Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Brexit: What's the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The UK government wants urgent changes made to the Brexit agreement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Since coming into force at the start of the year, the protocol has prompted disagreements with the EU - including a row over transporting sausages and other chilled meats.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The Northern Ireland Protocol helps prevent checks along the land border between Northern Ireland (in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (in the EU).
During Brexit negotiations, all sides agreed that protecting the 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal (the Good Friday agreement) was an absolute priority.
Part of that meant keeping the land border open and avoiding new infrastructure such as cameras and border posts.
This was easy to do when both Ireland and Northern Ireland were part of the EU, because they automatically shared the same EU rules on trade and no checks were needed on goods travelling from one country to another.
However, a new arrangement was needed after Brexit.
The EU requires many goods - such as milk and eggs - to be inspected when they arrive from non-EU countries, while some products, such as chilled meats, aren't allowed to enter at all.
Under the protocol it was agreed that Northern Ireland would continue to follow EU rules on product standards (known as the single market) to prevent checks along the border. Checks would instead take place on goods entering Northern Ireland from England, Scotland or Wales.
Inspections take place at Northern Ireland ports, and customs documents have to be filled in.
This has prompted criticism that a new border has effectively been created in the Irish Sea.
The agreement came into force on 1 January 2021 and is now part of international law.
What is the sausage row about? Under EU food safety rules, chilled meat products are not allowed to enter the single market from non-member countries such as the UK.
That means sending sausages from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is - in theory - no longer allowed.
However, a grace period has been in place since January where the rules don't apply.
That period, which was due to end on 30 June, has now been extended until 30 September - but there is still no agreement on how to resolve the dispute in the long term.
The UK had previously warned it was ready to ignore the rules if an extension was not granted, even though it signed up to them when it negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol.
What changes are the UK government calling for? Despite signing up to the agreement, Boris Johnson says the protocol represented a huge compromise by the UK and has accused the EU of applying it too rigidly.
Now, the UK government wants to get rid of most of the checks, and reduce the customs procedures, in order to allow goods to flow more freely.
It also wants to remove the role the European Commission and the European Court of Justice have in overseeing how the protocol works.
And it is calling for the EU to agree to a "standstill" arrangement on the grace periods, and for the EU to freeze legal action, while negotiations are held.
The UK government has urged the EU to look at its proposals "with fresh eyes".
What has the EU said? The EU has been critical of the UK's stance and has insisted it must implement the terms of the protocol.
It says it is ready to continue searching for "creative solutions", but it will not agree to a renegotiation.
It has already launched legal action against the UK, which could end up with substantial fines.
The legal move was in response to the UK's decision in March to extend a separate grace period for supermarkets until 30 September. This grace period was only meant to last for three months to allow supermarkets to adapt to the new regime at the start of the year.
The EU said the UK's unilateral action broke international law because it wasn't consulted.
What is Article 16? The UK government says that "circumstances exist" to justify the use of Article 16 of the protocol. This allows either side to suspend any part of the agreement that causes "economic, societal or environmental difficulties".
However, the UK says it won't trigger it before holding talks with Brussels.
The EU announced it was intending to use Article 16 earlier in the year over its plans to introduce export controls on vaccines produced in the EU. However, faced with widespread criticism, the EU changed its mind within hours.
What about security concerns? As well as problems with trade, there are also political and security concerns.
Checks were temporarily suspended at the start of the year over what were described as "sinister" threats to some border staff checking goods.
Unionists are strongly opposed to the checks because they don't want Northern Ireland to be treated differently to the rest of the UK.
There have also been a series of demonstrations and protests against any kind of border in the Irish Sea.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Major supermarkets in Northern Ireland are invincible in face of EU sausage ban threat
But Tesco, which boasts 50 stores in Northern Ireland, has only stocked sausages from local suppliers for several years.
Marks and Spencer, which has about 20 stores in the country, also gets its entire chilled sausage stock from Northern Ireland, which means the popular shops are invincible in the face of the threatened ban on imported UK sausages.
Other major supermarkets operating in Northern Ireland, which has a proud sausage making tradition, are believed to source most of their bangers domestically.
“People here like their sausages from the butcher’s and even if they go to the supermarket they’ll go for a local brand like Denny or Cookstown,” butcher Julie Price told the Belfast Live website.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
I think that it has suited Boris, for the media to cover this story as the sausage wars. It sounds pathetic. He can blame the EU. The majority of members of the public wont look into it too deeply. Why didnt somebody tell Sainsburys five years ago, that the EU dont allow imports of chilled meats? Why didnt they find out for themselves? They have had 5 years to find alternative arrangements.
More to the point is that we are Great Britain. The EU dont accept imports of chilled meats from third countries. We are now a third country. That is except for NI. NI is still in the single market/customs union. So we can no longer export chilled meats into NI. What could be more simple. Except for the fact that we are Great Britain. We can ridicule the EU for enforcing their rules. These are rules that we have complied with, and accepted for almost 50 years while we were members. Now that we have left we can call the rules stupid, and ridicule the EU. This is because we are Great Britain, and rules that are inconvenient shouldnt apply to us.
The Government is now arguing for a "standstill". This means they dont wish to implement any of the changes yet. Nor do they wish to say when they would like to implement them. They wish to kick the can further down the road. Are they trying to keep kicking the can until the Stormont vote in 2024. There is also likely to be a General Election in 2024. The EU offered to extend the transition period. Mr Johnsons response was that he would rather die in a ditch. Yet a standstill is exactly the same as a transition period. Everything would stay the same. So as far as NI is concerned it would carry on as though the UK hadnt left. Oven ready deal? Does he really think that the EU will go for this? The man is deluded.
UK government orders councils to display EU flag as condition of receiving Covid high street cash
The UK government is telling councils to display EU flags across towns and cities in England as a condition for receiving high street Covid recovery cash.
