The Irish Question revisited

And I am sorry for my grammatical errors. I taught English in PNG for about 25 years. Disgrace!

WhiteWaterMark2

Why is it that the Remainers do not understand that if we accept the EU position, we will be tied into their ridiculous courts when we want to be free of their rule? Why can’t the EU cannot understand that NI is part of the United Kingdom. I want Paris to stop sending goods to Cannes…obviously stupid as Cannes is part of Metropolitan France.

You may not know but when France wanted to hold on to their colonies, they made them part of Metropolitan France so there is an island about 10 minutes away from my current home in St Lucia that is part of Metropolitan France although it is in the Caribbean, France sends goods there and I often receive oysters flown from France to Martinique and onto St Lucia. Who cares? But France does not accept NI as part of UK! It is pure politicking in France. Macron is not popular in many French areas and he is acting like the strong man to win the next election. If we stop importing French wine, cheese etc. We will see what happens! Other nations will not want to lose UK custom. If I was a politician I would start a Buy British campaign and buy our own produce and those of our Commonwealth members. We dropped New Zealand and Australian goods when we joined the EU. Such a disgrace. I think the lack of loyalty to our country shown by some people is shameful. I am almost 87 and remain proud of my home city and country. God Save The Queen!

railman

Since, as others have said, we currently adhere to EU food standards, why not just accept that that is where the UK is today, including NI. Sign off the Veterinary Agreement with a clause to state either side may invoke penalties, if standards fall BELOW the current level?

Maintain the current standards in force, and impose sanctions if UK falls below current EU standards that we currently follow, or as some might have it, we exceed.

Shame they didn't include that in the agreement they signed but they didn't

U.K. won’t do that because they are so obsessed with having nothing to do with what they perceived as EU rules.

It just shows how ridiculous they are, as they are perfectly prepared to follow other rules involved in trade treaties.

Since, as others have said, we currently adhere to EU food standards, why not just accept that that is where the UK is today, including NI. Sign off the Veterinary Agreement with a clause to state either side may invoke penalties, if standards fall BELOW the current level?

Maintain the current standards in force, and impose sanctions if UK falls below current EU standards that we currently follow, or as some might have it, we exceed.

Love that photo *Ww2

And now Johnson saying that he would expect NATO to support the UK's 'integrity' if he reneges on the Deal he negotiated and signed.

Is he even madder and more dangerous I ever thought:

Serious stuff- and absolute nonsense!

Same photo, other caption

'please stay with me until he has gone'

This

He knew and intended to renege. No question.

Just a few months ago Johnson signed up to the NI protocol which has meant that there are checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. This agreement was negotiated by his Brexit Minister and acclaimed as a great triumph.

Now he wants to tear up that protocol and renege on the agreement.

There are only two explanations-

Either he did not understand the agreement he signed

Or he did understand it but always intended to renege on it.

If the first explanation is true it means that Johnson is too stupid or too lazy to understand it.

If the second explanation is true it means he has taken his habit of lying to a new level and trashed the UK's reputation as a decent honourable trading partner in the process.

Which is it?

All of this “equivalence” was supposed to be agreed during the transition period in 2020 but all the time was used arguing about the deal. Our “red line” not accepting any EU regulation is an obstacle in many areas, not just food, they are also taking into account any divergence in standards that we may take in the future.
Since January there have been many agreements, there will be many more I’m sure, the caution for the EU is that we want our standards to diverge in the future. The whole purpose of the transition period was to sort these issues in advance

First instinct of brexiters

Boris and Joe Biden apparently got on very well - and I would be surprised if Biden had not had a "word" with the EU about their intransiegence. The EU are using the Good Friday Agreement as a weapon, without understanding what it is actually about. Article 16, apparently, from a legal point of view, is not clear at all and is open to interpretation. We are taking the loosest form of interpretation and the EU, quelle surprise, are taking the tightest. The obvious answer staring us in the face is for the EU to accept that British food and agricultural standards have "equivalence" ie they are considered to be equal to the EU without necessarily being identical. Although, the fact is, at this moment in time our standards ARE identical because we have not changed anything yet. They have granted this status to a number of other "third countries" but will not grant it to us because they want to punish us for leaving the EU. If we unilaterally extend the "grace" period for Northern Ireland on border checks (as we have once already) they are threatening us with a trade war. Honestly, how can any Remoaner still support the EU when they are behaving like scorned lovers rather than a mature democracy? We have said, more than once, that we want to be friends with our EU neighbours - unfortunately that does not seem to work both ways.

Yes, it is clear that Brexit was a very English concept.

Sorry NI not NO

Kali2 he said NO voted to stay but NI is part of the UK. The UK voted to leave.

* Katie59* I wasn't talking about Brexit. In general our MLAs rarely agree on anything. Our assembly is a joke imo.

For Johnson, Northern Ireland has been an afterthought in his dogmatic drive for the hardest of Brexits. The UK refused to agree to a level of regulatory alignment with the EU that, for example, countries such as Japan and Canada agreed to, regardless of the costs for Northern Ireland. This risks further inflaming tensions in Northern Ireland ahead of the marching season.

There are also broader consequences of Johnson’s actions. This G7 summit serves as a useful reminder that the international cooperation needed to confront the biggest global challenges is fostered on trust, friendship and personal relationships. His approach to diplomacy instead centres around dishonesty, tearing up compromises and threats of unilateral action. He will greatly diminish Britain’s role in the world and its ability to help broker the international action so urgently needed to address climate catastrophe, microbial resistance and the threat of another pandemic.

But there is perhaps no greater indictment of Johnson’s premiership than his determination to put picking a symbolic fight with our European allies ahead of the stability and security of a part of the UK. The nation will continue to pay the price for the incompetent and dishonourable way he is choosing to govern Britain.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/13/observer-view-boris-johnson-g7-summit

“Its just a continual battle between unionists and republicans trying to score points.”

Not sure how the republicans are involved, it seems to me a dispute between Unionists and Westminster.

The influence of Unionists did not affect the eventual deal because they lost their casting votes, they certainly prevented Theresa May getting a settlement and allowing BJ to mess the deal up.

Food for thought- I think he is right

youtu.be/kwcU2N2DfMc

I'm no expert Varian. I think they thought they could force it.
I just wish our politicians would get on with looking after things like the health service and schools. NHS is in a dreadful state. Our private clinics have long waits too.
Its just a continual battle between unionists and republicans trying to score points.

Let us remember that the majority of NI voters wanted to Remain in the EU, and that the DUP, by propping up an unpopular Tory Government, managed to inflict a hard brexit on us all.

They knew that there would have to be a border somewhere if we left the Single Market and it could not be on the island of Ireland because of the GFA which they had signed up to, so where did they think it would be?

He broke his promise regarding the border. Unionists in NI wont let it go. The situation is depressing. And no doubt we'll have a massive "Twelfth" celebration to demonstrate feelings. Ho hum.

Now he seems to be able just to bypass parliament, as he did when he reduced the foreign aid budget.

Everyone did of course, but there are so many video footages if Johnson lying. Hopefully in future Johnson will not be believed.

Last autumn he tried to get parliament to agree to renegade on the agreement, but parliament had the integrity not to break an international agreement.