Great Britain warns EU that the Irish protocol cannot work

??

I can imagine what the EU is saying

From the Irish Times













David Frost, the British cabinet minister in charge of relations with the European Union, has warned that the current operation of the Northern Ireland protocol is not sustainable for long. And in a hint at further unilateral action, he said Britain would “continue to consider all our options”.

Mr Frost has spent two days in Northern Ireland meeting businesses in a number of sectors affected by the new arrangements, including manufacturing, food and drink, retail, aerospace and life sciences.

“It’s clear from my visit that the protocol is presenting significant challenges for many in Northern Ireland,” he said. “Businesses have gone to extraordinary efforts to make the current requirements work, but it is hard to see that the way the protocol is currently operating can be sustainable for long. We’re committed to working through the issues with the EU urgently and in good faith. I hope they will take a common sense, risk-based approach that enables us to agree a pragmatic way forward that substantially eases the burdens on Northern Ireland.”

But HE negotiated the deal, and all the experts told him and Johnson it just could not work- the EU told them the same. But they went ahead- and now complain about the EU. Unbelievable.

Kali2

and that the EU has to be more 'pragmatic' - this is truly unbelievable.

All the experts showed clearly that this would be the case - and Johnson promised there would be no issue with imports, exports and paperwork, etc. And now they blame

the EU? Truly could not make it up.

Yes the EU needs to be more pragmatic, from their bullying tactics throughout, blaming OAZ for shortages when they did not order any vaccines, or not enough, my 70 year old sister in Germany only just got vaccinated. Their threats around Jersey, Macron must have been taking lessons from Putin, as my Remainer daughter said” if this is what they’re really like, I’m glad we left.” Funny how people support Scotland in its Independence.

I love a well reasoned political argument.

Alegrias1

I love a well reasoned political argument.

Frost negotiated it and Johnson signed up to it.

What more can we say?

Perhaps they shouldn't have been in such a hurry to 'get Brexit done'?

No, you couldn't make it up in fiction for all the critics would say "real life isn't like that".

I seem to remember that Britain insisted on the present solution, not the EU.

In the EU we saw absolutely no reason why there should not be a "hard" border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The UK turned that down flat - so don't blame us now - we knew the solution arrived at would not work.

You wanted to leave and you left - so stop blaming the EU for the mess - we didn't want you to leave, you know.

Lin52

Kali2

and that the EU has to be more 'pragmatic' - this is truly unbelievable.

All the experts showed clearly that this would be the case - and Johnson promised there would be no issue with imports, exports and paperwork, etc. And now they blame

the EU? Truly could not make it up.

Yes the EU needs to be more pragmatic, from their bullying tactics throughout, blaming OAZ for shortages when they did not order any vaccines, or not enough, my 70 year old sister in Germany only just got vaccinated. Their threats around Jersey, Macron must have been taking lessons from Putin, as my Remainer daughter said” if this is what they’re really like, I’m glad we left.” Funny how people support Scotland in its Independence.

So, Frost negotiated it, and was fully warned of consequences but ignored warnings. Johnson signed up to it, despite all the warnings- and promising NI businesses that there would be no hindrance or tarifs on imports and exports, which was a blatant lie.

So, tell us, please. Do you actually believe that the EU, who had nothing to do with the decision re the UK leaving- should accept that there will be no border between the EU, and the UK?

Why should they? It would be open to massive abuse and illegal trading of goods not up to EU standards, meat not up to EU standards, etc- putting their own at risk, and putting pressure on prices in EU as well as Workers Rights, prices, standards, and putting their farming products, be they meat or agriculture, etc, of contamination, etc. Why on earth would they agree to this.

So, please- tell us what they should be 'pragmatic' about and accept?

A little bit of research on some of these points would be a good thing - the Jersey fishing problem and the vaccine roll out is not quite as has been portrayed here.

Frost knew it was not workable in 2016. He actually said Brexit was a very bad idea and would be a disaster.

