UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons today
“No country that values its independence and indeed its self-respect could agree to a treaty which signed away our economic independence and self-government as this backstop does,” Mr Johnson told the Commons.
“A time limit is not enough. If an agreement is to be reached, it must be clearly understood that the way to the deal goes by way of the abolition of the backstop.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson demands removal of Irish backstop for Brexit deal (FT)
Meanwhile…
When questioned about Mr Johnson’s comments on the backstop, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he looks forward to discussing the issue with him.
The Taoiseach said that the threat of no-deal Brexit is a British one and he hopes Mr Johnson has not chosen it.
Mr Varadkar repeated that he hopes to meet Mr Johnson soon and did not want to start negotiating with him over the airwaves.
Backstop must go to move Brexit forward – Johnson (RTÉ)
Pic: Reuters
ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!
Maybe not an Iceberg, but it’s definitely a floater.
Interesting picture of Johnson and the gesture he’s making.
Absolute cretin of a man.
a bully and a bluffer that has somehow charmed his way to no 10
just like Varadkar
He makes Varadkar look classy.
Which is saying something, considering how inept he is.
Leo’s comments are brief. No doubt hurried to go purchase some socks for the occasion of his meeting with Boris.
If the heat wasn’t melting the Snowflakes, this sure is now!
Indeed.
Boris is the trollster-in-chief.
Ably assisted by the Moggster.
Old Etonians have been winding up the oiks for centuries.
And molesting children.
We’re still waiting for our account of how Beech was framed
Your snarky remark was answered when you posted it. If you even bothered to look..
I waited a day or so
Sorry I don’t have time to trek back
Now you can post it here if you want
Nah old news.
Do keep up
I call BS
Potkettle
Blow Job can play to the galleries all he wants but until he comes up with a workable alternative- it remains..
All eyes on Lords now lads.
If the Irish take the session after tea the game is theirs.
A pathetic excuse for a professional sport.
If cricket is professional than tiddley winks should be aswell.
Lords in particular is just an excuse for a big posh pish-up
From my experience of brilliant cricket in both Australia and South Africa, it’s always an excuse for a piss-up; but contrary to the perceptions here, it’s a great day out for people from every social strata. Mighty crack.
A great day out if you’re into drinking for five hours.
Not a professional sport.
I’d be into most sports – a sport where one wears long trousers, both teams wearing white – takes for an age and interrupted by tea and sandwiches and an weird scoring system – I don’t get it. Also Come on Tyrone – we’re invariably on our own.
Whatever
Yes that’s true in fairness
Even in England it’s an Everyman game
Fair play to him
At least he has a clear strategy
A strategy to do what? Ignore a signed international agreement?
He kind of reminds me of Thatcher actually, she was a unifying force in NI too- everyone hated her equally.
Yep, come on
Fists up, I put it up to Barnier
And as for the Irish
Then, go to the country
Win a mandate to renegotiate and we are all going to have to suffer this for another few years
Shout and point? He’s a past master at it for sure
That’s the ‘circus’ part of the whole ‘bread and circuses’ thing right there.
He’s appointed a very right wing cabinet. There won’t be a deal, the next few months will be a farce. We will most likely be faced with a choice to either defend or abandon the GFA. Interesting times indeed.
spot on or neither
Total stalemate if he carries on in private lie he’s doing now
They have been defending the GFA from the first day after the Brexit Referendum. Fortunately, it was written by some of the sharpest legal minds of the time. It is Brexit’s iceberg and they are no closer to smashing it now than they were three years ago.
Varadkar will get a quick interview with BJ, and be told what’s what, and shown the door. The optics will be interesting then.
Leo will never have a handier conversation: Breach of the GFA? You can just leave the six at the door old chum. Are these hot pants too tight?
Spot on
Like the quintessential British fool, no doubt BJ also has “a cunning plan”.
i can see british soldiers marching down o’connell street relatively soon
You think Britain’s unelected teaboy Taoiseach will invade the EU over a backstop he signed off on, believing they could just ignore it, and then voted for?
Let’s take the opportunity to step back from the hyperbole of both political sides. There are very very distinct aspects to this situation and they are all being muddled together and (looking at you RTE) a lot of false “images” about what would happen.
1. Hard Border – if we get a hard border, it will be a customs border. We are not going back to checking passports and the army. The Common Travel Area remains. It predates the EU. We can all travel, work and live in the UK and vice versa. The border will be a mess, but it will be materials and products, not people. Yet RTE always show the old towers and barbed wire when they talk about it…..
2. GFA – There is only one issue with GFA and Brexit. Ireland voted to recognise NI as UK territory, that was the referendum. All the political aspects stay and there is nothing in the GFA that would seem to be impacted other than a single reference to Human Rights. Passports and all that aren’t a major issue and can remain. There is a commitment to a) abiding by Charter for Human rights and b) NI citizens having access to EHCR. The former isn’t that difficult, even if GB tears up its Human Rights stuff, NI has its own legislature and can keep legislation that mirrors EUHR (see access to abortion and gay marriage for separate legislature). It’s the latter and access to the courts that is an issue. But it really isn’t insurmountable. It isn’t going to bring down the whole GFA.
3. Backstop. The backstop is different. It is means GB going off and doing its Brexit stuff and NI remains aligned to EU law. For us in Ireland that’s an ideal solution only because it pushes the UK/EU border away from us and out into the Irish sea. We don’t have to have all that cost and expense. It also means we get to keep the vital economic flow between the two. No backstop? that’s an issue, but it doesn’t impact GFA. It doesn’t impact Common Travel Area. It means customs checks for goods and services and, at least in the short term, tariffs.
Not saying removing the backstop isn’t bad. Not saying Brexit isn’t bad. But at least when this is debated, we can stop the hyperbole about GFA and tanks back on the streets.