[youngian]

Let’s hope Brandon Lewis is just thick as shit rather than reneging on the WA and installing a hard border in Ireland

The new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis has said that there will be no border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Speaking to reporters in Belfast, ahead of his meetings at Stormont House, he said that there would be no border down the Irish Sea after the Brexit transition period.

Mr Lewis said: "The United Kingdom is going to be one area and all will be able to benefit from our future global trade deals.

"I appreciate what Michel Barnier says, he's a very good man trying to do a good job for the EU.

"But this is also the man who said we couldn't open the Withdrawal Agreement.

"Our Prime Minister got that agreement open, got a new agreement. We've got it through parliament, we've left the European Union.

"And we're going to build for a better economy for the whole of the United Kingdom as one.

"We are absolutely clear. As a UK government, we will not be having a border down the Irish Sea." https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0214/11153 ... don-lewis/

[The Red Arrow]

It's as if Brexit isn't really done, isn't it?

[spoonman]

In the unlikely event that he gave that speech without either Johnson's or Cummings (now that I type that out, it sounds like a pair of Viz cartoon characters) hand up his arse, he's going to learn fairly quickly that while you might get away with playing games and throwing produce from magic money trees at the DUP in the House of Commons, in general you do not fuck around with politicians in Northern Ireland on their own turf. And if Sinn Fein manage to get into a governing coalition south of the border, things will likely get even tougher.

Plus, trying to play games of chicken regarding the NI/ROI border will pretty much ensure no trade deal with the USA - Pelosi as well as varying Irish Americans in Congress on both sides have pretty much laid down that if the UK screws around with the GFA, you can kiss goodbye to that silver ticket.

[Kreuzberger]

Arlene marked his card on the Today Programme this morning, Brandon, the sort of man who shows no emotion upon sentencing for football-related offences, thought he could brush her off. He has not the faintest idea.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Oh my. Oh my.

I wonder if we can overdo the "Cummings" stuff sometimes. Doubtless he wants to make sure the government coughs up for spaffing, but I doubt he's got any interest in Northern Ireland. I reckon this is down to Brandon Lewis. Amazed he got this job.

[Kreuzberger]

Well, well, well. The consensus seems to be - albeit still speculation - that reneging on the WA is where the smart money is going and "forcing" the EU to re-harden the border in Ireland.

Of course, that is utterly unthinkable, but the unthinkable is where we are now.

Where do we go? We 2-D chess players are trying to second-guess the next move using our shared values and our respect for the rules of the game. For me, anyway, it is difficult to think outside that framework.

And, this is where the problem lies; we are no longer expected to be participants in that discourse. That discourse is what underpins democracy and legitimises consent, and it's in an "unthinkable" condition. I finally get it now. 24 June 2016. A bit late to the party, sorry.

[spoonman]

Well, well, well. The consensus seems to be - albeit still speculation - that reneging on the WA is where the smart money is going and "forcing" the EU to re-harden the border in Ireland.

Of course, that is utterly unthinkable, but the unthinkable is where we are now.

Where do we go? We 2-D chess players are trying to second-guess the next move using our shared values and our respect for the rules of the game. For me, anyway, it is difficult to think outside that framework.

And, this is where the problem lies; we are no longer expected to be participants in that discourse. That discourse is what underpins democracy and legitimises consent, and it's in an "unthinkable" condition. I finally get it now. 24 June 2016. A bit late to the party, sorry.

Without wanting to be seen as either being for or against this outcome, I wouldn't be shocked if there's a "deep" plan here to try and engineer a "united Ireland" or at least some way to dump Northern Ireland out of the UK - likely by pissing off so much of the unionist parties & voters over the next 12 months at least. As I've mentioned before, the DUP is good at negotiating a short term hard bargain but poor at long term or even medium term strategy. The potential fly in the ointment will be wherever there will be enough political stability in the Republic of Ireland come the start of 2021 - the recent general election there has exposed holes in the state's economic progress trying to filter down to the population at large.

And once those paddies are out of the way, next are the jocks...

[Andy McDandy]

Norman Tebbit once said that if he'd had his way, he could have ended the Troubles with the targeted killing of 500 people in Belfast, Derry and south Armagh.

I wonder if that's the goal here? Hard border, provoke the terrorists, send in the SAS. Plays well with the Sun and Mail readers, fuck the DUP because they'll do what they're told unless they want a united Ireland, looks like an Alexander and the Gordian Knot slice of out of box thinking but is actually stupid as hell.

[MisterMuncher]

Norman Tebbit once said that if he'd had his way, he could have ended the Troubles with the targeted killing of 500 people in Belfast, Derry and south Armagh.

It's almost like he didn't understand the nature of flying columns or guerilla fighting, innit?

I mean, jailing suspected terrorists without trial worked out really well. Surely executing people on the streets could only improve on that.

And in that lies the rub. Too many of the Tory brains trust are convinced it's a war on half time, and if it starts again they can win it militarily.

[Boiler]

Norman Tebbit once said that if he'd had his way, he could have ended the Troubles with the targeted killing of 500 people in Belfast, Derry and south Armagh.

And he'd have been dead too.

[MisterMuncher]

Norman Tebbit once said that if he'd had his way, he could have ended the Troubles with the targeted killing of 500 people in Belfast, Derry and south Armagh.

And he'd have been dead too.

So you're saying it's not without merit?

[davidjay]

When he said 500 murders I wonder how many would be loyalists? Because if it was republicans-only, the number needed to end the troubles would have been far less than 500.

Of course, when I say 'end', I mean end for as long as it would take the next generation of terrorists/freedom fighters to be recruited and paid for. It defies all logic to think that centuries of imperial and post-imperialism down the line, senior politicians have still not worked out that creating martyrs doesn't and never will work.

[Boiler]

Yes, but you're forgetting what a stupid cunt the old coffin-dodger is.

Another one whose death will be marked by the sound of champagne corks popping.

[Kreuzberger]

Yes, but you're forgetting what a stupid cunt the old coffin-dodger is.

Another one whose death will be marked by the sound of champagne corks popping.

This is a particularly vile sentiment and one which I wholeheartedly endorse.

[oboogie]

Yes, but you're forgetting what a stupid cunt the old coffin-dodger is.

Another one whose death will be marked by the sound of champagne corks popping.

This is a particularly vile sentiment and one which I wholeheartedly endorse.

There are many who never forgave the Provos for fucking up the Brighton bombing.