Guidance issued to local authorities by the communities ministry this summer says the blue and yellow symbol of European unity is "required" to be displayed around "every piece of signage, pavement sticker, or temporary public realm adaption" funded under the scheme.
The requirement, which will see thousands of new EU flags posted on official buildings and in public places across the country, exists because the European Regional Development Fund has given money to the UK to help with the Covid-19 reopening.
Despite Brexit having happened, under the withdrawal agreement the UK is still eligible for certain payments from the fund until the end of 2023 – but with strings attached.
The flag rule, imposed from Brussels but enforced from Whitehall, is embarrassing for ministers because they are keen to rid UK public buildings of EU flags, but do not want to turn down the Covid recovery cash.
Warburtons boss toasted on Twitter as old comments about ‘rotting’ EU come back to haunt him
Things have gone a little bit sour(dough) for the boss of the baking brand Warburtons, after old comments he made about Brexit appear to have gone stale.
In an article by Campaign in November 2016, chairman Jonathan Warburton is quoted as saying: “Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe.
“We could either continue to be in the European Union and wait for it all to collapse around us, or we could make our own way out of it and crack on as an independent nation. We decided the latter.”
However, almost five years later, after a deadly public health crisis and the ratification of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the haulage industry is facing a severe shortage of lorry drivers.
“At the start of the pandemic, there was a shortfall of at least 76,000 HGV drivers and with the additional loss of EU workers who have returned home, the industry estimates that this number is higher than that,” Logistics UK, a business group representing logistics firms, wrote in a press release earlier this month.
Then on Monday, a spokesman for Warburtons told The Grocer that while they are “managing to maintain a good level of service” for customers nationally, “things are more challenging” at a local level.
“We, like many businesses, are experiencing higher levels of absence due to the rise in community infection rates of Covid-19 and the knock-on effect that has with more people having to self-isolate,” they said.
It’s almost as if the two things are connected, and one Twitter user has since made the comparison:
"Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe”
Warburton's July 2021:
Sorry for the shortage of bread, we don't have enough drivers to deliver bread nationwide, many have gone back to the EU
Liz Langfield #FBPE #FBPPR💙 @liz_langfield · 18h Well I’m helping them - by never buying any of their bread or other baked products for 5 years, despite the fact they’ve got a bakery about half a mile away, because of their Brexit pronouncements.
Andy Fletcher @TheNomadman · 16h I think we should all do our bit to help Warburton’s through their delivery difficulties. If we all stop buying their bread that should help them no end.
Give Your Head A Wobble Blue heart @GiveItAWobble1 Replying to @ukiswitheu and @EUnotCoup I’ve got an idea that will help Warburtons with their delivery issues. Why doesn’t everyone just stop buying Warburtons bread! Simple Smiling face with smiling eyes
Charlie Alger @cralger · 20h Brexit clearly not the best thing since sliced bread!
Hmmm. I can understand the foodbank not giving the item out as part of their standard issue for fear of being seen to make a political statement, but to refuse to accept them sends out a bad signal regarding the need for donations.
At our foodbank we have trays in which very short dated or non standard stock are placed and anybody whether foodbank customer or soup kitchen guest can help themselves freely.
Surely this would be a better option in this instance.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
If Britain wants to resolve the Northern Ireland protocol, this is not the way to do it
Taking responsibility should be the flipside of taking back control. But admissions of responsibility are in short supply in the government document published on the Northern Ireland protocol on Wednesday. According to this, the protocol was the responsibility of (delete according to taste) Theresa May, Hilary Benn or indeed the 2019 parliament. Anyone, in other words, except the people who negotiated it – the prime minister and his chief negotiator, David Frost.
The blame shifting should not, however, lead us to ignore the fact that the British government has legitimate concerns about the way the protocol has functioned.
The document – published jointly by Frost, the Brexit minister, and Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary – identifies the genuine problems it is causing in terms not just of trade but also of politics in the region. It points to the inherent problems in the way the European Union has approached the management of the border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as if it were one between sovereign states.
And, let’s not forget, it is in the interests of both the UK and the EU (not to mention the Irish government and both communities in Northern Ireland) to come up with a sustainable and workable protocol that irons out some of these wrinkles.
However, in producing the document Britain undermines its own case. First, the government denies these problems were both foreseeable and foreseen – not least in the official analysis that accompanied the withdrawal agreement when it was submitted to parliament. Ministers cannot credibly complain they were hoodwinked into signing something they did not understand, nor that they had no choice over timing,
Nor is it credible to argue that the EU has been unexpectedly pedantic in its interpretation of the protocol. Brexiters, of all people, should have been alive to the fact that the EU is not known for its flexibility.
And rather than simply identifying operating issues and technical tweaks that might make the existing protocol work, the government is trying to argue that the protocol as a whole needs to be renegotiated – and that the framework for overseeing the agreement, which involves EU institutions, needs to be dumped.
That Boris Johnson does not like part of the UK coming under the authority of a “foreign court” should surprise no one. But where the question is about compliance with EU law, it should surprise no one that the EU insists its court has the final say over what those laws mean. The EU, like Britain, takes the notion of its own sovereign legal order seriously.
So what, ultimately, was the intention behind the document? If it was to secure an outcome both sides can live with, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that it has hindered rather than helped this quest.
By threatening de facto to renege on the international agreement it signed in late 2019, the UK is further confirming in Europe’s eyes that it is an untrustworthy neighbour. Which matters hugely, because the solutions the UK has proposed to the protocol’s problems are based on replacing prescription with trust.
Many in the EU will simply think Britain is trying to ensure that Europe will carry the blame when London eventually renounces the protocol. Some will assume that was the British government’s intention all along, which would make the current fractious relationship much worse.
If we are not to be locked into months of simmering tension, cliff edges and business blight in Northern Ireland, both sides need to agree on a way forward to ensure the protocol as currently drafted functions in the balanced way it was intended.
