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Irish Ferries Rosslare Decision – Mock Shock from TDs

Written by Joerg Steegmueller
Irish Ferries Rosslare Decision – Mock Shock from TDs

Irish Ferries has announced today that they will probably end the Rosslare to France ferry service because the majority of their customers prefers to get to Dublin directly instead of to Rosslare. Makes a lot of sense to most people! Having a service to a location that is not the favourite location and having to provide infrastructure at that unliked location does not make ANY business sense.

First I thought they are just cancelling the service, but when you read the announcement you find out that instead a Cherbourg to Dublin service will be provided. Not sure if they will still go to Le Havre, though.

So not REALLY a big problem, BUT there is immediate outrage from some of our TDs. Brendan Howlin from Labour finds the decision inexplicable. He either didn’t read the Irish Ferries announcement or doesn’t understand business. OR and that is the actual reason for his “mock” outrage: He is a TD that represents an area close to Rosslare. And yes, he is the TD for Wexford. So he needs to be outraged to have a chance to be elected again.

And the other outraged person? It is Sinn Féin’s Brexit spokesperson David Cullinane and – what a surprise – he is from Waterford. He finds the decision “truly baffling”.

Oddly, both claim that the reason for their shock is the upcoming Brexit! :-O Can anybody explain that? Ferries are still going from France to Ireland, but to Dublin instead of Rosslare. How does Brexit come into that? …unless you are afraid of being accused of “navel gazing” (or being only interested in the topic because it could affect your personally) and therefore invent some “bigger” justification than just defending your own patch.

Brexit, Dublin, Overexaggerations, Traffic, , , ,

Enough of Brexit! Already! – Get on with it!

Written by Joerg Steegmueller
Enough of Brexit! Already! – Get on with it!

I am an unapologetic supporter of the European idea. It makes 100% sense that smaller nations get together and form a bigger and more powerful union to deal with global challenges. But 51% in the UK thought differently and because of this small majority most politicians in Europe are occupied with that Brexit thing instead of with the solution of REAL problems and issues. In the UK it seems that NOTHING else is happening than discussions about and political resignations over Brexit.

No, Brexit doesn’t make sense, neither on a global political level nor on a strategic level (together we are stronger), but older Brits outside of London seemingly thought that “Make Britain Great Again” would be a desirable goal and after months and months of reading about backstops and the Northern Irish border and idiots like Boris Johnson and the inability (even complete lack of attempt) of the pro-Brexit side in the UK to come up with a workable solution for a separation, I am getting fed up with that Brexit nonsense.

Especially after reading the very pro-Brexit and totally anti-Ireland comments as a response to journalist Gaven Reilly’s Tweet on Thursday here twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1019636060001918980 I thought that the best approach might be to just let them go quickly (or alternatively kick them out of the EU fast) and then let them see what mess it will cause. Just F off, Britain! :-S

I do not believe that it will be a possibility to find a border-free scenario between Northern Ireland and Ireland that will be agreeable on all sides. Instead I think we will have to deal with the fact that – for a while at least – there will be a border again between the two countries as it was between other countries in Europe before the Schengen agreement. That is not ideal, but we just have to live with it. It shouldn’t be the biggest problem!

Sure, there are lots more unresolved issues, but do we really want to give a Johnson and Rees-Moog so much power that they tell WHOLE Europe what we have to focus on? Just GO!

Brexit, , ,

Brexit: No hard border to Northern Ireland – Is that really possible?

Written by Joerg Steegmueller
Brexit: No hard border to Northern Ireland – Is that really possible?

For weeks this issue is in the media and it is/has been a big hurdle for the Brexit negotiations. No matter what some might WANT, Northern Ireland is part of the UK and the fact that it once was part of Ireland or the fact that it is located on the island of Ireland does not change that. Valid treaties are in place and unless they change Northern Ireland will remain to be a part of the UK. And if the whole UK leaves the EU, then this will also mean that Northern Ireland will leave the UK.

I am well aware that the population of Northern Ireland is divided on their allegiances and many would prefer a closer relationship or even a “re-unification” with Ireland, I am also aware that nobody would want to get back to the situation before the “Good Friday Agreement” from 1998, when terrorist organisations on both sides and highly questionable official forces made life hell for everybody.
But being from a border area elsewhere, I also am well aware that a border or even border controls is not the biggest problem in the world. Sure, we would all prefer a borderless world, but we have on one hand no problem causing a huge amount of in-humane problems to non-EU citizens who want to visit us in the EU, but on the other hand, many think that a border between Ireland and Northern Ireland would be the worst possible scenario.

I don’t agree that borders are a problem. When I grew up we regularly went to France, which was only 20 minutes away and it was never a big problem. Two countries, two set of laws and rules and a border made some sense. The EU states worked hard to break down the borders, but if one state decides to leave, I can’t see how it will work not to have borders again.

Nevertheless, it was announced on Friday that after long negotiations it was agreed that there will be NO hard borders between Northern Ireland and Ireland. So no border controls! But nobody seems to know yet how that will work in reality.

UK government said that they will ensure that there are no barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. So, there won’t be a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and there won’t be a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. BUT there might be completely different tax rules. Do you see the problem?

Have a look at the agreed document here. It says nothing and leaves a lot to Phase 2 negotiations and at the same time the agreement says a lot. Clause 49, for example, more or less implies that Northern Ireland might stay in the EU Customs Union and in the Single Market. And Clause 50 promises that there won’t be any barriers between Northern Ireland and the UK, but this is then probably only possible if the UK also stays in the EU Customs Union and the Single Market. :-O

Either that agreement is not worth the paper it is printed on OR the UK just has abandoned Brexit in large parts. Odd!!

Brexit, Irish, Odd, Politics, Taoiseach, , , , ,
 
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