If you voted for Brexit, I hope you're happy

[Sarah]

They SHOULD understand it. Northern Ireland have been bowing to England my entire life, it's about time the same respect and level of equality was given to us. I am horrified each time I go to London and they study Ulster bank notes like they are foreign tender. Many in England don't even know NI is part of the UK. It's disgraceful and more education is needed in schools to help with this.

By the way - well done Teresa and Arlene. Twats.

 

[Angela Channing]

Well to make the point again, there was a certain ignorance in the UK as to how much of an issue the border would be in the event of Brexit. It's hard to blame the people who voted for Brexit when it comes the border issue, to care they would have had to understand it. The whole border thing was well reported here before the referendum because we live with the consequences of a partitioned island all year round. And it'll always go back to this lack of understanding of the relationship of the island of Ireland to the UK. The whole system let people down on this.

I think people elsewhere in the UK were aware of the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic but they just didn't care. Many Brexit supporters were so hell bent on stopping EU immigration (many, but not all, due to their xenophobia) that they didn't care what was the impact on the to Irish border issue.

 

[Zable]

I'm particularly pleased for NI, for what come out from having to address Arlene Foster's fears:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...aders-deal-britain-edging-towards-soft-brexit

 

[Canon]

Foster had no fears, she agreed to the same deal on Friday that she rejected on Monday just because she could. That is what the DUP are all about.

 

[Angela Channing]

Theresa May has made a total mess of the Brexit negotiations.

At the start she was claiming she wouldn't agree to a large divorce bill but ultimately she capitulated and agreed to pay around £50 billion, maybe more.

She said the UK would leave the single market and now she has agreed that "the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the internal market and the customs union".

She said the UK would not agree to the European Court of Justice having any say in UK matter but she has since agreed to European Court of Justice enforcing the rights of EU citizens in the UK.

So on she has failed to deliver on everyone of her so-called "red lines" because everyone now realises that the hard Brexit she originally advocated would be a total disaster for the UK.

This appears to be her negotiating strategy:

 

[Zable]

she agreed to the same deal on Friday that she rejected on Monday

Are you saying that "the concession secured by the DUP is that no new regulatory barriers will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK without the permission of Stormont in the interest of upholding the Good Friday agreement" (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/08/main-points-of-agreement-uk-eu-brexit-deal) was part of the deal even on Monday? Hmm.

But I get your point about Ms Foster having no fears. Perhaps I should have used the word "concerns" instead.

 

[Zable]

The portion on the Ireland and Northern Ireland deal of the final joint report of the EU-UK Brexit negotiators on the 1st phase of negotiations contains 15 paragraphs.

As I understand it…. Ms Foster/DUP had on Monday objected to the phrase “regulatory alignment” in para 8. It was amended to read “full alignment”. Para 9 – the concession secured by DUP – is new.

These two paras of the final Ireland-NI deal in the 1st phase read:

Para 8: “The United Kingdom remains committed to protecting North-South cooperation and to its guarantee of avoiding a hard border. Any future arrangements must be compatible with these overarching requirements. The United Kingdom's intention is to achieve these objectives through the overall EU-UK relationship. Should this not be possible, the United Kingdom will propose specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. In the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the allisland economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement.

Para 9: “In the absence of agreed solutions, as set out in the previous paragraph, the United Kingdom will ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, unless, consistent with the 1998 Agreement, the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly agree that distinct arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland. In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.”

I guess some regard the addition of Para 9 & the move to close the loophole that "regulatory alignment" left -- by pinning down all parties to "full alignment" -- as not making another agreement.

Link to full joint report by the EU-UK negotiators: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-eu-divorce-deal-irish-border-joint-report-full-text-theresa-may-dup-david-davis-jean-a8098756.html

 

[Angela Channing]

The government's own impact study on Brexit has forecast leaving the EU will cost the UK economy £80 billion.

Huge economic cost of leaving EU outlined in Government Study

If you voted for Brexit I hope you're happy to pay more in taxes to make up the shortfall in government revenues as a consequence of your decision.

 

[Sarah]

Are you saying that "the concession secured by the DUP is that no new regulatory barriers will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK without the permission of Stormont in the interest of upholding the Good Friday agreement" (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/08/main-points-of-agreement-uk-eu-brexit-deal) was part of the deal even on Monday? Hmm.

But I get your point about Ms Foster having no fears. Perhaps I should have used the word "concerns" instead.

She's a nasty, evil witch.

 

[Sarah]

Nelson McCausland, a member of the Disgusting Unionist Party has said:

"I wouldn't care what sort of situation I face, as long as I'm out of Europe".

Hope he remembers that in a few months time. Dickhead.