Almac is a large Pharmaceutical company based in Craigavon and employing over 150 people. I saw their Managing Director on the TV News the other night talking about his plans to pull the plug in the north and move the business to Dundalk so that they can continue to do business within EU and avoid the hassle of border customs. I would say they will not be the only company heading south as Brexit draws nearer. It will be interesting to see what Norbrook does.
I saw Nelson McCausland on TV last night saying that Brexit was a great decision for the North of Ireland and he fully supported it irrespective of the consequences. When Mairtin Ó Muilleoir put it to him that it would mean the loss of jobs he said he did not care. I thought that was what politicians were supposed to be concerned about –providing employment for the people.
I read a piece written by Arlene Foster for the Guardian ( 29 Oct 2016) in which she was singing the praises of the Brexit decision for the UK and especially for Northern Ireland. Unlike Theresa May, Arlene advocated a Leave vote and got a handsome sum of money for her campaign which she and Jeffrey spent mostly in London. The electorate in the north of Ireland obviously did not listen to her and voted by 56% to 44% to Remain in the EU. Nevertheless, Arlene argues that the vote here does not matter because we belong to the UK and we joined the EU as part of the UK. Was there a referendum in the UK to join the EU?
This is certainly not an argument one would make if one had the interests of all the people in the north at heart and, indeed if one had the interests of all the young people of Ireland at heart. It is not an argument you would make if you were concerned about the loss of jobs as a result of Brexit. It would seem that the only people whose interests Arlene has at heart are the hardliners in her party and the racists in England and Wales who want out of the EU in order to control immigration. Scotland can hardly be regarded as part of the UK any longer.
It is time for the DUP and the UUP to seek a better deal for all the people in the north, especially the farming and business community by supporting the call for special status for the north within Europe. After all the majority here voted to stay. After all we who live in the north are Irish citizens and thus automatically Europeans citizens. Under the terms of the 1998 Agreement both governments committed to upholding our rights as citizens of the EU. We are a special case. We should be getting special status in the EU for a number of reasons. Will Dublin stand by its commitments in the Good Friday Agreement – even if London does not care about its responsibilities under the terms of the 1998 Agreement?
I see in the news that over 100,000 English firms have moved to establish bases in the Free State to be used in case of Brexit fallout.
indeed if one had the interests of the young people of the north at heart……….
you are promoting unchecked open borders inviting the very people who think its alright to marry ten year olds into the country along with their other mad beliefs.so dont be giving us that oul line.you need to get over it the vote is done n dusted.
“inviting the very people who think its alright to marry ten year olds into the country along with their other mad beliefs”
You do realise Christianity also allowed children to marry young.
“In Biblical times people were married at a very young age. Girls were usually betrothed before they reached puberty – majority of the time the marriage would have consummated when the girl reached puberty, and that was usually between the ages of 8, 9 or older”
Would the other “mad beliefs” also be that the earth is indeed flat and there’s no such thing as evolution??
So of the politicians standing in todays election share these same “mad ideas”
But you continue to bury your head in the sand Billy.
biblical times lol.its 2017.its happening now the day along with the grooming gangs,genital mutilation,forcing women to cover their faces,honour killings,forced marriages,thats only a few mad beliefs to be getting on with.i dont about burying heads in the sand,but another of their cultures is burying the body in the sand leaving the head exposed to be stoned to death for some misdemeanour.do you want these cultures brought to ireland.
Billy can you tell me what country within the EU allows these practices you talk about, if you are talking about Muslims then we should close are airports and harbours that link us to Britain as there is 2,706,066 Muslims living there and you would not want those Brits here. Your comments are racist at best and unfounded as the refugees will still be welcomed into Britain and here even after Brexit and no matter what religion people must adhere to the laws of the country they live in, unless you live here then the Christian fundamentalists within the DUP will make sure that respect for one another is plainly kept out of society I mean who would want to love thy neighbour
its happening everyday in england,check online the court records.theres nothing racist about the truth.
And as you say the courts are dealing with it but we could protect ourselves from this part of British society by pushing for a border poll and voting to unite Ireland and keep these unwashed out
you want to swap british rule for german rule now.what happened to self determination.serving neither king nor kaiser.
Hahaha yes one step at a time Billy, antway is the Queen of England not German?
I should appreciate it were ALMAC to move to bandit country, close to my own family and my prospective son in law works for the firm.
That said, as I predicted at the time of the Referendum result, what this pronouncement appears to be about is the same old scare tactics, previously used by the ‘Remain’ side to say jobs will leave.
Art. 50 is not yet even through the UK Oireachtas, so negotiations have yet to commence, there are, yet, no indications that job’s will be lost, rather, indications, neutral one’s at that, appear to indicate jobs will be gained.
I made the point before regarding our 1972 entry to the EEC, now EU, which led to massive redundancies, notable Ford in Dublin and Ferenka in Limrick. The EU did nothing to save the job’s at Xerox Dundalk nor Dell in Limerick more recently. What possible purpose should some one without work have for supporting the entity which occasioned their unemployment, a job in manufacturing pays a lot less than a job stacking shelves in ALDI.
Again on a previous related point, European, African, Asian immigrants tend to undertake their shopping in European, African and Asian shops, the products they buy coming directly from their specific countries, there is therefore, less revenue being generated for the local Irish or British economies since local jobs are not being supported in making the foodstuff they are purchasing, I should point out, Polish folk work harder than any race I’ve ever seen but, not certain others.
As to Billy’s point above, the influx of migrants which has led to such barbaric behavior, and suffering, is not really the fault of Pole’s, how will exiting the EU solve that particular problem?
Does the intolerance of Unionists to Catholics or indeed anything Irish never end.
Does the Flat Earth,Creationists, Willie Frazer,Gregory Campbell, Nelson McCauslands, Arlene Fosters really represent those who want to remain British? Ithink not!!
Does the hate of Islam stretch to those God fearing Muslims who are Irish?
nobody mentioned hating anybody.
all they want is a points based system for anybody wanting to come and live in their country.
say a 2k fee for application,must speak fluent english,must have the funds to buy a house,have a job to come to,no criminal record,ect.simple things like that is not much to ask.we cant be expected to be overrun with all sorts many of them criminal gangs coming in unchecked on the orders of the eu.look at the carnage its causing through england and europe at the minute.thats not hatred thats only common sense.
“Under the terms of the 1998 Agreement both governments committed to upholding our rights as citizens of the EU. We are a special case. We should be getting special status in the EU for a number of reasons. Will Dublin stand by its commitments in the Good Friday Agreement – even if London does not care about its responsibilities under the terms of the 1998 Agreement?”
There’s nothing in the Belfast Agreement about upholding rights as EU citizens. But, regardless, Brexit doesn’t affect those rights.