Perhaps a first step would be for officials to cancel their August holidays and agree an evidence base to establish what is really going on with east-west and north-south trade within Britain and Ireland. A second would be to put some flesh on Britain’s proposals as to how the EU can have the assurances it needs about its single market while ensuring the functioning of the UK’s own internal market.
Shirking responsibility for a deal it negotiated and signed, showing blatant disregard for the EU’s legal order, and threatening to tear up a deal on which Johnson’s signature is barely dry is probably not the best way to secure concessions – not least because the concessions sought are largely based on a greater mutual trust.
Yes, the EU could and should show greater sensitivity to the real problems the protocol is causing. But this document hardly represents the best way of getting it to do so.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Brussels pauses legal action against UK over Northern Ireland protocol
A European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the pause to the legal action which was launched in March would be used to consider proposals put forward by the UK last week.
The spokeswoman added: "While the EU will not renegotiate the Protocol, we stand ready to address all the issues arising in the practical implementation of the Protocol in a spirit of good faith and cooperation.
"It is essential that we continue constructive discussions in the weeks ahead.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Hmmm. I can understand the foodbank not giving the item out as part of their standard issue for fear of being seen to make a political statement, but to refuse to accept them sends out a bad signal regarding the need for donations.
At our foodbank we have trays in which very short dated or non standard stock are placed and anybody whether foodbank customer or soup kitchen guest can help themselves freely.
Surely this would be a better option in this instance.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Northern Ireland may become ‘permanent casualty’ of Brexit if dispute not solved
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Brexit rancour and Boris Johnson’s plan to rip up Northern Ireland deal spell trouble for UK legal industry
What’s that noise? You might not be able to hear it – yet. But London law firms can – and so can Boris Johnson. It’s the sound of chickens coming home to roost.
Our populist Prime Minister has spent decades baiting the EU. Most recently, he announced Britain’s plan to rip up the Brexit deal it signed. But having done his best to alienate EU leaders, Boris Johnson needs a favour from them.
We need permission from France, Germany et al to rejoin an international treaty, the Lugano Convention, or risk hamstringing a large part of Britain’s valuable legal services industry.
The UK dropped out of the treaty because of Brexit. It applied to rejoin in April 2020. But EU members torpedoed the application. And the chances of them changing their minds is looking increasingly unlikely.
The Convention establishes the jurisdiction of national courts in settling various civil and commercial cross-border disputes. And London established itself as the global capital for dispute resolution, dealing with everything from family disputes to business operations.
Dominic Grieve, the former Solicitor General, says being cast out is bad news for an industry that added nearly £60bn to the UK economy in 2018, according to the Law Society.
“This is one very negative consequence of Brexit. And the recent announcement on going back on the Northern Ireland protocol will only have made things worse. Until we get the trust back, there’s not going to be any change,” he says.
Alternative mechanisms – such as Britain’s re-entry into the Hague Convention – might help UK firms. But experts say Britain’s absence from the Lugano Convention harms those locked in disputes.
“The big losers will be ordinary citizens or small businesses,” says Scott Devine, head of legal services at TheCityUK, a professional services advocacy group.
An Italian who’s bought a dodgy kettle in Britain will not be able to settle his dispute at lower cost in an Italian court. A Briton in dispute with an Italian company over a non-functioning coffee maker cannot hear his case in a British court.
Mr Devine says it has “just created more inconvenience and difficulty for smaller parties”.
The Daily Express says revenge for Brexit is the reason why fully vaccinated travellers from the UK to EU may still have to quarantine on arrival. The paper quotes "insiders" saying the restrictions are due to "frustration" with the UK's "tough stance" in ongoing talks about post-Brexit trade.
"Travel rules descend into French farce" says the Times, as it reports on the impact of France's amber-plus designation - which means even fully vaccinated travellers to the UK must quarantine. The paper says France has called the rule discriminatory and scientifically unfounded, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it had been imposed because of cases of the more vaccine-resistant Beta variant in Reunion - a French territory 6,000 miles away.
The i newspaper focuses on the coronavirus traffic light system for travel abroad, saying that ministers are considering a new "amber watchlist" category of countries which are at risk of being switched at short notice to the red list, requiring 10 days' quarantine. The paper says it would mean replacing the so-called "amber-plus" category, which was used this month to place tougher restrictions on France.
The i newspaper reports there could soon be a new "amber watchlist" for travel, which would allow ministers to switch destinations like Spain to the red list at short notice.
This would replace the "amber plus" list - currently affecting France - which requires quarantine even for fully vaccinated arrivals.
The Daily Express says the EU is poised to start what it calls a vengeful "travel war", because of frustrations with the UK's tough stance on post-Brexit trade.
The "travel rules have descended into a French farce", according to the Times, seizing on comments by Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb to the BBC on Thursday.
He said the restrictions were a result of the prevalence of the Beta variant in "the Reunion bit of France" - even though that's a territory thousands of miles away.
This is like "hammering British holidaymakers because of an outbreak on the Falkland Islands", a Brittany Ferries spokesman is reported to have said, wondering "if those in the centre of power have access to an atlas or a geography GCSE between them".
How Spain overtook the UK in Covid vaccine rollout – and what we can learn from its approach
As quickly as the UK began its Covid vaccination programme, it seems to have lost momentum. At least it appears that way in comparison to Spain, which has overtaken it.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Northern Ireland Protocol friction: who’s to blame?
When the Brexit Minister Lord Frost announced his proposal to reform the Northern Ireland Protocol last week, he observed that most of the “current friction” between Britain and the EU stemmed from this arrangement. “It’s hard to argue with that statement,” said Peter Foster in the FT. Yet it is also hard to see Frost’s proposals as he tried to present them – as “an even-handed, mutually consensual attempt to make the Northern Ireland situation work for both sides”.
