briany wrote: » So, to sum up - Parliament can find a majority on a condition that's already been rejected by the EU. What alternative arrangements regarding the border can May propose, with two months to go to get them ready, that the EU would agree to? Are there any? There can't be. The UK would have proposed them by now as the backstop wasn't even something they wanted in the first place (or at least not since the 2017 GE).
View wrote: » Except that doesn’t work. EU and WTO rules require border checks etc etc which means a hard border on every other one in the world (bar ones with formal customs union arrangements). If we are saying no to a hard border, we are saying no to our honouring the commitments of our EU membership. We are in real danger of damaging our EU membership (and becoming a half-in/half-out member) and being seen as a country utterly dependent on Brexit Britain.
Bit cynical wrote: » But (seeming to) rule out a hard border even in the event of a no deal brexit is Ireland's way of putting a bit of pressure on the EU to be flexible. It is a way of weakening the EU's position in Ireland's favour.
J Mysterio wrote: » Ian Dunt is getting pretty blunt https://twitter.com/IanDunt/status/1090365295150141442
May had promised something she could not specify and which had already been ruled out. And not only that: she had shot her own deal in the heart. It was No.10 which said the border in Ireland had to be kept open. It was No.10 which asked for it to cover the whole of the UK. Now, after all that negotiation, she is going to go back to the EU and demand that they destroy the accomplishments she herself secured. It is insane. It is a degree of contortion which would be remarkable if it weren't so ghastly. But in a way, it was typical May tactics. She prioritised vague promises over content. She sabotaged something - anything - in order to fight another day. She made promises she could not keep on issues she knew to be false. Once again, she said anything, anything at all, to survive just a little longer. But there are consequences to this lunacy. Britain is now, it is clear to the world, not a serious country. The way it is behaving is simply not rational. Any reputation it had for credibility or sound judgement is gone. It is a basketcase. That is humiliating enough. But it has significant medium-term implications too. Firstly, it shows why the backstop was needed in the first place. This country has become an unreliable negotiating partner. It will demand something one day then seek to detonate it the next. The events in the Commons today actually had the ironic effect of reaffirming to the EU the need for the backstop insurance policy. On a broader level, we are about to go around the world asking for trade deals. But we're seen, by everyone, on the largest stage imaginable, to be fundamentally politically insane. We've gone mad and everyone is looking. This is as bleak a day as we have had in the entire Brexit process. All roads now seem blocked. MPs won't back an extension to Article 50. They won't back May's deal. And they won't back no-deal. They've opted for fairy tales over action. Things are looking very bad indeed.
Bit cynical wrote: » But (seeming to) rule out a hard border even in the event of a no deal brexit is Ireland's way of putting a bit of pressure on the EU to be flexible. It is a way of weakening the EU's position in Ireland's favour whilst maintaining the appearance of being tough on the border at home.
View wrote: » Nope, this kind of shyte is why we need to clearly state we will roll out the barbed wire after Brexit day, join Schengen and start making legal provisions for doing this. It is precisely because we have given the impression that a hard border is completely unthinkable to us that Brexiters believe they can get away with this shyte. So long as they think we will do anything to avoid a hard border, they believe that we will eventually capitulate if they just prove awkward enough. To their mind, they don’t need to compromise if we are going to cave sooner or later to avoid a hard border.
blackcard wrote: » Sky News main headline "Theresa May has taken back control"
maynooth_rules wrote: » I found that so laughable. I dont think the British even realise how much of a laughing stock they have become, and how as a country, their respectability is on the floor
Imreoir2 wrote: » This kind of shyte is why we need a backstop.
Sam Russell wrote: » Have you seen the Swiss guards at the Vatican? That is real medieval.
blanch152 wrote: » Surely, alternative arrangements to the backstop include staying in the Customs Unions and Single Market. The EU could offer to reopen negotiations on that basis.
lawred2 wrote: What are you specifically refer to?
hotmail.com wrote: » Helen McEntee out of her depth. It's like she's learned off every answer as if she's doing her leaving cert.
BonnieSituation wrote: Where was she?
Hurrache wrote: She was absolutely fine.
Professor Moriarty wrote: » Who gives a crap what they call themselves. Sir, Lord, Dame, Honorable, whatever. They're just human beings. No better or worse than anyone else. A load of manure that only works if you buy into their rubbish.
