Vocal Voices

As May goes off into a MayZone on Brexit and tries to deliver something nobody wants, she seems to have forgotten she is in a coalition with MP's from Northern Ireland. She also seems to have forgotten that both the DUP and the Conservative parties have "Unionist" in their names.

Arlene Foster went to Brussels last week to "Talk" to Barnier about the NI backstop and what is and is not, acceptable to the DUP. It appears that the response was somewhere in the line of "Get lost lassie I'm only talking to people who have a _say_ over this deal" Pity Barnier didn't spend a little time understanding the situation. Blair doesn't count, Clegg doesn't count, to a degree even Corbyn doesn't count. But the 10 MP's giving May a razor thin majority in parliament absolutely _COUNT_.

Now the DUP is threatening to bring down the government. I believe them, what do they have to lose? If May does what she is intending, they're certainly screwed. If they bring the government down, they stand a chance of coalitioning with a Tory party led by a true Brexiteer.

Interestingly this is having almost no impact on the value of the pound. Basically because of Italy and the better than expected economic results. This is interesting because it is clear that the market, thinks there are MUCH more important things in the world than Brexit.

I look forward to the Budget. If May doesn't clearly reject the EU backstop on NI, then the DUP will vote against the budget. Leaving images of a satiated fox with blood on its mouth and very many, even more, frightened, chickens, May without a Majority and trying to continue a minority parliament and the potential for many highly interesting outcomes.

I can't understand why there is so much fuss about the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Border control seems to work well enough in the case Switzerland.

Michel Barnier's negotiating stance from the very beginning was to ensure that the UK only left the EU with a deal less than the one we have at the moment. It is not so much of a punishment than as a warning to any of the other member states who may be thinking of following the UK in the future.

I would imagine we will end up with a worse deal or no deal. I think in those circumstances a no deal would be better for the UK.

We have been offered a Canada ++ deal by the EU but May is still clinging to Chequers, although it's not being called that anymore.
It's all a bit mad. Labour are threatening to vote down anything that doesn't give us as good a deal with the EU as we have now. Unfortunately that's not going to happen, that's completely unrealistic. Why would they give a non-member the same deal as a member? There'd be no point in actually being a member!
The whole problem is the people voted narrowly to leave but the political classes largely want to remain, and are determined to do so.

If we left, we would have to institute border controls. Big business doesn't like that - it slows their lorries down. Government doesn't like it either, it costs them money and they would actually have to DO something and take responsibility - which they don't want to do.

So we are where we are, in a mess.

The problem with all the deals is that the EU are determined to separate NI from the UK.

So checkers or Canada++ are all a pipe dream without a hard border between the Republic and NI. The DUP are just reminding everyone that separating NI from the UK is a total no go and that no party has a majority without the DUP.

About time the EU started listening instead of doing what they always do.

This is not like CETA and the Walloons being bought off. There is absolutely no way to Buy the DUP vote for this settlement.

The UK voted 52:48, the EU did not get a vote, Leave won.

"Leave means Leave." "Brexit means Brexit." "No deal is better than a bad deal." "Suck it up."

Leave won! Now stop deflecting and take ownership.

But is the DUP's preferred option realistic Suff?
In the EU, no border. Out of the EU, surely there has to be a border?

The Eire / NI border was always going to be a problem for Brexit: always.

There are number of factors in play, over and above WTO rules, that would not exist on a "normal" border between the EU and a third country. There is the Common Travel Area between Eire and the UK. Both agreements under the overall "Good Friday Agreement", Access, or otherwise, of the CU by the UK.

All of these things were known "knowns" even before the referendum, and a lot of work should have been done to try to mitigate them long before A50 was triggered.

The BBC opened up two article to comments and so far there are about 6500 replies.

The vast majority, on both sides, are squaring up to each other with insults and threats. The comments on other sites are much the same. OK they are not the whole of the 52% facing up the 48%, but they are representative of the very bad feeling there is out in the country.

I pray that all the "racists, xenophobes, traitors, Gammons, snowflakes, fifth columnists, Remoaners, Brexidiots, morons, Little Englanders" stuff from the keyboard warriors goes no further than that, but who knows? It is frightening how strident things have become.

Gammons?

That's a new one on me …….

Make it 2 fried eggs, chips and tomato chutney, please.

It is relatively recent, Ossie.

Gammon is pink old pork, it needs to be cooked. It is a derogatory term for older males of a Brexit persuasion who are red in the face and resistant to modern ways - Colonel Blimp, Empire, Charge of the Light Brigade and all that.

Charming, eh?

Is that egg or pineapple?