have put it into.

 

He does however have a clearly stated interest in protecting the Good Friday Agreement and he backs Dublin’s insistence that there will be no hard border in Ireland.

 

The UK’s inability to cut a deal with the EU is the UK’s own, self made, problem.

 

Moreover, it is not in the interest of the US to help the UK secure a deal with the EU, or indeed anyone else. A UK desperate for a deal sitting opposite US negotiators will do very nicely. 

 

Enjoy the ‘dealing with your own mess’ side of ‘sovereignty’.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 20205 yr by Chomper Higgot

Biden should mind his own business (and we don't care what the Irish PM say's). If every country minded their own business the world would be a better place (human rights abuses aside).

5 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Biden should mind his own business (and we don't care what the Irish PM say's). If every country minded their own business the world would be a better place (human rights abuses aside).

Well yes, those pesky human rights abuses.

 

Dublin has Biden’s ear, a political reality London needs to learn to live with.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Biden has no interest in helping the UK out of the mess Brexiteers have put it into.

 

He does however have a clearly stated interest in protecting the Good Friday Agreement and he backs Dublin’s I distance  that there will be no hard border in Ireland.

 

The UK’s inability to cut a deal with the EU is the UK’s own, self made, problem.

 

Moreover, it is not in the interest of the US to help the UK secure a deal with the EU, or indeed anyone else. A UK desperate for a deal sitting opposite US negotiators will do very nicely. 

 

Enjoy the ‘dealing with your own mess’ side of ‘sovereignty’.

 

 

 

Ah just sucking up to the Irish by 'protecting' the Good Friday agreement that was possibly not even under threat.

Desperate to appear influential......oh dear and the Irish PM jumps on the bandwagon

 

Meanwhile back in the real world Boris is negotiating a deal with the EU.

 

3 minutes ago, 473geo said:

 

Ah just sucking up to the Irish by 'protecting' the Good Friday agreement that was possibly not even under threat.

Desperate to appear influential......oh dear and the Irish PM jumps on the bandwagon

 

Meanwhile back in the real world Boris is negotiating a deal with the EU.

 

Well Johnson needs to.

 

Shall we pretend Biden’s election hasn’t pulled the rug from under Brexiteer ideas the ‘Anglosphere’ with’easy deals’ from Trump or shall we face the new political reality?

Edited November 13, 20205 yr by Chomper Higgot

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well yes, those pesky human rights abuses.

 

Dublin has Biden’s ear, a political reality London needs to learn to live with.

 

I agree that Dublin does have Biden's ear but wouldn't it be nice for America to STAY OUT of meddling in other countries?  I mean USA never meddles like Russia right? 

We don't need Biden's advice on NI having lived with it since God knows when. We have peace, we even talk with Sinn Fein etc. Personally I'd like to see a united Ireland and I don't think UK has any real right to be there - that aside - the history is long and rumbling and difficult but we don't need US teaching us about the problem.

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well Johnson needs to.

 

Shall we pretend Biden’s election hasn’t pulled the rug from under Brexiteer ideas the ‘Anglosphere’ with’easy deals’ from Trump or shall we face the new political reality?

 

Every 'political reality' is temporary, as you know. Harold was right that "5 minutes is a long time in politics"

Ireland’s economy is considered the most vulnerable EU member to an unruly British exit due to its close trade links and Dublin set aside a similar amount a year ago when the initial withdrawal negotiations went to the wire

Ireland must set aside one billion euros for no-deal Brexit - minister

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-ireland-idUKKBN25X0AB

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well Johnson needs to.

 

Shall we pretend Biden’s election hasn’t pulled the rug from under Brexiteer ideas the ‘Anglosphere’ with’easy deals’ from Trump or shall we face the new political reality?

 

Reality? What hits the headlines often contradicts the reality of discussions taking place.