Have you heard the one about the Irishman .......

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confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
You would think that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has enough troubles in the ROI, without coming up with a demand that only gives weight to the ‘Irish’ jokes. If you don’t give us the soft border that we need and crave, we will vote against any deal and force you into a hard Brexit with the re4sulting hard border. Hmmmmmm, don’t think Leo has thought that one through too well
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29756
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Norrie god Arlene will don the Royal Balaclava and sort him out.

Leaving aside the biased Unionist/Protestant OP and subsequent jokes for a moment, it will be interesting to see what happens. The UK agreed that 'significant progress' on the UK-EU border (and peace on the IoI) had to be made before trade talks could continue. Let's see if the UK come up with anything or if the EU concede on this which I think they will).
confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
Confused at your ‘bias’ terminology. Thought I was merely stating fact, in so far as the major loser out of a hard Brexit would be the ROI, so struggle to see the logic in Leo’s stance. I think the ‘sham’ of his balanced approached was laid bare last week when his foreign affairs minister said he was hoping for a UI in his life time. Hardly the impartial stance as per the GFA.

Anyway Leo may well have an election to face soon, due to his defence of his #2 actions / lies / complicity. That should keep him busy for a few months

The EU lines in the sand make no sense. The final situation re a border, will largely depend on the trade agreement (when it comes), between the UK and EU. The logic behind trying to set up a trade agreement between NI and ROI in advance of a trade agreement, to me, makes no sense at all.

BTW attaching labels to people does not mean they can’t formulate a reasoned opinion. If we were to take your stance then any opinion coming out of or about NI or ROI is worthless, by definition. Was going to say unless you were a republican atheist. However, the ‘republican’ aspect, must of course mean you have a bias and therefore your opinion is either worthless or not trustworthy ????
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29756
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Fair criticism Confused. Poor form by me and over zealous. I retract my outburst and accusation and apologise.

I agree the timetabling of talks makes no sense.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29756
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Nice of Arlene to scupper the deal.
Red Duke
Posts: 1991
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:15
Location: North West
Theresa May has only one person to blame for this mess, herself.

When she became PM she talked about the JAMs and then called an election, thinking it was only about Brexit and completely forgetting about them.

Big Mistake.

Consequence, loses her majority, then gets in bed with the DUP.

Schadenfreude comes to mind.
confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
People talk as if it was 10 people not liking the 'arrangement'. Like them or loathe them, the DUP stood for election with their views on Brexit well known. And we're returned as the largest party. So as per Red Duke, it is unbelievable that anyone in the EU with even minimal knowledge of NI (which most seem to have), would believe that NI would accept being treated differently from rest of UK and have restrictions placed on their ability to trade with UK, or benefit from cheaper food prices etc available outside the EU. If such a good deal, then would wonder why Mrs May is not selling this one to the rest of the UK. Especially Scotland, who proclaim to actually want it. The irony can't be lost that the Raj is trying to impose it on people who don't want it, while denying it to people who do. It stinks of the bad old days for the people of NI when they were seen as an inconvenience by the English masters. I you wonder why politicians in NI become so entrenched.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29756
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Surely another billion bung would shut them up.

Serious point now - interesting you seem certain of cheaper food prices. Hopefully that happens as opposed to the forecast food shortages.
confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
As you well know RCS the money is for the NI assembly to spend NOT the DUP.
As for the cheaper fod. It is purely because of this reality, that the French farmers are calling for a hard border on the Island, they know a soft border will see lower cost food getting in to th EU via ROI. I did not think there was any logical debate still going on re the cost of food on the world market. Food prices outside of the EU are cheaper and it is only being in the EU which keeps them high, to protect EU farmers.
asl
Posts: 6668
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 09:37
confused.com wrote:the NI assembly
The what? How's that going, again...?
confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
asl wrote:
confused.com wrote:the NI assembly
The what? How's that going, again...?
Standard uninformed response. If you don't fully understand the current impasse, it is probably best not to comment. Also has nothing to do with the Brexit discussion. However, when taken on the whole, it is just another manifestation of the same problem.
RegencyCheltenhamSpa
Posts: 29756
Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
So much fun discussing NI with a partisan. Confused, do you consider yourself neutral and objective or do you knowingly take the Unionist side with vigour. Whether talking about GFA or the Assembly you always come across if you're just removing a HM's balaclava on a Sunday afternoon in Londonderry.