Frost’s 28-page “command paper” does not offer “detailed technical solutions to difficult problems”. Rather, it effectively suggests that the Protocol – which leaves Northern Ireland effectively inside the EU single market for goods, to avoid a hard border with the Republic – should be renegotiated. “It is an attempt to wind the clock back to arguments that were lost in 2019,” but that Boris Johnson’s Government “now wants to try to win again”.
The Protocol should be renegotiated, or better still, scrapped, said Daniel Hannan in The Sunday Telegraph. “For six months, Britain has been bending over backwards to make the system work, while the EU gives every impression of relishing our discomfort.”
The UK has spent more than £500m helping businesses adapt. It has given EU officials unprecedented access to its customs systems. “It has repeatedly suggested ways to facilitate the flow of goods while ensuring that uncertified products don’t enter EU territory.” Brussels has responded to every offer “by insisting on the most intrusive checks possible”.
No one seriously thinks that this is really about British sausages “sneaking into Co Donegal”. Around 20% of all the regulatory checks carried out by the EU are done on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain – though the volume of trade is relatively tiny. “No, this is about squeezing the UK.”
The UK has “legitimate concerns” about the Protocol, said Anand Menon and Jill Rutter in The Guardian. It has caused genuine difficulties, both for Northern Ireland’s trade and for its politics. However, the fact remains that this Government signed this treaty less than two years ago. “The problems were both foreseeable and foreseen.” Brexiters, of all people, should have been aware that “the EU is not known for its flexibility”.
Brussels has duly dismissed the idea that the Protocol should be renegotiated, said The Times. And it would “be better to try to make existing arrangements work”, with both sides making “reasonable compromises”. But the clock is ticking. The latest grace period before EU regulations are fully enforced lasts until 30 September. It’s in both sides’ interest to make Brexit work for Northern Ireland.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
The NI problems clearly flow from Brexit.
Many of the Brexit problems that we are experiencing stem from the referendum itself. It is very easy to argue anything with the benefit of hindsight, but I do believe that any referendum that could result in massive change should be conditional upon a super majority. This should be the case in any independence referendum, and should have applied to Brexit. I also think that in the case of the Brexit referendum, a more specific question should have been asked. Although this would have most certainly resulted in the remain vote winning. There was only one option for those that preferred to remain, while there were a number of options for those that wished to leave. Just offering an option of leaving with, or without a deal, would have split the leave vote, and remain would have won. I think that this is relevant because some leave voters would have preferred to remain, rather than accept a bad deal, or no deal. If only the remain side had focused on the obvious practical difficulties, rather than what was described as project fear. How many more people would have voted remain in NI, had they been aware that they would become separated from the rest of the UK? How many farmers would have voted for Brexit had they been aware of the likely consequences of the new trade deals, as well as staff shortages stemming from stopping freedom of movement. How many fishermen would now vote to leave? Hauliers? You continue to bring up democracy. I respect democracy, but many people being misled is hardly an example of democracy. I am confident that the experience so far would ensure that there would be no majority for Brexit today. Nor do I think that the referendum question necessarily gave the majority an outcome that they were in favour of.
Unfortunately we cant turn the clock back, and all that is in the past.
Moving on to the protocol. These are the facts as I see them.
Leaving the EU, meant we would be a third country. Assuming we left the customs union, meant a border between the UK, and EU. The obvious place for this border, would have been between Ireland, and NI. This couldnt happen because of the Good Friday Agreement. The only other option was therefore in the Irish Sea. That left NI in the customs union/single market, and separated NI from the rest of the UK. NI has subsequently been forced to implement EU customs union rules, regulations, and checks, as well as those that apply to the UK. Is there any other country in the world that is a member of two customs unions? The sausage wars is a silly argument, as we were aware that the EU doesnt allow imports of chilled meats from third countries, before we left.
As the grace periods end, things will get worse rather than better.
Now the border is in place, how can you get rid of it? Even if Boris ripped up the whole deal, and stopped trading with the EU, WTO rules dictate a border between two different customs territories.
They get to vote on the protocol in Stormont every 4 years, or 8 years if both sides vote in favour. Although the democracy of having a vote seems pointless if the very thing that at least one side is against, seems impossible to change. They can vote against the protocol because of the border, but the border has to stay.
Any argument about Sainsburys and their sausages is a silly one.
I am not sure that any "will of the people" argument stands up to much scrutiny.
We couldnt have left the EU, without having a border between us and them. The border was always going to separate NI from the rest of the UK. Implementing two sets of rules was always going to create difficulties in NI. The sovereignty argument did not apply to NI. The more trade deals we do with other countries, will make things more difficult in NI, rather than easier. What happens if we start importing agricultural products from the US?
Boris chose this outcome. Theresa Mays backstop did not include a border. Staying in the customs union/single market avoided a border. Maintaining a close relationship with the EU would have provided less friction.
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Comments
The UK government wants urgent changes made to the Brexit agreement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Since coming into force at the start of the year, the protocol has prompted disagreements with the EU - including a row over transporting sausages and other chilled meats.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The Northern Ireland Protocol helps prevent checks along the land border between Northern Ireland (in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (in the EU).
During Brexit negotiations, all sides agreed that protecting the 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal (the Good Friday agreement) was an absolute priority.
Part of that meant keeping the land border open and avoiding new infrastructure such as cameras and border posts.
This was easy to do when both Ireland and Northern Ireland were part of the EU, because they automatically shared the same EU rules on trade and no checks were needed on goods travelling from one country to another.
However, a new arrangement was needed after Brexit.
The EU requires many goods - such as milk and eggs - to be inspected when they arrive from non-EU countries, while some products, such as chilled meats, aren't allowed to enter at all.
Under the protocol it was agreed that Northern Ireland would continue to follow EU rules on product standards (known as the single market) to prevent checks along the border. Checks would instead take place on goods entering Northern Ireland from England, Scotland or Wales.
