Macron may give ONE phone call and the border will be effectively shut by thorough checks until the message is understood.
Of course they did not pick up on the EU’s proposals. The Tories will keep the Brexit ball in the air for as long as they can. Once they admit that it’s a done deal, people will ask about the end results. They’ll continue this circus until somebody else takes over, at which point they will claim that they had nothing to do with it. And their donors will have had enough time to cash in by then.
To summarize why it’s a concern.
Unilaterally changing an *international agreement* amounts to a breach by any reasonable definition. Breaching the Protocol, the Irish Sea border, defaults that border to no deal.
This means the border, *all its obligations like checks* and **all the infrastructure required to perform those checks** ***default to the political border between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.***
Whether it’s then enforced is irrelevant to the EU and US, as the UK would, with signing this into law, *formally* threaten the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement and the Single Market.
It shouldn’t have to be said that the Good Friday Agreement is of extremely high importance politically to Ireland (aka the EU) and US.
Nevermind that refusing to conduct the checks as signed opens up a huge gap in the border with which unchecked goods can flood into the EU. Food made to Australian standards (no offense to Australians but are not made by recognized EU standards,) molluscs that have been harvested in British loo filled waters, products that don’t meet CE manufacturing standards. And so on.
With both parties we can typically expect sanctions, which have been the historical initial order of escalation for Western democracies when talks break down or when someone has done something naughty.
Given how important the GFA and Single Market are, and how much more vulnerable the UK is to “global pressures” rather than Brexit as stated by Tories, it’s……not a very assuring prospect for the UK. This is doubly so with the cost of living crisis paired with the fact that it imports 30% of its food and 40% of its medicines from the EU, amongst other critical goods.
Nevermind the US may get involved as well, as this would hit the GFA *two months before their elections.* Last time the country did something this overt against US interests during an election year it lost a Canal.
3 comments
Macron may give ONE phone call and the border will be effectively shut by thorough checks until the message is understood.
Of course they did not pick up on the EU’s proposals. The Tories will keep the Brexit ball in the air for as long as they can. Once they admit that it’s a done deal, people will ask about the end results. They’ll continue this circus until somebody else takes over, at which point they will claim that they had nothing to do with it. And their donors will have had enough time to cash in by then.
To summarize why it’s a concern.
Unilaterally changing an *international agreement* amounts to a breach by any reasonable definition. Breaching the Protocol, the Irish Sea border, defaults that border to no deal.
This means the border, *all its obligations like checks* and **all the infrastructure required to perform those checks** ***default to the political border between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.***
Whether it’s then enforced is irrelevant to the EU and US, as the UK would, with signing this into law, *formally* threaten the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement and the Single Market.
It shouldn’t have to be said that the Good Friday Agreement is of extremely high importance politically to Ireland (aka the EU) and US.
Nevermind that refusing to conduct the checks as signed opens up a huge gap in the border with which unchecked goods can flood into the EU. Food made to Australian standards (no offense to Australians but are not made by recognized EU standards,) molluscs that have been harvested in British loo filled waters, products that don’t meet CE manufacturing standards. And so on.
With both parties we can typically expect sanctions, which have been the historical initial order of escalation for Western democracies when talks break down or when someone has done something naughty.
Given how important the GFA and Single Market are, and how much more vulnerable the UK is to “global pressures” rather than Brexit as stated by Tories, it’s……not a very assuring prospect for the UK. This is doubly so with the cost of living crisis paired with the fact that it imports 30% of its food and 40% of its medicines from the EU, amongst other critical goods.
Nevermind the US may get involved as well, as this would hit the GFA *two months before their elections.* Last time the country did something this overt against US interests during an election year it lost a Canal.