Negotiations – Page 12 – Slugger O'Toole

“As with the hardest essay questions, there is no right answer but many wrong ones.”

Pete Baker on January 12, 2018, 4:36 pm

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Writing in the Guardian, “former Downing Street Brexit spokesperson”, Matthew O’Toole [no relation – Ed] has some intelligent, and interesting, things to say about “the psychology of imagined identity” here, and the task facing the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, as well as the UK Prime Minister in the next phase of the Brexit negotiations. [Definitely no relation! – Ed] From the Guardian article As Bradley will discover, Brexit has unsettled one of the most intangible but …

“Any political party that vetoes the re-establishment of the Northern Assembly until further human rights are recognised (or not) is putting the cart before the horse.”

Pete Baker on December 31, 2017, 7:46 pm

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As Newton Emerson pointed out in Saturday’s Irish News, Northern Ireland’s first human rights commissioner, and erstwhile “father of an all singing, all dancing Northern Ireland Human Rights Bill“, Professor Brice Dickson, has had something to say about ‘red lines’ and a ‘rights-based’ society. From the Irish News article Northern Ireland’s first human rights commissioner, Prof Brice Dickson, has penned a robust article in the Irish Times explaining that the Stormont talks issues Sinn Féin is describing as “rights” are …

Unionist assurances come with a sacrifice of certainty…

Mick Fealty on December 8, 2017, 6:00 pm

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Amidst all the hype, some reality from Irish Times veteran, Paddy Smith… The Northern Ireland provisions of the agreement signed on Friday morning between the European Commission and the UK sacrifice a degree of certainty about how the frictionless Border will be sustained for reassurances to the unionist community that they will not be treated apart from the rest of the UK. Unless, that is, the UK achieves its objective in the trade talks of securing a free trade agreement …

“The fact that all of the other parties in the Dáil rallied around to wave the green flag on Tuesday demonstrates not that the Government got it right but that it successfully pandered to populist sentiment”

Pete Baker on December 7, 2017, 7:28 pm

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In the Irish Times, Stephen Collins on the risks involved in the Irish Government’s public positioning over the ongoing Brexit negotiations. From the Irish Times article The British government and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) are the ones primarily responsible for Monday’s debacle, but the Irish Government didn’t exactly cover itself in glory. The way Tánaiste Simon Coveney jumped the gun with a premature radio interview on Monday morning and the subsequent mood music suggesting that the Irish side had …

“ambiguity… appears to have led Dublin and Brussels to interpret it as a maximalist position, while the DUP believed or were led to believe that it would or could be minimalist.”

Pete Baker on December 6, 2017, 4:52 pm

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The parlous state of the Brexit negotiations has been generating more than the usual level of idle speculation, and arrant nonsense. [Including on Slugger? – Ed] No names, no pack drill… But there are some intelligent points being made, in some places, which are worth keeping in mind – if you are actually thinking about these things. Like other, usually reliable, observers, The News Letter’s Sam McBride, whilst initially a little puzzled by Monday’s developments, offered a coherent scenario yesterday. …

Ireland and the border has emerged as the current acid test. In their own interests, Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin should give Theresa May space to pass it

Brian Walker on November 25, 2017, 5:57 pm

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The current British position is admirably described by James Forsyth in the Brexit leaning, Conservative supporting Spectator. I can do no better than to quote it at length. It covers a viewpoint that cannot be dismissed by ardent Remainers like me. Whatever the mood music, it will be taken seriously in the chancelleries of Europe. For they see that the British are gradually shifting. The next few weeks are the time for quiet diplomacy with the megaphone put away and the tweeting held in check.

Former BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London

Domestic political turmoil renders the Brexit negotiations even more unpredictable. This time it’s not London’s fault

Brian Walker on November 24, 2017, 9:34 am

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Compared with some other key leaders, Theresa May’s position is looking remarkably stable for a change as she flies into Brussels today for what’s being billed in London as crucial meetings with EU leaders including Council president Donald Tusk. The Westminster lobby is reporting that she’ll be taking soundings over whether a British offer of a bigger divorce bill – £40 billion is being mentioned off the record – would be enough to persuade EU leaders to allow Brexit talks …

Another leak against the Brits, but Theresa’s not for budging

Brian Walker on November 23, 2017, 2:21 pm

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Another leak to RTE, another bout of Irish pressure, accompanied by Irish Times columnist Stephen Collins joining a chorus of “ contempt” for British tactics and urging his government to stand firm. The (British position that the) Border issue should be dealt with in phase two of the Brexit negotiations dealing with future trade rather than in phase one as the EU is insisting. This is an obvious attempt to use the Border as a bargaining tool in the negotiations …

The government need to come clean urgently on their bungled proposal for a security forces amnesty

Brian Walker on November 21, 2017, 8:22 pm

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After Sinn Fein held their meeting with Theresa May this afternoon, Gerry Adams diverted from the apparent failure to make progress on restoring Stormont with a genuine issue: a potential amnesty from prosecution for security force members who served in the Troubles is to be floated by the British government. The Irish News carries the fullest version of the story by the PA. What’s being floated is a statute of limitations in a fundamental and unilateral amendment to the 2014 Stormont …

Brexit and the border is widening the gap between London and Dublin and depressing further the chances of a return to Stormont