Inspections take place at Northern Ireland ports, and customs documents have to be filled in.
This has prompted criticism that a new border has effectively been created in the Irish Sea.
The agreement came into force on 1 January 2021 and is now part of international law.
What is the sausage row about?
Under EU food safety rules, chilled meat products are not allowed to enter the single market from non-member countries such as the UK.
That means sending sausages from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is - in theory - no longer allowed.
However, a grace period has been in place since January where the rules don't apply.
That period, which was due to end on 30 June, has now been extended until 30 September - but there is still no agreement on how to resolve the dispute in the long term.
The UK had previously warned it was ready to ignore the rules if an extension was not granted, even though it signed up to them when it negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol.
What changes are the UK government calling for?
Despite signing up to the agreement, Boris Johnson says the protocol represented a huge compromise by the UK and has accused the EU of applying it too rigidly.
Now, the UK government wants to get rid of most of the checks, and reduce the customs procedures, in order to allow goods to flow more freely.
It also wants to remove the role the European Commission and the European Court of Justice have in overseeing how the protocol works.
And it is calling for the EU to agree to a "standstill" arrangement on the grace periods, and for the EU to freeze legal action, while negotiations are held.
The UK government has urged the EU to look at its proposals "with fresh eyes".
What has the EU said?
The EU has been critical of the UK's stance and has insisted it must implement the terms of the protocol.
It says it is ready to continue searching for "creative solutions", but it will not agree to a renegotiation.
It has already launched legal action against the UK, which could end up with substantial fines.
The legal move was in response to the UK's decision in March to extend a separate grace period for supermarkets until 30 September. This grace period was only meant to last for three months to allow supermarkets to adapt to the new regime at the start of the year.
The EU said the UK's unilateral action broke international law because it wasn't consulted.
What is Article 16?
The UK government says that "circumstances exist" to justify the use of Article 16 of the protocol. This allows either side to suspend any part of the agreement that causes "economic, societal or environmental difficulties".
However, the UK says it won't trigger it before holding talks with Brussels.
The EU announced it was intending to use Article 16 earlier in the year over its plans to introduce export controls on vaccines produced in the EU. However, faced with widespread criticism, the EU changed its mind within hours.
What about security concerns?
As well as problems with trade, there are also political and security concerns.
Checks were temporarily suspended at the start of the year over what were described as "sinister" threats to some border staff checking goods.
Unionists are strongly opposed to the checks because they don't want Northern Ireland to be treated differently to the rest of the UK.
There have also been a series of demonstrations and protests against any kind of border in the Irish Sea.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-53724381
But Tesco, which boasts 50 stores in Northern Ireland, has only stocked sausages from local suppliers for several years.
Marks and Spencer, which has about 20 stores in the country, also gets its entire chilled sausage stock from Northern Ireland, which means the popular shops are invincible in the face of the threatened ban on imported UK sausages.
Other major supermarkets operating in Northern Ireland, which has a proud sausage making tradition, are believed to source most of their bangers domestically.
“People here like their sausages from the butcher’s and even if they go to the supermarket they’ll go for a local brand like Denny or Cookstown,” butcher Julie Price told the Belfast Live website.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/major-supermarkets-in-northern-ireland-are-invincible-in-face-of-eu-sausage-ban-threat/ar-AAL1qnM
It sounds pathetic.
He can blame the EU.
The majority of members of the public wont look into it too deeply.
Why didnt somebody tell Sainsburys five years ago, that the EU dont allow imports of chilled meats?
Why didnt they find out for themselves?
They have had 5 years to find alternative arrangements.
More to the point is that we are Great Britain.
The EU dont accept imports of chilled meats from third countries.
We are now a third country.
That is except for NI.
NI is still in the single market/customs union.
So we can no longer export chilled meats into NI.
What could be more simple.
Except for the fact that we are Great Britain.
We can ridicule the EU for enforcing their rules.
These are rules that we have complied with, and accepted for almost 50 years while we were members.
Now that we have left we can call the rules stupid, and ridicule the EU.
This is because we are Great Britain, and rules that are inconvenient shouldnt apply to us.
The Government is now arguing for a "standstill".
This means they dont wish to implement any of the changes yet.
Nor do they wish to say when they would like to implement them.
They wish to kick the can further down the road.
Are they trying to keep kicking the can until the Stormont vote in 2024.
There is also likely to be a General Election in 2024.
The EU offered to extend the transition period.
Mr Johnsons response was that he would rather die in a ditch.
Yet a standstill is exactly the same as a transition period.
Everything would stay the same.
So as far as NI is concerned it would carry on as though the UK hadnt left.
Oven ready deal?
Does he really think that the EU will go for this?
The man is deluded.
The UK government is telling councils to display EU flags across towns and cities in England as a condition for receiving high street Covid recovery cash.
Guidance issued to local authorities by the communities ministry this summer says the blue and yellow symbol of European unity is "required" to be displayed around "every piece of signage, pavement sticker, or temporary public realm adaption" funded under the scheme.
The requirement, which will see thousands of new EU flags posted on official buildings and in public places across the country, exists because the European Regional Development Fund has given money to the UK to help with the Covid-19 reopening.
Despite Brexit having happened, under the withdrawal agreement the UK is still eligible for certain payments from the fund until the end of 2023 – but with strings attached.
The flag rule, imposed from Brussels but enforced from Whitehall, is embarrassing for ministers because they are keen to rid UK public buildings of EU flags, but do not want to turn down the Covid recovery cash.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/uk-government-orders-councils-display-080614176.html
Things have gone a little bit sour(dough) for the boss of the baking brand Warburtons, after old comments he made about Brexit appear to have gone stale.
In an article by Campaign in November 2016, chairman Jonathan Warburton is quoted as saying: “Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe.
