Johnson humiliated as EU’s point-by-point rejection of NI proposals is leaked
Clown: Boris Johnson – as the EU’s officials no doubt consider him.
How sad for Boris Johnson – and how amusing for the rest of us (and let’s face it, with Brexit, we have to get our giggles where we can).
A copy of the European Union’s rejection of Boris Johnson’s proposals for the Irish border after Brexit has been leaked to The Guardian.
It is humiliating for BoJob as it confirms that he is in the top flight in only one respect: that he is a nincompoop.
Would you like to read them?
Of course you would:
The European Union’s full devastating point-by-point rejection of Boris Johnson’s Brexit proposals for the Irish border has been revealed in documents obtained by the Guardian.
The confidential report chronicling the latest negotiations reveals:
- The British have been warned that the proposed Stormont veto provides the DUP with an opportunity to block the all-Ireland regulatory zone from ever materialising.
- The proposals for a customs border were said to risk a major disruption of the all-Ireland economy. EU negotiators have pointed out that it has been rejected by groups representing Northern Irish business.
- The UK is seeking a fallback of no controls, checks and border infrastructure, even if the DUP vetoes Northern Ireland’s alignment with the single market. The bloc’s internal market would be left wide open for abuse, the European commission has said in its rejection of the proposal.
- The UK’s proposal leaves it up to a joint EU-UK committee to work out how to avoid customs checks and infrastructure near the Irish border once there are two customs territories and sets of rules on the island of Ireland, without offering a plan B if no such solution is agreed.
- The UK has called for an overhaul of the common transit convention so as to avoid the need for new infrastructure in the shape of transit offices on either side of the border for the scanning of goods that have passed through multiple territories. Brussels has refused as it would lead other non-EU countries to seek similar exemptions, endangering the internal market.
- The text affords what is seen as an unacceptable wholesale exemption for small and medium-sized businesses from customs duties and processes, but it fails to provide details on how to then combat smuggling.
- On VAT, the British negotiators were told that the proposals fail to offer any solutions as to how to avoid payments and checks at the border.
- Under the UK’s proposals all the state aid and level-playing-field conditions Theresa May agreed to in order to reassure the EU that Northern Ireland businesses would not enjoy a competitive advantage have been deleted. But Northern Irish firms would still be able to compete in the single market for electricity.
- The UK would have access to an unlisted number of EU databases to allow it to police the customs border on the island of Ireland and the regulatory border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Whitehall would maintain such access even if the DUP vetoed alignment with the single market.
Source: Revealed: the EU’s point-by-point rejection of Johnson’s Brexit plan | Politics | The Guardian
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“The UK’s proposal leaves it up to a joint EU-UK committee to work out how to avoid customs checks and infrastructure near the Irish border once there are two customs territories and sets of rules on the island of Ireland, without offering a plan B if no such solution is agreed.”
Why should it be up to the U.K. to come up with a Plan B.? If the two parties concerned cannot find agreement, there is no hope.
“The UK has called for an overhaul of the common transit convention so as to avoid the need for new infrastructure in the shape of transit offices on either side of the border for the scanning of goods that have passed through multiple territories. Brussels has refused as it would lead other non-EU countries to seek similar exemptions, endangering the internal market”
Surely, this is the E.U.’s problem, then? Our concern is our internal market. From what I understand, the choice is between compromising our single market, or rather staying in that of the E.U., or compromising the E.U.s single market. What I don’t understand is why people, who one would think would support our priorities, are siding with the E.U. Surely, how the E.U. deals with its own borders and marketplace are the responsibility of the E.U. Our responsibilities are our borders and marketplace. If the E.U. doesn’t like the proposal, it should put forward something else; this is negotiation.
Allegedly, £ord Trimble has said that our government’s proposals actually meet the requirements of the Belfast Agreement, something that the backstop, proposed the E.U., allegedly, does not. It is becoming evident, as I said some weeks since, that the E.U.’s prime concern is its single market and not peace. It is obvious that both parties are going to have to come up with a novel solution, because neither side is going to be able to get everything that it wants, in that regard.
It’s up to the UK to come up with a Plan B because the EU is happy with the plan it already has.
Yes, the issue of nations seeking exemptions is an EU problem. You have just quoted the way the EU is dealing with it.
I’d like to know who alleged that the EU is not concerned with peace, as Ireland is an EU nation.