I
Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus.
“ Boris has met his match in Leo. Taoiseach Varadkar is giving a command performance.
Irish-Americans say : Yes, to the “Backstop. No, to a hard Border. And better still, No damn Border at all.
Fr. Sean McManus
No “Backstop” is same as no deal for Ireland, Taoiseach
tells Johnson
RTE. Dublin. Monday, September 9, 2019
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that,
for the Irish Government, having no “Backstop” in the
Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was the same as having no deal.
Speaking at Government Buildings ahead of their first face-to-face meeting
since Mr. Johnson became prime minister, Mr. Varadkar said there was
no such thing as a clean break
He said the story of Brexit would not end when the UK leaves the EU, either at
the end of October or at the end of January.
“In the absence of agreed alternative arrangements, no “Backstop” is
no deal for us,” Mr Varadkar said.
“All it does is kick the can down the road for another 14
months; another 14 months of uncertainty for business, another
14 months of uncertainty for people north and south of the Border. So
that’s not an option that we find attractive at all.”
Mr. Varadkar said he believed a deal was possible and he wanted Ireland to be a
friend and ally of the UK.
The Taoiseach warned Mr Johnson that he faced a “herculean task” in
achieving trade deals with the EU and US post-Brexit.
He said he was confident that he and Mr Johnson would achieve
common ground, and said he would listen to any constructive ways that
might break the current Brexit impasse.
He said they respected the UK’s decision to leave the EU, but said leaving
with no-deal would cause severe disruption to Ireland and the UK.
Mr Varadkar said the backstop was a critical component of the Withdrawal
Agreement, and they could not replace a legal guarantee with
a promise.
“The stakes are high, avoiding a return to a hard Border is the priority
of this Government,” he said.
“We are open to all alternatives legally workable, but we have not
received such to date.
“The Good Friday Agreement is the best example to show that old foes can
come together and as co-guarantors of that agreement.”
Mr Johnson said the one message he wanted to deliver today is that his
overwhelming preference is to get a deal. He said he believed
this could be achieved by 31 October.
He said he had looked carefully at a no-deal scenario and assessed the
consequences for both Ireland and the UK, but going through with
it would be a failure of statecraft.
Mr Johnson said Brexit was not a problem that Ireland wished for and so there
were many questions that needed to be resolved.
He said the UK would never institute checks at the border, could protect
the economic unity of Ireland, and could uphold the Good
Friday Agreement.
“I’ve seen the old Border and how absolutely vital it is we keep
the open border, on the plan, it’s fairly obvious, we need to find a
way of ensuring that the UK is not kept locked in “Backstop” arrangement
while giving Ireland the assurance that it needs,” he said.
“Whether it’s electronic pre-clearance or concept of the unity
of island for agri-foods, and other ideas we’ll bring forward
to address the full range.
“I don’t underestimate the technical problems but I do think there is a
way through.”
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