If your stance passes as neutral over there then no wonder the two sides can't agree on anything.
confused.com
Posts: 2666
Joined: 04 Oct 2012, 07:16
I do indeed consider myself a neutral, having friends and indeed relations from both sides of the religious divide. Grandparents from the ROI, and yes I would see myself as a unionist with a small ‘u’. In so far as I believe that democracy should prevail and that as it stand today and for the foreseeable future NI is part of the UK and should be treated as such. I do find your reference to the ‘balaclava’, somewhat derogatory and trite. Indeed it is a symptom of your failure to apply logical thought to the issue. What is the link between believing in a UK and your pseudo references to being a terrorist ? I would have thought as a republican you would have held the right to self determination dear? Or do you believe that a Government should treat it’s citizens differently due to their religious or political beliefs ? Should Labour constituencies get less funding from Government that a Conservative one (and the reverse when labour is in power?). I am guessing your answer is no. However, you seem to support the singling out of NI as being different that rest of UK when it comes to the EU ?

My parents moved from England to NI in the late 60’s, so I attended school in NI and a lived a large part of my youth and adult life there, living through a life style that was by and large ignored by the UK Government, because it was not happening on the mainland. So forgive me, if I view the belief that everything changed and was forgotten about one Friday in April.

I dare say unlike most on this forum, I took a degree in Irish History and politics. Thus I do feel a slight ability to comment as to where we are and how we got here.

Glib throw away one liners are just another manifestation of the ‘try it on the dog first’ mentality, that has prevailed in UK / NI relations ad nauseum.

You and many seem to take the starting point, that all parties in NI want the state of NI, be that the Assembly or the wider ‘state’, to succeed. This is not the case. SF have a vested interest in creating as much disharmony as possible, be that within NI or between ROI and UK.
As you chose to give your opinion on Ireland / Brexit situation. It is well documented that SF have been anti EU for years. Indeed, in 2008 /2009 it was the most vociferous of the opponents to the Lisbon Treaty. However, wind the clock forward a couple of years and SF, who by and large dictate republican strategy in ROI, have seen Brexit and the debate around it, to make trouble and further undermine the stability of NI. How do they do this ? By encouraging confrontations between UK and Irish governments and spreading the ‘phobia’ of all things English. It also gives them the opportunity, with the seeming support of the Irish government, to paint the Unionist population as being self serving and unwilling to compromise. While at the same time offering no compromise themselves. What SF is demanding is the fracturing of the UK by keeping NI in the EU and it keeps the pressure on the Irish Government, to help fulfill this.
It was only last week that Gerry Adams was telling the SF gathering in Cork that this ‘Tory led’ Brexit was bad for all of Ireland not just those counties on the border and that the time was right for the Government in ROI to push for a referendum on a United Ireland. As much as Leo may deny it, SF is pulling his strings, Adams proclaimed last week, that he had told Leo ‘you have a veto, you have to use it’. Low and behold, at the weekend the ROI Government start talking about ‘must haves’ or else.
Surely what is better is that ROI uses its sway to encourage a soft border that everybody wants (including the DUP and Unionists with a capital U), through the application of technology and a tad of legal ingenuity. Thus giving the best possible free trade agreement between ROI and all of the UK. One only has to witness the amount of traffic flowing through the ports in Wales, to understand that a UK solution is need with ROI. Especially as the historic links and free movement is to remain.
Unlike most ‘peace’ initiatives in other parts of the world. The one in Ireland was not built from the centre out, but from the extremists, inwards. It was once described by an Irish politician as bringing a political arsonist into the house without taking the box of matches from his pocket. Leo and responsible Irish politicians, who seem to believe that all is black and white, would do well to remember, the arsonists still have their box of matches.
Brexit to them is another tool to be used. Mrs May et al should be very wary. The fact that unionists , with a small u, recognise this while others don’t, do not make them wrong.
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