Brexit

Can Sinn Fein tell us if the EU protects workers rights or not?

| Readers 1169

On May Day Sinn Fein were pontificating on workers rights along side their anti Brexit rhetoric,it is worth remembering: In the book Identity in Northern Ireland: Communities, Politics and Change by Cathal McCall, my own MP for Mid Ulster, Francie Molloy, states “We wouldn’t be happy with.. a United States of Europe..Irish identity would be lost” and that “a fully integrated EU would be to the detriment of vital resources of the Irish identity (Mitchell McGlaughlin discounts a fully integrated EU in …

Read more…

Over the cliff edge – what would happen if exports to the EU were subject to tariffs

| Readers 3176

The continuing deterioration of relations between the British Government and the European Union has led to a renewed focus on the possibility of a hard Brexit, where all trade between the UK and the European Union would be subject to tariffs in line with WTO rules. Previously, I had written about how Northern Ireland would bear a disproportionate cost of a hard Brexit, due to cross-border exports of dairy playing a substantial segment of the local economy. Under WTO rules, …

Read more…

Theresa May’s local victories are good for the Union cause but give no comfort to special status fans

| Readers 1847

  A note of caution is needed about  talk of a Tory landslide on 8 June. Although UKIP was obliterated in the GB local elections,  Labour might have done even worse. Michael Thrasher’s projections of the local results to the general election “ for a bit of fun” on Sky News   works out a majority of  48 seats, up a respectable 36 but well short of a landslide and barely worth  the trouble of calling a snap election. John Curtice, election …

Read more…

SDLP likely to run in every constituency across Northern Ireland

| Readers 3337

Chris had a piece up this morning about whether a Nationalist/Remain understanding was still possible for the upcoming elections. Following on from his post I contacted the SDLP to see if the party were going to stand in the various constituencies across the North and the response I received from a party spokesman is below; The SDLP sought to bring together a broad coalition of parties and candidates to maximise the pro-Europe mandate in Northern Ireland. When it was clear …

Read more…

Steven Agnew; “In putting people first the Green Party will also prioritise investment in our public services to ensure a fair and equitable society”

| Readers 782

Steven Agnew is the Leader of the Green Party Northern Ireland. The Green Party is committed to putting people first. This means securing a referendum on the final Brexit deal, protecting our public services and ensuring that equality extends to all our citizens. “There is nothing to win in this process – and I am talking about both sides. In essence this is about damage control.” EC president Donald Tusk I share the bleak assessment of Donald Tusk in this …

Read more…

“Brexit has become a central question in the identity conversation and that is dangerous”

| Readers 1547

In a commentary  “Brexit and Northern Ireland” on the EPC discussion paper( see below) the  legal academic Chris McCrudden  asserts the primacy  of the Brexit question and laments the  “ tone deafness” of the UK government to  Northern Ireland’s interests. But while he rightly sees the need to set priorities in the interparty talks, he doesn’t discuss here the reasons given for SF’s withdrawal from the Assembly such as an Irish Language Act and the legacy and other  issues  SF insist …

Read more…

The European Economic Area is looking more attractive as a Brexit solution but it aint perfect

| Readers 1480

It’s going to be a long haul. Perhaps we shouldn’t pay too much attention to the megaphone diplomacy – Junker’s claim that May was living in another galaxy, May accusing unnamed Commission bureaucrats of interfering in the British election. But it isn’t a good start. On balance May has come off slightly worse in early reactions without doing her any harm at all in the court of public opinion. Attention is turning back to an outcome that was  identified almost …

Read more…

Irish Brexit paper reveals the EU will likely seek to shackle the UK

| Readers 2816

The Irish government have just published their Brexit paper entitled “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union – The Government’s Approach”. It makes interesting reading. Notably as predicted – the Common Travel Area will more than likely be retained with the paper stating the CTA is not dependent on EU membership and that there is “no obvious legal barrier” to maintaining the CTA bilaterally. The EU Brexit negotiation guidelines effectively accepting the Common Travel Area will …

Read more…

Theresa May accuses EU politicians of seeking to influence #GE2017

| Readers 405

After visiting The Queen, Theresa May fired the opening shots of the campaign from the steps of Downing Street with what has stunned even some Brexiters. UK PM Theresa May accuses EU politicians and officials of seeking to influence the result of #GE2017https://t.co/6dQPV7H3Wcpic.twitter.com/MT4YiQsVdz — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 3, 2017 David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

Trading Partners Wanted: Looking at Canada

| Readers 559

As it stands, Ireland’s largest trading partner is the United Kingdom. This has been the case since Independence although the balance has shifted greatly since Ireland entered the EEC in 1973 with the UK no longer wholly dominant although our reliance for trade with the UK continues in certain sectors such as beef, timber, pork and much more. As Ireland’s reliance on the UK as a trading partner has diminished, it has been able to look to a wider market …

