According to both sources, there will be one backstop to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The backstop will come in the form of a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland, which go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment on the rules of the single market than for the rest of the UK

…..RTÉ News understands that while the main backstop focuses on a UK-wide customs arrangement, there will be specific provisions within the text and within annexes for Northern Ireland, should the UK-wide arrangement not prove sufficient to avoid a hard border.

Exclusive: EU and UK negotiators agree text for Irish border (RTÉ)

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60 thoughts on “Breakthrough

    1. Brother Barnabas

      temporary refers to the UK-wide aspect of it

      the NI component is not temporary

      charger is presently in a catatonic rage, which may or may not be temporary

      1. ReproButina

        It was always going to be temporary. The idea is that they do a trade deal that removes the need for customs checks but they can’t start negotiating a trade deal until the Withdrawal Agreement is done and the backstop prevents the need for customs checks while the trade deal is negotiated.

    1. DeKloot

      They could have their cake and eat it all, but seemingly they’d rather eat moldy bread. I’ll never understand fanatics.

  1. Tony

    Probably just the old backstop stipulation with a cup holder and body coloured bumpers. No doubt the DUP will smell a rat

    1. Plumbob

      This is a local shop for local people!

      We don’t bother the outside world, we don’t want it bothering us.

  2. bisted

    …the smuggling opportunities will be huge…the last thing you’ll be able to find will be washed deisel…

    1. SOQ

      A physical border, of any kind, over and above the current visibility, will cause problems a lot bigger than smuggling.

      For the first time since the last temporary agreement with no time limit called Northern Ireland, the majority of people in NI side with Dublin rather than London on this issue.

      Do not underestimate the historic significance of that shift.

  3. Giggidygoo

    In other words, the backstop that Varadkar and Co. heiled months ago, doesn’t exist. Wait for the ‘a legal text exists’ contribution by Coveney.
    Ireland has been sold a pup by the EU, once again.

    1. SOQ

      It exists. The devil is in the detail, or in this case Jesus hiding because he REALLY doesn’t want to meet his DUP followers.

    2. ReproButina

      No, it exists and was always existing unless and until a better option was agreed on.

      Keep swinging though.

      1. Giggidygoo

        What Varadkar and Co. heiled doesn’t exist. Bullet-proof backstop? Legal document? Neither existed when he, Coveney and Helen McEntee hired / cancelled / re-hired the podium many months ago.
        What is your understanding of the backstop they announced months ago? Swivel on that!

        1. SOQ

          Well my understanding is that it has serious legal clout, otherwise it would have been dismissed out of hand a long time ago. Instead, it has nailed the UK into the CU for an unknown period of time while still being buried in the detail.

          IMO Leo and especially Simon have played an absolute blinder.

          1. Giggidygoo

            Did you notice how no one referred to it as a legal agreement?
            Coveney always referred to something as a ‘legal text’.
            And it’s been doctored, cut, etc. etc. and it’s still not a legal agreement. What is there now is a draft agreement, which includes some reference to a backstop.
            But like many months ago, we don’t know what this backstop is supposed to be.

        2. ReproButina

          This is the most ridiculous argument I’ve come across in a long time. The backstop that Leo and Simon have been telling us about since last December absolutely exists and is legally binding. If either of those statements is untrue why is the British government about to fall asunder trying to get around it?

          You not being able to understand something doesn’t mean it’s not real.

          1. Giggidygoo

            Same question to you then. What’s your understanding of what the backstop was?
            Let’s hope your answer isn’t ridiculous.

          2. ReproButina

            My understanding is that the backstop is NI remaining in the CU, to protect the all Ireland economy, unless another option, agreeable to both the UK and EU27, is presented. In this case, though we do not have the full details yet, the other option appears to be the entire UK remaining in the CU.

            What’s your understanding?

          3. Giggidygoo

            My belief is that there was no backstop. By your answer you’ve confirmed what i’ve been saying above though.

          4. ReproButina

            And your belief was incorrect as there was an agreement which included the backstop signed last December.

          5. GiggidyGoo

            It included a reference to ‘a backstop ‘ There were no details on it because it didn’t exist. What we were told back then was that everything was hunky Dory because there was a backstop in place. There wasn’t – and that is clear given what’s transpired over the intervening months.

      1. Giggidygoo

        Not my problem if you have a difficulty understanding what’s written in front of you. Anything else you’d like to add to the conversation, or is that the limit to your thinking process?

