Tag Archives: Brexit

DUP leader Arlene Foster

Alene Foster is prepared to reach a compromise on a Northern Ireland amnesty to prevent elderly veterans from being repeatedly investigated over deaths during the Troubles, The Telegraph understands.

In a significant breakthrough, sources in Belfast and Whitehall claim that the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and Gavin Williamson are now “on the same page” and are discussing proposals which they hope will be approved by the Attorney General.

The plans, which are yet to be signed off by Number 10, would bring about new protections for veterans, including safeguards for those who have been investigated – and cleared – from having to relive the process “over and over again”.

Arlene Foster prepared to compromise on Troubles amnesty for veterans, sources claim (Daily Telegraph)

Boris Johnson’s “positive” vision for Brexit has been praised by the DUP leader Arlene Foster as she said she would work with him if he became Prime Minister.

In a major boost for Mr Johnson’s leadership ambitions, Mrs Foster endorsed the “belief” and “spirit” contained in his blueprint for Brexit.

She criticised Theresa May’s Government, which needs the DUP’s votes to maintain its working majority, saying one of her biggest disappointments was the failure of ministers to “talk about the aspirations for the nation”.

We would work with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, says DUP leader, as she praises his ‘positive’ Brexit vision (Daily Telegrap – behind paywall)

Arlene Foster says Good Friday Agreement ‘not sacrosanct’ (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

Ah here.

Earlier; With Songs They Have Sung For A Thousand Years

Thanks Keith

This morning.

Salzburg, Austria

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with President of France Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May during the EU Salzburg summit on Brexit and its ramifications.

Any excuse.

Macron urges EU leaders to stand firm against Theresa May (The Guardian)

Earlier: A Limerick A Day

Pics: MerrionStreet

This morning.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald (centre) met with Britian’s Prime Minister Theresa May (top ) ahead of Ms May giving a speech in Belfast this morning about Brexit.

Ms McDonald spoke to Philip Boucher Hayes on RTÉ Radio One after they met.

From the interview…

Mary Lou McDonald: “It seems to me that she has come to Ireland to deliver a speech that really represents picking a fight with Ireland and picking a fight with the EU. I have put it to her that the rhetoric around protecting the Good Friday Agreement, in all of its parts, the rhetoric around preventing any hardening of the border is just that – it’s rhetoric. And it superseded entirely by her instinct, her desire to play to the Brexiteer gallery back in Britain and within he DUP. So it was a firm meeting a very challenging meeting. I said to her, umpteen times and I reiterated it again – a) that Ireland cannot and will not be the collateral damage of the Tory/Brexit. I have to tell you Philip I came away from that meeting with no sense of reassurance…

Philip Boucher Hayes: “Let’s break it down bit by bit Mary Lou. What was her reaction to your suggestion that Britain was picking a fight with Ireland?”

Mary Lou McDonald: “Of course she rejects that. I think you will see and you will hear when the, when her speech is delivered shortly that it is very much posited as a Unionist speech. I mean, there’s no great surprise in that. Theresa May is a Unionist and that’s fair enough.

“But she is particularly tone deaf to politics here in this part of Ireland. She doesn’t seem to have any deep appreciation of the fact that some 50% of the population would not ascribe to themselves the definition or the identity of Unionist. She seems to have only a very superficial understanding that the north of Ireland is a place apart…this place isn’t as British essentially, things are different here. And Ireland, the island, the North, in particular, but the island as a whole, because of the particularities here, requires a bespoke solution and absolutely needs a worst case scenario contingency plan – the backstop as it’s called…”

Listen back in full here

Pic: Paul Reilly

UPDATE:

UPDATE:

David Blevins (Sky News): “Prime Minister, you said the EU backstop would be a breach of the Good Friday Agreement because the majority of people here wish to remain in the UK. But the majority of people here have also voted to remain in the EU. So are you not now in breach of the Good Friday Agreement?”

Theresa May: “I think, if we look at what happened in the referendum. A decision was taken that, across the United Kingdom, people would be asked their view on whether or not to leave the European Union. And parliament said and Government said that it would accept that collective view that was taken across the United Kingdom and that is exactly what we are doing. And within the UK there were different votes in different parts of the UK but, overall, the result was that people wanted to leave the EU and we’re delivering on that and I believe that it’s an important part of our, of people’s trust in politics, given that parliament said it was the overall choice of the people of the UK, that we respect that overall choice that they took.”

Oh.

Today’s front page of the English edition of The Sun.

FIGHT!

AIR HEAD Ireland’s PM has been branded ‘mad’ for threatening to stop British planes flying over Ireland as revenge for Brexit (The Sun)

THE SUN SAYS The Irish PM is a fool, but this latest tantrum exposes Brussels’ intentions to keep us in its grip (The Sun editorial)