Read more…

On Brexit, the Irish are caught between two opposing forces, but at least they’re showing more invention and concern about the North than the British and northerners themselves

| Readers 1718

The ritual opening shots in the Brexit campaign must leave the Republic feeling caught in a trap in a dialogue of the deaf between two opposing forces. So much, so sadly predictable, in spite of all the warm words- although the crudeness of the exchanges is perhaps surprising. It’s pretty clear that the Irish government don’t favour the aggressive opening approach by the Commission and confirmed this morning by its chief negotiator Michel Barnier. On the detail of the FT’s …

Read more…

Nigel Farage argues that the EU is stoking Irish Nationalism

| Readers 3887

The former UKIP Leader, Nigel Farage thinks that the EU is stoking Irish Nationalism EU are stoking Irish nationalism to make Brexit negotiations difficult. Their behaviour is contemptible. pic.twitter.com/0FFjuEnlS7 — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 2, 2017 David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

“…if you want trouble again in the north play that game. It’s a dangerous game”

| Readers 4588

There’s been some focus on the comments at the weekend by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern warning about any attempt to “force” a border poll in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.  His remarks are placed in a wider context by the fuller quote in the Belfast Telegraph. Speaking on Newstalk radio, the former Irish prime minister said: “The idea of a border poll… was put there when when I was conceding Articles two and three of the constitution and we were giving …

Read more…

The devil is in the detail for softening a hard border and terms for a good trade deal

| Readers 1031

Here are a couple of Big Ideas. On the border…. It reads as dryly as any piece of euro-bureaucracy you could ever imagine. But here is a potential magic bullet that could ease the non-trade cross border problems of Brexit. It’s spotted by Dr Janice Morphett a planning expert currently with University College London writing in the Centre for Constitutional Change blog. It could be developed tight away, she says. Governments and local parties please take note.   There are …

Read more…

If Theresa May is so hopeless, why is she dominant?

| Readers 1868

The  buzz from Twitter is not only deafening about  the account of the Junker-May dinner posted by David. Reaction to her two Sunday political interviews on the Marr and Peston shows  is just as scathing. Marr politely put it to her straight away that the mantra of  “ strong and stable government “ might be “a bit robotic.”  Peston – though not to her face – that if  she goes on like this  “we’ll lose the will to live.” Former …

Read more…

Inside the May/Juncker Dinner about Brexit

| Readers 2930

A German Newspaper FAZ has an extensive report on the meeting between the European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker and Theresa May just last week. It has been reported that the meeting did not go well but just how bad was not know until yesterday. Jeremy Cliffe of the Economist in Berlin has very kindly transcribed the meeting on his Twitter feed and here are the total exchanges from the article as transcribed by Forbes where you can find the extensive …

Read more…

How the Irish government pulled off a Brexit coup

| Readers 4642

Denis Staunton has an excellent piece in the Irish Times about how Enda Kenny achieved so much success, so quickly with the Brexit negotiations. Whilst some were waxing lyrical about Spain’s aggressive stance over Gibraltar, Ireland pretty much went back to basics, quietly in the background working with officials and quietly pushed forward its agenda. The prominence of Ireland’s issues in the EU’s guidelines, including a statement guaranteeing that Northern Ireland could automatically rejoin the EU as part of a united …

Read more…

European Council guidelines argue “flexible and imaginative solutions will be required”

| Readers 1701

The European Council have published their guidelines for the Brexit negotiations that will now take place. Readers of the site will be happy to know that Northern Ireland does get a mention Then there was also this BREAKING: EU27 leaders have accepted Ireland’s declaration that in the event of unity referendum Northern Ireland wd automatically rejoin EU — Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) April 29, 2017   David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can …

Read more…

On Enda’s fondness for the precedent of German reunification, be careful of what you wish for

| Readers 2741

 The Irish government are entitled to congratulate themselves on their achievement in persuading the EU 26 to declare that if the North joined the Republic the new state would automatically inherit the Republic’s membership. Dublin hastens to add that this incorporates the  consent principle enshrined in the GFA and they are opposed to an early border poll. But the future of the open border is a completely different issue. Irish Times coverage ranges from euphoria about the declaration to nervousness …

Read more…

Westminster’s reply to the SNP’s case for remaining in the single market was taken seriously after all. So why did May allow Sturgeon to claim she’d been ignored?

| Readers 1056

Here’s a strange thing. There we were, led to believe  that Theresa May had dismissed almost with  contempt Nicola Sturgeon’s  carefully  considered case for the UK, or at least Scotland,  to remain within the single market. It turns out it wasn’t like that at all. We know that because the Scottish Government itself has just published a reply to the SNP’s paper Scotland’s Place in Europe, from the Brexit Secretary David Davis in a letter dated 29 March. It lists …

Read more…