IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus
“ It appears that Perfidious Albion is still at it—reneging on its Irish promises and treaties, as it has done for many centuries. These two attached articles from todays Irish News of Belfast and the Irish Echo of New York, make this pretty clear. No matter how strongly I supported the Good Friday Agreement, I have been haunted by the thought, ‘but what if some other British prime minister comes along and betrays the good faith of Prime Minister Tony Blair ?’
It now seems that is what is going to happen; and once again England is going to to use poor Ireland (both parts) as a political football. Members of Congress must speak up.”—Fr. Sean McManus.
Theresa May
was warned in 2016 that her three Brexit priorities for Ireland were
incompatible
WARNING: Former[British]attorney
general Dominic Grieve
Sam Blewett and Sean Connolly, PA. Irish News. Belfast.Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Theresa May was warned that her three Brexit priorities for Ireland
were incompatible in 2016, the UK’s former ambassador to the EU has
said.
Sir Ivan Rogers also said he discussed the same dilemma with Boris
Johnson, the frontrunner to become the next British prime minister.
The former diplomat told the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday that
Mrs May’s speech setting out her Brexit red lines prompted him to think
they would cause a stir in Brussels.
He said that he and then cabinet secretary Lord Jeremy Heywood had no sight of
the address before it was delivered.
Sir Ivan said that in 2016 he delivered “one of the most unpopular things” he
had told to the PM.
He said it was that “you have made three commitments in good faith to
different audiences, but they are not really compatible with each other”.
“You have said to the Irish, under no circumstances will a hard border be
erected across the island of Ireland,” he said.
“You have said to the Democratic Unionist community under no
circumstances will there be divergence from the rest of Great
Britain.
“And you have said to the right of your own party that you are heading out of
the customs union.
“You can’t do all three. You have got to choose two of the three.”
The backstop agreement to prevent a hard border in the island of Ireland
if no post-Brexit deal is negotiated proved to be a major sticking
point and helped lead to Mrs. May’s demise as prime minister.
Sir Ivan also said he issued Tory leadership contender Mr [Boris] Johnson with
the same warning when he was foreign secretary.
Meanwhile Dominic Grieve has accused Mr Johnson of further radicalizing on
Brexit and leaving the UK with “starker” prospects by trying to appease
hardliners in a strengthening of his stance on the Irish backstop.
The former attorney general also accused the Tory leadership
front-runner of making a “disgraceful” suggestion which would spell
the end of democracy as we know it.
Yesterday Mr. Grieve warned whoever becomes the next British prime
minister that their government will collapse if they pursue a no-deal
departure from the EU.
On Monday Mr. Johnson said in a head-to-head debate with leadership rival
Jeremy Hunt that the “Backstop” to prevent a hard border in
Ireland could not have time limits or “unilateral escape hatches”.
Mr. Grieve said Mr. Johnson confirmed that hardliners would “put up
another obstacle” if anyone was able to solve the issue because it is
being “used as an excuse because of this radicalisation”.
“When challenged and confronted, he radicalized even further and excluded
any possibility of trying to negotiate some way out of the
“Backstop” at all. It had to go in its totality,” Mr Grieve said.
Speaking alongside Mr. Grieve at a second referendum campaign event,
Labour MP Margaret Beckett called the candidates’ “Backstop”
pledges “terrifying” and accused them of throwing “the Irish situation
under a bus”.
“Nobody can say that that situation is now so peaceful it’s inconceivable
that there will be further problems in the future. I think that’s an
extraordinary demonstration of lack of responsibility to the country,” she
said.
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