What a difference this will make – no doubt… October 24, 2016
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
British prime minister Theresa May will today offer the leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales a formal role in shaping Britain’s strategy for leaving the European Union.
At a meeting in London with the leaders of the three devolved administrations, including Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness, the British prime minister will propose a new forum chaired by Brexit secretary David Davis.
Hardly worth the effort, and what of this hollow boosterism from May?
Ms May said the new forum would allow the devolved administrations put forward their proposals “on how to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit and deliver the democratic decision expressed by the people of the UK”.
Particularly when set against the oft-expressed belief of Sturgeon and McGuinness that neither Scotland nor the North should be forced out of the EU.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
“ new forum would allow the devolved administrations put forward their proposals on how to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit and deliver the democratic decision expressed by the people of the
UKEngland”.LikeLike
‘How to seize the opportunities presented by Brexit’—jam. No word yet as to the non-jam opportunities but plenty of scope for jam-makers I hear.
LikeLike
british jobs for british workers is reported to involve a lot of fruit-picking!!!
LikeLike
‘Theresa May has warned Nicola Sturgeon that she risks “undermining” Brexit negotiations as a Downing Street summit descended into acrimony…
‘“The country is facing a negotiation of tremendous importance and it is imperative that the devolved administrations play their part in making it work.”said May.
Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, said there was a “joint responsibility” to manage the Brexit process. He told reporters: “As this process moves along, we need to be at the heart of it.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/24/theresa-may-warns-nicola-sturgeon-against-undermining-brexit-as/
Speaking to reporters afterwards Mr McGuinness said: “Agreements like the Good Friday Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement are contingent on there being no obstructions between North and South…
Foster said the prime minister was very clear and definitive on the issue of a hard border.
“Theresa May had said there would not be a hard border – this an agreement between her, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government.”
http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1024/826340-brexit/
LikeLike
What onus is on the devolved administrations to makes something work which the populations they represent voted against? I hate this ‘we’re all in this together’ stuff.
Awful.
LikeLike
The old ‘who is this we, paleface?’ joke springs to mind
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ms Sturgeon was said to have retorted she couldn’t “undermine” anything as she hadn’t been told the plans!
LikeLike
I think she said “I can’t undermine something that doesn’t exist.”
LikeLike
RE: “Theresa May had said there would not be a hard border – this an agreement between her, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government.”
Doesn’t the EU have a voice in the matter? All 26 countries, excluding Ireland? They might not like this “private” arrangement – and it only takes one to object!!!
Doesn’t Westminster realize its time for dictating and saying “we are going to . . .” is long past its sell-by date?
LikeLike
To preserve ‘no obstructions between North and South’,-to ensure the border is invisible,-it seems that the Irish government will have to administer U.K immigration policy at Irish ports,-assuming the EU allows.
If trade between EU and UK is impeded, then free movement of goods between North and South will probably require considerable smuggling.
LikeLike
Wasn’t Ahern wheeled out to knock that idiocy on its head. As it would then impact Irish traveling to the continent. Effectively extending the UK border into the EU.
LikeLike
“If the UK leave the EU we are talking about both EU citizens and non-EU nations still seeking a way into Britain. And the only land border between a post-Brexit Britain and the EU is on this island.”..
I cannot see any other way they can fulfil their promise to control the numbers coming into the UK unless they set up border controls between the north and south on this island.
“There are for example 200 unapproved rural roads linking the north and the south. Are the out camp seriously suggesting migrants won’t use these roads to get into Northern Ireland and then try to reach Britain?”-Bertie Ahern.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/04/bertie-ahern-uk-reimpose-irish-border-after-brexit-eu-northern-ireland
This was before the vote to leave.
The question remains: If there is free movement between North and South how is migration into the U.K to be controlled?
LikeLike
‘A recent suggestion that Irish ports and airports would become proxy points of entry into the UK and a type of frontier for British immigration checks was dismissed out of hand by Mr Ahern.
“I quite frankly just found that unbelievable,” he said.
“To put that suggestion forward is a total lack of understanding of how people think, north and south, of either tradition. It just would not happen.”
The idea was floated in recent weeks with Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire saying that governments in London and Dublin would work to strengthen the Republic’s external borders after Brexit.’
http://www.independent.ie/business/brexit/brexit-could-increase-smuggling-along-irish-border-john-bruton-35161525.html
So there’s nothing left but immigration checks at British ports for people entering from Northern Ireland. Unlikely.
LikeLike
“There is no deal between the Irish and British governments to shift the front-line of immigration controls to the Republic’s port and airports, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.”
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/we-dont-know-yet-what-they-are-looking-for-taoiseach-says-there-is-no-brexit-border-deal-between-ireland-and-uk-35163713.html
LikeLike
So presuming the UK leaves the EU.
What are the options on this? One of these three?:
1. Irish ports and airports to become the proxy points of entry into the UK
2. Immigration checks at British ports for people entering from Northern Ireland
3. The border between the RoI and NI becoming a very hard border, with full customs and full immigration controls. And likewise full customs and immigration checks and controls for people travelling to and from the RoI and the rest of the UK.
No.1 is probably unacceptable to your average southern Irish nationalist (see Bertie Ahern above). No. 2 is probably unacceptable to your average Ulster unionist and your average British tory. And No.3 is a horrorshow, given the reality of the history of these islands and the millions of trips to and fro made each year and the trade that so much of the RoI economy depends on and which is very important for the UK economy too.
Now clearly 1, 2 and 3 above are not the only options. And there should be room for plenty of creativity.
But the reality for RoI nationalists is that they might have to compromise on some element of option 1 in order to escape from the horrorshow that would be option 3.
LikeLike
Option 1 looks likely.
It will be referred to as ‘strengthening the external boundary of the Common Travel Area (CTA),but will Ahern and ‘the republican party’, Fianna Fail, object?
For Sinn Fein free movement between North and South will take precedence, even if it involves a diminution of Irish sovereignty in administrating U.K immigration control.
LikeLike
But smuggling would be illegal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
But a big opportunity for any group with experience of smuggling!
LikeLike
Joe’s point one above could become a runner if Britain’s loony right cross the Irish right’s palm with some silver to soften their cough- a few billion a year- I mean uncontrolled immigration is costing the Brits about 650 billion a year as things stand, isn’t it?
LikeLike
Brilliant Fergal. I nominate you onto the Irish govt negotiating team for Brexit. The aim of the negotiation will be to squeeze as many billion as possible from all and sundry. So billions from the UK as you brilliantly suggest above and billions more from the UK, the EU, the USA to ‘save the Peace Process’.
LikeLike