“We could either continue to be in the European Union and wait for it all to collapse around us, or we could make our own way out of it and crack on as an independent nation. We decided the latter.”
However, almost five years later, after a deadly public health crisis and the ratification of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the haulage industry is facing a severe shortage of lorry drivers.
“At the start of the pandemic, there was a shortfall of at least 76,000 HGV drivers and with the additional loss of EU workers who have returned home, the industry estimates that this number is higher than that,” Logistics UK, a business group representing logistics firms, wrote in a press release earlier this month.
Then on Monday, a spokesman for Warburtons told The Grocer that while they are “managing to maintain a good level of service” for customers nationally, “things are more challenging” at a local level.
“We, like many businesses, are experiencing higher levels of absence due to the rise in community infection rates of Covid-19 and the knock-on effect that has with more people having to self-isolate,” they said.
It’s almost as if the two things are connected, and one Twitter user has since made the comparison:
UK is with EU
@ukiswitheu
Warburton’s 2016:
"Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe”
Warburton's July 2021:
Sorry for the shortage of bread, we don't have enough drivers to deliver bread nationwide, many have gone back to the EU
Others have since responded by suggesting a boycott of the company would help solve its driver shortage problem:
UK is with EU
@ukiswitheu
·
20h
Warburton’s 2016:
"Brexit is a very good thing to have happened. We are well out of the rotting corpse of Europe”
Warburton's July 2021:
Sorry for the shortage of bread, we don't have enough drivers to deliver bread nationwide, many have gone back to the EU
Liz Langfield #FBPE #FBPPR💙
@liz_langfield
·
18h
Well I’m helping them - by never buying any of their bread or other baked products for 5 years, despite the fact they’ve got a bakery about half a mile away, because of their Brexit pronouncements.
Andy Fletcher
@TheNomadman
·
16h
I think we should all do our bit to help Warburton’s through their delivery difficulties. If we all stop buying their bread that should help them no end.
Give Your Head A Wobble Blue heart
@GiveItAWobble1
Replying to
@ukiswitheu
and
@EUnotCoup
I’ve got an idea that will help Warburtons with their delivery issues.
Why doesn’t everyone just stop buying Warburtons bread!
Simple Smiling face with smiling eyes
Charlie Alger
@cralger
·
20h
Brexit clearly not the best thing since sliced bread!
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/warburtons-boss-toasted-on-twitter-as-old-comments-about-rotting-eu-come-back-to-haunt-him/ar-AAMvXI6?ocid=msedgntp
You should watch this one.
Taking responsibility should be the flipside of taking back control. But admissions of responsibility are in short supply in the government document published on the Northern Ireland protocol on Wednesday. According to this, the protocol was the responsibility of (delete according to taste) Theresa May, Hilary Benn or indeed the 2019 parliament. Anyone, in other words, except the people who negotiated it – the prime minister and his chief negotiator, David Frost.
The blame shifting should not, however, lead us to ignore the fact that the British government has legitimate concerns about the way the protocol has functioned.
The document – published jointly by Frost, the Brexit minister, and Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary – identifies the genuine problems it is causing in terms not just of trade but also of politics in the region. It points to the inherent problems in the way the European Union has approached the management of the border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as if it were one between sovereign states.
And, let’s not forget, it is in the interests of both the UK and the EU (not to mention the Irish government and both communities in Northern Ireland) to come up with a sustainable and workable protocol that irons out some of these wrinkles.
However, in producing the document Britain undermines its own case. First, the government denies these problems were both foreseeable and foreseen – not least in the official analysis that accompanied the withdrawal agreement when it was submitted to parliament. Ministers cannot credibly complain they were hoodwinked into signing something they did not understand, nor that they had no choice over timing,
Nor is it credible to argue that the EU has been unexpectedly pedantic in its interpretation of the protocol. Brexiters, of all people, should have been alive to the fact that the EU is not known for its flexibility.
And rather than simply identifying operating issues and technical tweaks that might make the existing protocol work, the government is trying to argue that the protocol as a whole needs to be renegotiated – and that the framework for overseeing the agreement, which involves EU institutions, needs to be dumped.
That Boris Johnson does not like part of the UK coming under the authority of a “foreign court” should surprise no one. But where the question is about compliance with EU law, it should surprise no one that the EU insists its court has the final say over what those laws mean. The EU, like Britain, takes the notion of its own sovereign legal order seriously.
So what, ultimately, was the intention behind the document? If it was to secure an outcome both sides can live with, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that it has hindered rather than helped this quest.
By threatening de facto to renege on the international agreement it signed in late 2019, the UK is further confirming in Europe’s eyes that it is an untrustworthy neighbour. Which matters hugely, because the solutions the UK has proposed to the protocol’s problems are based on replacing prescription with trust.
Many in the EU will simply think Britain is trying to ensure that Europe will carry the blame when London eventually renounces the protocol. Some will assume that was the British government’s intention all along, which would make the current fractious relationship much worse.
If we are not to be locked into months of simmering tension, cliff edges and business blight in Northern Ireland, both sides need to agree on a way forward to ensure the protocol as currently drafted functions in the balanced way it was intended.
Perhaps a first step would be for officials to cancel their August holidays and agree an evidence base to establish what is really going on with east-west and north-south trade within Britain and Ireland. A second would be to put some flesh on Britain’s proposals as to how the EU can have the assurances it needs about its single market while ensuring the functioning of the UK’s own internal market.
Shirking responsibility for a deal it negotiated and signed, showing blatant disregard for the EU’s legal order, and threatening to tear up a deal on which Johnson’s signature is barely dry is probably not the best way to secure concessions – not least because the concessions sought are largely based on a greater mutual trust.