Brian Walker on November 21, 2017, 11:31 am

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It has started to happen. Will it continue? Can it be reversed? The politics of Brexit is openly dividing the UK and Irish governments and further polarising the DUP and Sinn Fein, making a return to the Executive less likely than ever. Predictably Brexit is increasingly becoming domesticated as the new big theme in a revived unionist v nationalist struggle. What’s just happened? The sequence was best described in a cool- headed column in the Indo by Dan O’Brien, chief …

A crunch on the border is not in Ireland’s interests

Brian Walker on November 18, 2017, 12:32 pm

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“What we want to take off the table, before we even talk about trade, is any idea that there would be a hard Border, a physical Border, or a Border resembling the past . . . Then we’d be happy to move on to phase two.” “The UK insists that the issue cannot be tackled until the EU agrees to move to discussion of phase-two issues. Speaking at Iveagh House on Friday, Boris Johnson echoed Mrs May’s approach. “In order to resolve …

Real work to restore the Executive has yet to begin. For the public to make an impact, proposals and pressure from the governments are essential

Brian Walker on November 8, 2017, 11:51 am

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As a comparative outsider I’m struck by how most commentators are obsessed with speculating about political positioning and identity narratives. This has produced numbing negativism and despair rather than the energy needed to approach the daunting but practical problem of trying to restore the Executive. Being case hardened and calloused, they endlessly refine their own explanations for obvious failure. They accept the parameters set by the DUP and SF too readily. To be fair, this is often the default caused by a …

“broken promises are – sometimes – necessary for good government.”

Pete Baker on November 6, 2017, 1:54 pm

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In Saturday’s Irish Times, Fiach Kelly had some timely advice for Sinn Féin and the DUP – and their supporters. Those who seek to govern will always have to compromise, and those who do not – unless their policies are allowed absolute domination – will always decry whatever deals are made. The electorate is free to choose which type of politician it wants, but if it chooses the former, it should do so in the knowledge that compromises will be …

The DUP’s £1 billion deal looks set for a second stage of direct rule

Brian Walker on October 30, 2017, 11:49 am

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When we’re reduced to praising James Brokenback for masterly inactivity, we’ve surely found rock bottom. One tiny flicker of life turns out to be an illusion after all. DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has denounced as “fake news” a story from the new Financial Times Ireland correspondent ( and ex-Irish Times ) Arthur Beesley, that “Theresa May’s £1 billion is on hold as to talks falter” (£) There may be less to this than meets the eye. A budget imposed by …

#CultureWar: Who stands to gain by forcing the country into deadlock?

Tina Calder on October 27, 2017, 12:41 pm

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There really is no way to sugarcoat this, I’m angry and like so many other people across Northern Ireland I feel powerless, helpless and deflated as I look around at the state of our country. But my anger runs deeper than simply being frustrated and exasperated by the childish squabbling still going on between the DUP and Sinn Fein at the time of writing this. I’m a child of the 80s and 90s, although I was largely unaffected personally by …

“it would be poor negotiating by Sinn Féin if the end result was direct rule from Westminster”

Mick Fealty on October 27, 2017, 7:18 am

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Democracy shapes our lives… –Robert Caro Talk is cheap they say, but talk of talks is even cheaper. So, good call from Colum Eastwood to ask what on earth is going on between SF and the DUP? In the Irish Times, he is reported as saying… “I would be very surprised if after the intense negotiations that have been going on for eight or nine months that they were not close enough to a deal that they could sell and that would …

On the Stormont deadlock, time now to test party positions and introduce a mediator

Brian Walker on October 18, 2017, 1:55 pm

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If the Irish Times is right, Dublin HQ has prevented Michelle O’Neill from striking a political deal. It is a deplorable fact that throughout this 10 month deadlock, so little is reliably known about party positions beyond nods, winks and notoriously unreliable mood music. At least in the Brexit negotiations the principals give some sort of account after every session. Times have changed since 1998. Then, reasons for secrecy were far more credible. The main agenda for much of the …

“the impression that Gerry Adams is not serious about restoring the Executive is gaining traction”

Mick Fealty on October 18, 2017, 11:36 am

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Interesting speculation in the Irish Times on who is holding things up. Dublin and London sources are pointing fingers directly at Sinn Fein to accuse them of an old Modus Operandi of theirs: ie, telling their interlocutors they’re nearly ready and, then suddenly not being… We’ve seen the same pattern in countless negotiations in which even a senior figure like Martin McGuinness was compelled not to strike a deal directly on behalf of Sinn Fein but to track back and forth endlessly …

More delay over a return to the Assembly needs challenging by the two governments

Brian Walker on October 16, 2017, 12:46 pm

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So the target date for either direct rule or an agreement to revive the Executive has slipped for another week at least. What a surprise! We were told by the two governments yet again that ” progress” had been made, but this has been slapped down by the DUP. Sinn Fein’s agenda as far as I know it is not inherently unfeasible. The problem is that it’s Sinn Fein who’s running with it. Crafty old Gerry for false-footing the DUP? Or …

Whatever its flaws, the British way of doing things has lessons for Spain

Brian Walker on October 9, 2017, 4:31 pm

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In an article in the Guardian prescribing on the Catalonian crisis, Gerry Adams strives to put himself on the right side of history and apply lessons from our own peace process. Thus far, the Spanish government is refusing to open a dialogue without the Catalans acquiescing to preconditions, including an acceptance that any talk of independence is illegal under Spanish law. In a conversation I had on Thursday evening with the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, he assured me that the …