        1. MaryLou's ArmaLite

          It is your thinking process that has been clouded by your hate for Leo. It is quite pathetic.

  4. Emily Dickinson

    It’s easy viewing things from an Irish perspective, but a second referendum would put an end to this slowly unfolding train crash. I’m not sure if a deal makes that more or less likely.

  5. Truth in the News

    It will fall in Westminister and lead to an Election which will be about it:
    If Labor get in and Cobryn takes over, its out for the Unionists….out of
    EU and out for May and what would have taken another 15 years, will
    be over in 5 , there will be no need for backstops, border or customs
    officials……what planning have the Dublin Government done on the
    issue…..none:

    1. ReproButina

      What rock have you been living under? The “Dublin government” have been preparing for a hard Sasamach since the result of the vote was announced. They’ve been running seminars up and down the country to help businesses prepare for the fallout and they’ve made €300 million available to businesses through a loan scheme, for a start.

      It never ceases to amaze me how people are happy to blame the government without actually knowing anything about anything beyond “government bad!”.

      This government is an utter shambles as far as housing and health go but they’re absolutely on the ball with Sasamach.

      1. Giggidygoo

        You’ve obviously not attended any of those seminars. I’ll sum up the one I attended for you.
        ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen. Be prepared’
        And that was it. It took just over two hours of waffle for four people to say that.
        The Government hasn’t made €300m available in loans. A little bit more research wouldn’t go astray now and again.

          1. Giggidygoo

            I take it that you’ve read through that then? And agree that the Government aren’t providing or making available any loans?

          2. ReproButina


            “Using a combination of Irish exchequer and EU guarantees (through the EIB Group and the InnovFin loan guarantee scheme), the scheme leverages up to €300 million of lending to Irish Enterprises at a maximum interest rate 4% at a cost to the Exchequer of €23 million (€14 million provide by Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and €9 million provided by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine).”

          3. ReproButina

            While we’re at it, Budget 2019 included “A new €300m long-term Future Growth Loan Scheme partnership to provide 8-10 year loans between the Departments of Business, Enterprise and Innovation & Agriculture, Food and the Marine. (This is in addition to Budget 2018’s €300m short-term SME loan scheme)” as well as “Educational spending of €300m announced by Minister Bruton in a Human Capital Fund for training and reskilling of sectors/regions vulnerable to Sasamach.” and “An overall Agricultural package of an additional €80m in funding including farm sector supports.” among other measure to prepare for Sasamach.

        1. Giggidygoo

          The government are not providing the loans. It’s the banks that are. Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB
          From the website you’ve quoted: (through commercial lenders – did you miss that bit?)

          ‘The Brexit Loan Scheme, which was announced in the 2018 budget will provide affordable financing to businesses that are either currently impacted by Brexit or will be in the future. The Scheme, which will be delivered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) through commercial lenders will make €300 million available to eligible businesses with up to 499 employees at an interest rate of 4% or less.

    1. Plumbob

      Have a gander at the comments on the story on the daily mail. There’s conservative heads exploding the length and breadth of Britain tonight.

      1. ReproButina

        The Sasamachs are like children who refuse to eat their veg despite the ice cream to come if they do. The British Taoiseach has just to convince them to accept the backstop and they can get on with trade negotiations to remove the backstop but they’re having none of it and would rather watch the UK collapse while they blame the EU.

  6. Ollie Cromwell

    While Varadkar and the rest of the supplicant Irish establishment sniff the bottom of Angela Merkel and the donkeys of the Irish electorate cowed into submission by a 2nd Lisbon vote and an eye-watering bailout to prop up other country’s banks follow meekly behind there’s one honest politician still prepared to tell a few home truths.
    You’ve been lied to,you’ve been fobbed off and you’ve been embarrassed so many times and still come back for more it’s embarrassing.
    https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1062419575898140673

    1. ReproButina

      You’ve been lied to (£350 million for the NHS), you’ve been fobbed off (“f**k business”) and you’ve been embarrassed so many times (threatening war with Spain, the tea boy’s empty folder, realising Britain is an island, food and medicine stockpiling, comparing the EU to the Soviet Union, David Davis’ pretending to have papers showing impact of Sasamach on various sectors) but you still come back for more.

    2. Papi

      Something something Dev signed the book for Hitler, immigrants, non existent chums, heh heh heh something.
      It’s all rather much of a muchness now.

  7. Formerly Known As @ireland.com

    Unfortunate use of the word “annexes”. Arlene is worried about NI being annexed.

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