Yes, the EU could and should show greater sensitivity to the real problems the protocol is causing. But this document hardly represents the best way of getting it to do so.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/if-britain-wants-to-resolve-the-northern-ireland-protocol-this-is-not-the-way-to-do-it/ar-AAMxC1B?ocid=msedgntp
A European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the pause to the legal action which was launched in March would be used to consider proposals put forward by the UK last week.
The spokeswoman added: "While the EU will not renegotiate the Protocol, we stand ready to address all the issues arising in the practical implementation of the Protocol in a spirit of good faith and cooperation.
"It is essential that we continue constructive discussions in the weeks ahead.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/brussels-pauses-legal-action-against-uk-over-northern-ireland-protocol/ar-AAMDlN4?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/northern-ireland-may-become-permanent-casualty-of-brexit-if-dispute-not-solved/ar-AAMGZR4?ocid=msedgntp
What’s that noise? You might not be able to hear it – yet. But London law firms can – and so can Boris Johnson. It’s the sound of chickens coming home to roost.
Our populist Prime Minister has spent decades baiting the EU. Most recently, he announced Britain’s plan to rip up the Brexit deal it signed. But having done his best to alienate EU leaders, Boris Johnson needs a favour from them.
We need permission from France, Germany et al to rejoin an international treaty, the Lugano Convention, or risk hamstringing a large part of Britain’s valuable legal services industry.
The UK dropped out of the treaty because of Brexit. It applied to rejoin in April 2020. But EU members torpedoed the application. And the chances of them changing their minds is looking increasingly unlikely.
The Convention establishes the jurisdiction of national courts in settling various civil and commercial cross-border disputes. And London established itself as the global capital for dispute resolution, dealing with everything from family disputes to business operations.
Dominic Grieve, the former Solicitor General, says being cast out is bad news for an industry that added nearly £60bn to the UK economy in 2018, according to the Law Society.
“This is one very negative consequence of Brexit. And the recent announcement on going back on the Northern Ireland protocol will only have made things worse. Until we get the trust back, there’s not going to be any change,” he says.
Alternative mechanisms – such as Britain’s re-entry into the Hague Convention – might help UK firms. But experts say Britain’s absence from the Lugano Convention harms those locked in disputes.
“The big losers will be ordinary citizens or small businesses,” says Scott Devine, head of legal services at TheCityUK, a professional services advocacy group.
An Italian who’s bought a dodgy kettle in Britain will not be able to settle his dispute at lower cost in an Italian court. A Briton in dispute with an Italian company over a non-functioning coffee maker cannot hear his case in a British court.
Mr Devine says it has “just created more inconvenience and difficulty for smaller parties”.
And we have enough of that in our lives already.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brexit-rancour-and-boris-johnson-s-plan-to-rip-up-northern-ireland-deal-spell-trouble-for-uk-legal-industry/ar-AAMGFgi?ocid=msedgntp
The Daily Express says revenge for Brexit is the reason why fully vaccinated travellers from the UK to EU may still have to quarantine on arrival. The paper quotes "insiders" saying the restrictions are due to "frustration" with the UK's "tough stance" in ongoing talks about post-Brexit trade.
"Travel rules descend into French farce" says the Times, as it reports on the impact of France's amber-plus designation - which means even fully vaccinated travellers to the UK must quarantine. The paper says France has called the rule discriminatory and scientifically unfounded, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it had been imposed because of cases of the more vaccine-resistant Beta variant in Reunion - a French territory 6,000 miles away.
The i newspaper focuses on the coronavirus traffic light system for travel abroad, saying that ministers are considering a new "amber watchlist" category of countries which are at risk of being switched at short notice to the red list, requiring 10 days' quarantine. The paper says it would mean replacing the so-called "amber-plus" category, which was used this month to place tougher restrictions on France.
The i newspaper reports there could soon be a new "amber watchlist" for travel, which would allow ministers to switch destinations like Spain to the red list at short notice.
This would replace the "amber plus" list - currently affecting France - which requires quarantine even for fully vaccinated arrivals.
The Daily Express says the EU is poised to start what it calls a vengeful "travel war", because of frustrations with the UK's tough stance on post-Brexit trade.
The "travel rules have descended into a French farce", according to the Times, seizing on comments by Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb to the BBC on Thursday.
He said the restrictions were a result of the prevalence of the Beta variant in "the Reunion bit of France" - even though that's a territory thousands of miles away.
This is like "hammering British holidaymakers because of an outbreak on the Falkland Islands", a Brittany Ferries spokesman is reported to have said, wondering "if those in the centre of power have access to an atlas or a geography GCSE between them".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-58020875
As quickly as the UK began its Covid vaccination programme, it seems to have lost momentum. At least it appears that way in comparison to Spain, which has overtaken it.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/how-spain-overtook-the-uk-in-covid-vaccine-rollout-and-what-we-can-learn-from-its-approach/ar-AAMM2lH?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/lord-frost-s-brexit-masterplan-three-key-pieces-of-legislation-uk-says-must-be-ripped-up/ar-AAMsKyR?ocid=msedgntp
@Essexphil said:
Let's examine 1 of the points in that article. The 1 relating to Sainsburys.
Sainsburys has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Due to the so-called "integrity of the Single Market" adopted by the Masterrace, Sainsburys is not allowed to sell any of its goods in Northern Ireland unless it can prove that stuff is not being sold across the border which may have been produced in Great Britain. Consequently, it is having to source most of its product in NI from a rival supplier.
How many stores does Sainsburys have in the Republic of Ireland? None. The only "export" will be people nipping over the border to shop in NI Sainsburys. Which they are free to do in Northern Ireland-the UK does not restrict purchases. We do not wish to penalise the people of Ireland-unlike, of course, the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was all about freedom. Freedom to identify as being British, or supporting an All-Ireland agenda. Living in far greater harmony than previously-due to considerable concessions made by both the UK and Ireland.