''David Frost, the man who negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Union, now says it is not sustainable in its current form.
Lord Frost is the cabinet minister in charge of relations with the European Union and who was previously the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator.
The EU and Ireland, however, have said there is no reason to change the Brexit divorce deal which was signed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and is now an international treaty.
Before the referendum, Mr Frost (as he was then known) warned that Brexit would not be sustainable.
In June 2016, just before the referendum vote, he wrote an article for a pamphlet published by Portland Communications on what would happen if the UK left the EU.
He asserted then about Brexit:
“Even the best-case outcome can’t be as good as what we have now.”
And as for the UK going it alone, he said:
“The more independent your national trade policy is, the more difficult it is to negotiate completely barrier-free access to any other country.”
And as for Britain giving up access to the EU’s Single Market, Mr Frost claimed:
“It simply isn’t worth jeopardising access to the Single Market for the sake of global trade.”

If it isn’t going to work in this way, then both the UK and the EU will have to find a way to make it work...which they will.
It’s in the interests of both to make it work.

It’s about trade, people....don’t turn it into WW3.

Money talks. Always did.
Always will.

David Frost is very clever. He is giving the EU the opportunity here to be ‘pragmatic’ hoping they will see sense, ditch the bitterness and take a sensible course of action.

Of not, he will be 2 chess moves ahead.

One thing for sure in exchange for being “more pragmatic” the EU will want concessions on our side, commitments, particularly on standards we maintain on goods coming into the UK. Quietly the UK will accept more EU regulation
As a result of ongoing negotiations import export regulations are gradually becoming less problematic. It wasnt only Lord Frost who expected trade after Brexit to be a mess, most businesses did and they havn’t been disappointed.

Your unwavering trust in Frost and Johnson is quite moving, really. But so so misplaced. The EU cannot accept that there will be no border between UK and EU. That just cannot be. Frost knew it very well in 2016- he clearly warned against it.

There was no solution then- there isn't one now- unless, as Katie says, we accept a lot of EU regulations in return. On animal husbandry and standards and regulations, workers rights, etc.

Before Leo Varadkar in the RoI, Enda Kenny was Taoiseach. 2017. He was pragmatic. He was working towards a solution to avoid a border. ‘Trusted trader’ status was going traction. All was progressing well.

A virtual border, run by technology, could be the solution to maintaining an open flow of people between Northern Ireland and the Republic, Taoiseach Enda Kenny had said.

After his first meeting with then British Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Kenny ruled out the possibility of a hard border in his strongest terms yet.

"I would not agree to a hard border with a whole range of customs posts and neither does the prime minister.

"There are other ways of dealing with modern technology in terms of checking trade," he said. He also indicated that he is open to exploring models, such as screening vehicle registration plates.

The EU didn’t like this idea one little bit.
A solution?

As the saying goes ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.

David Frost is exploring this right now. He’s very intelligent.
I’m sure ‘pragmatism’ will win out.

I wish I lived in your happy little world UG.

The faith in technology, especially. Maybe they can get the Fabulous Mr Frost to design a whole new technological solution to border control.

Well, in the meantime how about this? Today David Frist says our exports to the EU are up,and our imports from the EU are down.

But this cannot possibly be true,we were told economic Armageddon was on its way??

Things are looking good bub. I’m happy.

ug what is a bub? I’ve never heard of that.

Well if David says so, it must be true ?

Classic:

S&P analysts predict UK growth “should outpace that of most of its peers” despite Brexit...

"despite Brexit". .?
It's like listening to the BBC. Could it possibly, potentially, just maybe the case that our better performance is BECAUSE of Brexit?

?

No, its because we tanked so much last year we have more to make up than the others before we get back to normal ?

Bub/ bubs is the word to describe someone who you are friendly with.

“Looking goood bub’ was in a well known film. It made me laugh & it stuck. I’ll try to remember the film. Give me a while ...