After Brexit, Northern Ireland may obtain a special status in the EU

Who is calling anyone black?.....racist! :-)

Well, remember that the EU is reflecting the will of the member states. Most of them have no reason to let the UK go easily - and the deal on offer is so heavily biased towards the EU that it reflects just how weak the UK was in negotiations.

The latest analysis I've seen is saying that a general election may be inevitable. Too many are against the deal, too many are against no-deal, the EU-27 have had enough and don't want to negotiate any more, and for me, it's hard to see any way out of this.

Personally, if I were May right now, I'd try and win the vote in parliament, but if the vote is lost, she should call a second snap referendum. The support in parliament is probably there for a second one, and it would give a definitive answer.

The latest development is that the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varakdar, is urging Sinn Féin to take up their seats in Westminster in the hope of swinging the British parliamentary vote to a 'yes'. The DUP of course will vote 'no'. Just in case people don't know, Sinn Féin, although elected don't recognize the authority of the British parliament over Northern Ireland, so they don't sit.

Many folks forget that only Scotland voted "Nay" for BREXIT. How enthusiastic people are now it's down to the final crunch, remains to be seen.

PM May sure didn't look too happy about it all.

..would do very well to stay out of subjects that are none of his business, I would have said. And anyway, his 7 lieutenants can't swing anything, even if they were admitted. Which they wouldn't be.

Can't say I like anything that the DUP stands for - but anyone standing against May and her dictatorial ways is alright by me, and many of millions of others (ie. the majority)

So how come they lost the elections to the conservatives, wot u think corbyn any better , all of them are out to use you one way or the other. politicians = bad.

Doug they are all bent, and out for themselves, they wouldn't last one second or make a penny in the real world, at least what you earned / have is out of honest hard graft.

Well it's very much his business at the moment, as it is the business of all the other EU states who have voted in favour of the deal. As Varadkar rightly points out, there is no other deal. It's this or nothing. And Ireland, all of Ireland, not just the 26 counties is Varadkar's business and the business of the Irish people.

I'm not sure why you think Sinn Féin are his lieutenants. He wouldn't have much in common with them but the people of Northern Ireland are Irish citizens and due to the intransigence of Sinn Féin, their interests are not being fully represented in the parliamentary vote. As the leader of the Irish government, Varadkar has a responsibilty towards all Irish citizens, not just the citizens of the Republic. The people of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU remember and now they're not only being forced out against their will, but they have no representation in the parliamentary vote.

He actually said:

"is a decision for the British parliament".

He said: "We don't want to do anything counterproductive by being seen to interfere in what is a decision for British parliament.

"You can imagine the reaction that might happen in Ireland if you had politicians from Spain or Britain or Denmark coming to Ireland to tell us how we should vote when it comes to parliamentary vote."

So, it's about trying to counterbalance the 'no' DUP vote, to ensure a fairer outcome. Anyway, it's all academic as Sinn Féin won't sit.


Why wouldn't they be?? They are elected representatives and the IRA laid down their arms a long time ago. The can legitimately take up their seats.

I think your post sums up perfectly why almost nobody outside of Ireland can understand Irish politics - to say that it's not Varadkar's business and that the DUP are ok in this scenario boggles my Irish mind :))

Mmmm - I am a republican, as far as Ireland goes, but Varadkar should be trying to avoid stirring the pot here at this point in time. Which he clearly is, in spite of the usual political platitudes. And we all understand about the hard border problem, but until 50 years hence when a referundum reunites Ireland, we're stuck with the blighters:)

So it's Norway plus or anarchy, and Norway plus, splendidly, wont stop freedom of movement.
I can't wait to see May and her diminishing mob cut loose - for Britain is not the xenophobic unwashed that she portrays it as. Now I don't know where this leaves Varadker, with a Norway plus Brexit? What would that mean for Ireland Atch?

Not sure I follow you Doug. It was Varadkar who proposed a Norway Plus deal - do you mean what would it entail?? That he'd have to come up with the details?? A bit like Craggy Island's proposed Chinese Festival. You're Father Ted to Varadkar's Dougal :D

Lol..Er....why are we all having to fit in with what yous lot wants? :) ;)

Ah me, remember Norway's most adamant "Nee, takk!" to the EU's proposal back in the late '80's that Norway join.
Prime Minister Dr. Brundtland sure put a stop to that discussion!

Just 10 more days of this idiotic pro-Brexit nonsense before May is gone. Can't wait!

youtube.com/watch?v=gvagsSOlAy4

I Never expected you to be a xenophobe, that video was aimed at stirring up and playing on negative nationalistic phobias.

