Spokeperson on Finance Pearse Doherty (left) with Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald speaking to the media on the plinth of Leinister House on the Brexit Crisis this afternoon
This afternoon.
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil, Leo Varadkar said he was open to considering the idea of review clause and added that there has to be creative solutions and creative language sometimes to get an agreement.
…Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the Taoiseach of shifting the Government’s position at the most sensitive time in the negotiations.
“I think your announcement yesterday was a cock up plain and simple,” she said.
The Taoiseach said it was a good thing that Ms McDonald was not handling the negotiations because she was too “bullying” and would turn this country’s friends into enemies within months….
Taoiseach rules out exit clause on backstop (RTÉ)
Earlier: Penny For Your Thoughts
Typical Vradkar, play the woman not the ball.
He really f**ked up with his back tracking. He’s also focussed on the wrong thing, a new trade agreement with the UK is a million times more important that a hard border
Can’t negotiate a trade deal until the withdrawal agreement is sorted and we can’t live with a hard border while waiting for the trade deal to be agreed.
She, no doubt was speaking from experience
If Mary Lou ever gets into Government she’ll soon learn that shouting at people doesn’t actually get policies implemented. Like al opposition politicians with no experience of Government she has zero idea of how to govern a country or run a department.
Neither does Leo in fairness.
He had 3 ministerial positions. Never saw out a term in any of them, and proved to be less than useless in all of them, though he did manage to get a plush new canal cycle path for Ashtown – Castleknock (right on his doorstep), when there were more urgent places along the canal that needed the work.
If the Shinners took their seats in Westminster this train wreck could be avoided.
not until there’s consensus within the conservative party – and that’s a long way away
How about you try respecting the mandate they receive from their voters, they run on an abstentionist ticket and receive votes on that basis. It’s called democracy.
The Shinners voters vote for their tribe, pure and simple.
What if, in an alternate universe, there was a vote at Westminster to end the British presence in N. Ireland, and the motion was 6 votes short of passing. By your logic, the 7 SF MPs would keep abstaining and allow the vote to fail, as respecting their abstentionist mandate is more important than any existential issue, no matter how grave, affecting their constituents.
(Anyway SF are only against Brexit because the DUP are for – they oppose the EU at every turn).
Yeah and we can criticise the feck out of them for running on such a ticket. It’s cowardly and a cop-out, a self-admission that they aren’t fit to govern.
Do they have an “abstentionist ticket” for the assembly in NI too? ’cause they haven’t done anything there for the last 20 months.
That’s not down to them alone though. Let’s not forget that the NI Assembly collapsed because the DUP backed Arlene Foster over the Cash for Ash scandal.
Sorry but that photo makes her look like that girl in school that was always ratting on everyone.
mmm
hard to know what’s going on but this sounds plausible to me, I reckon she’s bang on. logically ANY negotiation on backstop is game over…but maybe a can kicked far enough down the road for HIM to personally avoid the eventual
she knows a hell of a lot more about the north/border than he ever ever will (and lets not even get started on his capabilities generally, ok I will, can’t resist – he’s a zero track record white pvc window salesman when we need a proper statesman…stand back & look at his petulant reaction in the Dail today which you’ve seen before. nonsense)
I’m also thinking she’d likely have a good few back channels into Westminster and is hearing stuff that he certainly won’t be hearing and this slip has spooked her.
you can say what you want about fast customs channels, EU comradeship and all the rest….I suspect we’re in for some sort of a fupping hidden in the detail….whilst I doubt we ever had a real chance here its hard to watch :(
It’s really very simple. The British Taoiseach is struggling to sell an open ended backstop to her party. She needed something to sugar coat it so she asked Leo if he’d be willing to agree to a clause that would see the backstop reviewed at some point in the future. Leo said that the backstop could be reviewed but both sides would have to agree to its removal so he wasn’t giving away any say on it. The papers needed a Sasamach story and chose to play this as something it isn’t and Sinn Féin grabbed it to force themselves into the spotlight.
The backstop itself is in place only until a more permanent solution is found. By its very natute there has to be a review process built in to it. Mountain out of a molehill..
I know you think these constant references to Sasamach and the British Taoiseach make you look like a true patriot.
But actually they make you look ridiculous.
No-one else on here or anywhere else in Ireland bothers with such pedantry.
You’re ploughing a lonely and frankly puerile furrow.
Rather like the Shinners in the recent presidential election .
ah, in fairness, sasamach and british taoiseach are pretty funny.
you had a lighter air about you in the old days, charger. it’s almost as if the pressure is getting to you.
…ouch…I thought the term sasamach was quite good…
It obviously bothers him or he wouldn’t feel the need to mention it.
I’ll keep it up so.
Er.. old chap.. pot and all that.. the only difference is they are funny and you’re not..!!
The fact that you think ‘Sasamach’ and ‘British Taoiseach’ are being used to make Rep look like a ‘true patriot’ really suggests you have absolutely no understanding of the Irish at all.
sasamach it is, so.
Own goal again, tubby.
One thing that’s being overlooked here is that the British Taoiseach and her negotiators have clearly accepted that the backstop is happening and are just trying to work out for how long.
but charger said december’s agreement was meaningless
When ?
around about the time davis appeared on andrew marr (?) and said it wasn’t legally binding – you did your “he he he” routine
repeatedly
News to me.
Link ?
to davis’s claim or your comment?
by the way, this is an interesting read:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/06/britain-brexit-eu-british-government-irish-backstop
+1
“Character and personality matter, and British arrogance has not won friends or influence.”
Food for thought for some Sasamach cheerleaders.
Uncanny.
Anyone seen Paddy Power’s #Poppygate :0)
No? …here ya go then…
Check out @paddypower’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/1059550673950380033?s=09
Tory blueshirt Varadkar – stabbing the Island of Ireland in the back. He’s been bullied by McDonald, lol: He’s totally untrustworthy.
Legislation to create a hard border on roads within a mile of the Border and at Newry train station, is at an advanced stage in UK House of Lords, and could be law in the next few weeks.
https://t.co/OQ6YyuArfR
Really? Have you actually read the proposed legislation? Where does it say either of those things?