Compare and contrast with the EU. Unwilling to allow 1 of its members freely to trade with its only neighbour. Not allowing both sides of the border to trade freely, regardless of the fact that the vast majority of these goods will never leave the island of Ireland. How difficult would it be to have different rules for items exported outside of the island of Ireland rather than remaining there? The EU has managed to do that elsewhere.
I dislike the UK government. It sells us short, and tries to con us. But for their own ends, and greed. Better that than the sort of dogma that belongs in a George Orwell book.
Northern Ireland Protocol friction: who’s to blame?
When the Brexit Minister Lord Frost announced his proposal to reform the Northern Ireland Protocol last week, he observed that most of the “current friction” between Britain and the EU stemmed from this arrangement. “It’s hard to argue with that statement,” said Peter Foster in the FT. Yet it is also hard to see Frost’s proposals as he tried to present them – as “an even-handed, mutually consensual attempt to make the Northern Ireland situation work for both sides”.
Frost’s 28-page “command paper” does not offer “detailed technical solutions to difficult problems”. Rather, it effectively suggests that the Protocol – which leaves Northern Ireland effectively inside the EU single market for goods, to avoid a hard border with the Republic – should be renegotiated. “It is an attempt to wind the clock back to arguments that were lost in 2019,” but that Boris Johnson’s Government “now wants to try to win again”.
The Protocol should be renegotiated, or better still, scrapped, said Daniel Hannan in The Sunday Telegraph. “For six months, Britain has been bending over backwards to make the system work, while the EU gives every impression of relishing our discomfort.”
The UK has spent more than £500m helping businesses adapt. It has given EU officials unprecedented access to its customs systems. “It has repeatedly suggested ways to facilitate the flow of goods while ensuring that uncertified products don’t enter EU territory.” Brussels has responded to every offer “by insisting on the most intrusive checks possible”.
No one seriously thinks that this is really about British sausages “sneaking into Co Donegal”. Around 20% of all the regulatory checks carried out by the EU are done on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain – though the volume of trade is relatively tiny. “No, this is about squeezing the UK.”
The UK has “legitimate concerns” about the Protocol, said Anand Menon and Jill Rutter in The Guardian. It has caused genuine difficulties, both for Northern Ireland’s trade and for its politics. However, the fact remains that this Government signed this treaty less than two years ago. “The problems were both foreseeable and foreseen.” Brexiters, of all people, should have been aware that “the EU is not known for its flexibility”.
Brussels has duly dismissed the idea that the Protocol should be renegotiated, said The Times. And it would “be better to try to make existing arrangements work”, with both sides making “reasonable compromises”. But the clock is ticking. The latest grace period before EU regulations are fully enforced lasts until 30 September. It’s in both sides’ interest to make Brexit work for Northern Ireland.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/northern-ireland-protocol-friction-who-s-to-blame/ar-AAMJUga?ocid=msedgntp
Many of the Brexit problems that we are experiencing stem from the referendum itself.
It is very easy to argue anything with the benefit of hindsight, but I do believe that any referendum that could result in massive change should be conditional upon a super majority.
This should be the case in any independence referendum, and should have applied to Brexit.
I also think that in the case of the Brexit referendum, a more specific question should have been asked.
Although this would have most certainly resulted in the remain vote winning.
There was only one option for those that preferred to remain, while there were a number of options for those that wished to leave.
Just offering an option of leaving with, or without a deal, would have split the leave vote, and remain would have won.
I think that this is relevant because some leave voters would have preferred to remain, rather than accept a bad deal, or no deal.
If only the remain side had focused on the obvious practical difficulties, rather than what was described as project fear.
How many more people would have voted remain in NI, had they been aware that they would become separated from the rest of the UK?
How many farmers would have voted for Brexit had they been aware of the likely consequences of the new trade deals, as well as staff shortages stemming from stopping freedom of movement.
How many fishermen would now vote to leave?
Hauliers?
You continue to bring up democracy.
I respect democracy, but many people being misled is hardly an example of democracy.
I am confident that the experience so far would ensure that there would be no majority for Brexit today.
Nor do I think that the referendum question necessarily gave the majority an outcome that they were in favour of.
Unfortunately we cant turn the clock back, and all that is in the past.
Moving on to the protocol.
These are the facts as I see them.
Leaving the EU, meant we would be a third country.
Assuming we left the customs union, meant a border between the UK, and EU.
The obvious place for this border, would have been between Ireland, and NI.
This couldnt happen because of the Good Friday Agreement.
The only other option was therefore in the Irish Sea.
That left NI in the customs union/single market, and separated NI from the rest of the UK.
NI has subsequently been forced to implement EU customs union rules, regulations, and checks, as well as those that apply to the UK.
Is there any other country in the world that is a member of two customs unions?
The sausage wars is a silly argument, as we were aware that the EU doesnt allow imports of chilled meats from third countries, before we left.
As the grace periods end, things will get worse rather than better.
Now the border is in place, how can you get rid of it?
Even if Boris ripped up the whole deal, and stopped trading with the EU, WTO rules dictate a border between two different customs territories.
They get to vote on the protocol in Stormont every 4 years, or 8 years if both sides vote in favour.
Although the democracy of having a vote seems pointless if the very thing that at least one side is against, seems impossible to change.
They can vote against the protocol because of the border, but the border has to stay.
Any argument about Sainsburys and their sausages is a silly one.
I am not sure that any "will of the people" argument stands up to much scrutiny.
We couldnt have left the EU, without having a border between us and them.
The border was always going to separate NI from the rest of the UK.
Implementing two sets of rules was always going to create difficulties in NI.
The sovereignty argument did not apply to NI.
The more trade deals we do with other countries, will make things more difficult in NI, rather than easier.
What happens if we start importing agricultural products from the US?
Boris chose this outcome.
Theresa Mays backstop did not include a border.
Staying in the customs union/single market avoided a border.
Maintaining a close relationship with the EU would have provided less friction.