I am not sure she will be gone even if she loses the vote. I reckon she would survive a nuclear blast for the simple reason that nobody else wants to clear up the Brexit mess and nobody else wants the job - except Corbyn who also doesn't have a Brexit strategy.

Not at all. The video says to me that we are in Europe because Europeans own our infrastructure, and so it's ridiculous at best to think that we should be outside the EU - while they actually dictate what we do.

100% European at Dougpol Towers!

ECJ has ruled that the UK can revoke Article 50. The judgement states:

"The United Kingdom is free to revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU."

So that's their get out of jail free card. Wonder if they'll use it?

Isn't the CW that May wanted the worst sort of non-deal possible as a way of preventing/undoing Brexit?

And the EU isn't looking so wonderful if you look at France right at the moment... hardly 18 months ago Macron was supposed to be the savior of the EU and now how couldn't get elected dog catcher.

Something is not working.....

@Atch

Who knows, but the UK would need politicians who are more interested in the UK#'s future than their own. Sp it is probably not looking too great.

Anti brexit geniuses:

youtu.be/7VsZBLBgphU

No deal is obviously the best solution - no 30 bil payment to eu, actual control of borders, freedom to trade with whoever they want, total control of their own economy, politics, etc., no more being cucked by ecj and other Eu institutions. Still uks too far gone anyway regardless of what happens

The People's Vote is certainly getting more likely by the day. The Maidenhead Scowler is trying to use every delaying tactic she can, despite having personally jumped the shark long ago.

.... then so are yellow vests.

The handful of yellow vesters were outnumbered 5 to 1 yesterday by opponents.

Quite a contrast to the 700,000 who turned out last month for the People's Vote march.

Anyway, it's people's right to protest if they want. In Paris, rioting is almost the national sport.

Given today's 'brexit' omnishambles, (and her Northern Ireland allies abandoning her along with her own party), this poem is doing the round. I posted it as a picture so as not to break the rule about cut and paste.

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A Polish view, because you and your family don't want any other bloody Poles moving to the UK - because you of course can move if you wish to, but would like to deny freedom of movement to others.

Pathetic, and I confidently predict this xenophobia wont hold.

On the contrary as I've said in the past, I encourage Poles to move to UK en masse. They should take as many benefits as they possibly can to subsidize their retirement back home. It's actually a running joke amongst Poles that their retirement plan is to simply claim benefits in UK. Naturally, this would help make things right for the UK's historical betrayal of Poland and their dishonorable refusal to abide by a mutual defense treaty. However, recent statistics, government reports and media reports show that in fact more and more Poles are moving from the UK back to Poland. This is likely due to Poland being more attractive as wages go up, unemployment is down, and the country is stable and has a fraction of the crime that the UK does and no issues with rapes, stabbings, etc. Just yesterday my cousin in Newcastle texted me saying his muzzie neighbor was arrested on terrorism charges. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in Poland.

And the only people I'd like to limit freedom of movement are those who have no benefit to society - i.e. the hordes of third worlders on whom Germany alone must spend 20 billion a year on while they cause thousands of rapes, stabbings, etc. Same thing in France, Belgium, UK, etc.

Name me ONE country where Poles have migrated to in which they have 75%+ unemployment rates, force taxpayers to spend tens of billions of dollars on them while the majority sit around and do nothing, cause violent crimes including rapes to dramatically increase, OR detonate themselves while yelling 'Bogu chwala'

Wonder what you would say if the Brits and French had simply looked the other way in September 1939 instead of declaring war on Germany.

It would've made no difference. The Warsaw Uprising lasted longer than the French before they capitulated. Poland held out way longer than France. That's pathetic considering how many troops and equipment they had. Ever hear about the French rifle? Never fired, dropped once. And it's no different in France today. They've merely replaced being invaded by Germans to being invaded by migrants.

Second, Hitler didn't want to declare war on the British. He even let them go at Dunkirk when he could've immediately wiped out hundreds of thousands of troops in one fell swoop and put UK on its knees immediately.

France and UK's declaration of war on Germany had ZERO tangible benefits for Poland. THey did not come to Poland's aid whatsoever, especially UK who had a mutual defense treaty. Furthermore, they sat around building up their defenses instead of going on the offense and helping Poland like the mutual defense treaty stipulated.

The British PM has one mother of a tough sell, that's fer dang sure. So far, only Holland's PM Mark Rutte is here closest, perhaps only remaining ally next to Merkel, whose political future as well appears to hang in the balance:-) May gambled on support.....only she seems to have underestimated both her fellow parliamentarians, not to mention much of the EU.

So happy that May "won" the vote of no confidence.
The outcome now is one of:
1. Referundum.
2' Norway +
3. Hard Brexit.

In that order. ( As May the poker player planned all along)'

Looks like thus far, but who knows what tomorrow holds:-)