The EU is talking about cutting Britain off from key supplies - is Ireland prepared?

Impetus

In the Financial Times Michael Barnier is quoted ‘Britain will face nuclear fuel shortages, truck queues at Dover and “serious disruption” to air traffic if Brexit talks fail, the EU’s chief negotiator has warned as he outlined conditions for an “ambitious” UK-EU trade deal’

Ireland will not be an island if this is the outcome.

This will imply that many Irish exports and imports will be frozen. There are two electricity and gas interconnectors with GB to IE. While IE is nominally self-sufficient in electricity generation, (aside from raw material importation for same) and Eirgrid can stop supplying NI, if necessary, the gas situation is more critical. Ireland has no LPG terminal, and very little gas storage. (Austria for example has six months’ gas storage).

If British flights are blocked from mainland Europe, does Ireland have a plan? Malta’s air traffic is often blocked by air traffic control strikes in Italy and France. They have plans to travel around the blockages. Eg if the strike is in Italy, flights from Spain and France are routed down to Libya and turn East for MLA in Libyan/Malta air space. Flights from central Europe can go via France or Greece and turn west from Greek airspace into MT airspace. The same strategy is employed if the strike is in France. Malta has a population of only 450’000 – and has far more marine shipping prowess than Ireland.

Please see the ATC map to understand the geographies http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/nm/cartography/02022017-firuir-lower-airspace-ectl.pdf

In the event of a nasty Brexit, which looks increasingly likely, Ireland should withdraw from Shanwick ATC and refuse transit in the former Shanwick zone to GB flights. Let BA and Co route their US flights via the North Pole!

Ireland needs to enlarge its direct shipping capacity to mainland Europe, to provide security of supply in both directions, in the event of Brexit blockages.

British food, including stuff sold by their chain stores – eg M&S and Tesco, will need food processed and packaged in accordance with EU standards to export to Ireland. Outside of the EU they will be outside this control system. The same British chain stores are wrecking Irish city and town centres - with ‘the British high street look’ and low quality merchandise. If the EU does not negotiate concessions to allow British retail chainization, Ireland needs to have laws on its statute books to protect the interests of retail property owners*. Many British retailers have used various Irish bankruptcy laws to get out of paying the rent agreed to on the lease. Leaving companies that do not go for bankruptcy at a competitive disadvantage.

Europe needs to stop appeasing Britain. Back in the day, Thatcher got a discount on EU contributions on an ongoing basis. Brexit is yet another attempt to get a discount on EU membership. Founded partially on racist and partially on money grabbing grounds.

Switzerland has remained outside of the EU. A Swiss shopping mall is a pleasure to visit – just Swiss shops largely selling Swiss merchandise. Displaying the character and quality of the country. Despite high costs of production, virtually everything is Swiss. And much of the land in this tiny country is over is in the 2’000 to over 4’000m altitude. And Switzerland is more European than any country in the EU.

*Not that I like these so called 'property developers', but they are a threat to the banking system, and therefore your money, if their rents don't get paid