By Nigel Dodds
Following confirmation from the Prime Minister that he believes he has secured a “great new deal” with the European Union the Democratic Unionist Party will be unable to support these proposals in Parliament.
The Democratic Unionist Party has worked since the referendum result to secure a negotiated deal as we leave the European Union. We have been consistent that we will only ever consider supporting arrangements that are in Northern Ireland’s long-term economic and constitutional interests and protect the integrity of the Union.
These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union. Our main route of trade on an East —West basis will be subject torules of the European Union Customs Union, notwithstanding that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK Customs territory.
All goods would be subject to a customs check regime regardless of their final destination. The default position, even for goods travelling from one part of our country to another, is that they are considered under the EU Customs code unless otherwise agreed.
We recognise that only those goods ultimately destined for the Republic of Ireland would be subject to tariffs but the reality remains that the EU would have a veto on which goods would be exempt and which would not under the Joint Committee arrangements. This is not acceptable within the internal borders of the United Kingdom.
Consumers in Northern Ireland would face the prospect of increased costs, and potentially less choice due to checks being implemented in order to facilitate the European Union. Throughout all the discussions on these issues we have been clear that Northern Ireland should not be subjected to administrative burdens which will be entrenched for the future.
On VAT Northern Ireland will again be bound into arrangements that the rest of the United Kingdom will not. There is a real danger that over time Northern Ireland will start to diverge across VAT and Customs and without broad support from the democratic representatives of the people of Northern Ireland.
While some progress has been made in recognising the issue of consent, the elected representatives of Northern Ireland will have no say on whether Northern Ireland should enter these arrangements.
The Government has departed from the principle that these arrangements must be subject to the consent of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland. These arrangements would be subject to a rolling review but again the principles of the Belfast Agreement on consent have been abandoned in favour of majority rule on this single issue alone.
These arrangements will become the settled position in these areas for Northern Ireland. This drives a coach and horses through the professed sanctity of the Belfast Agreement.
For all of these reasons it is our view that these arrangements would not be in Northern Ireland’s long term interests. Saturday’s vote in Parliament on the proposals will only be the start of a long process to get any Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the House of Commons.”
Mr Bav’s comments have some truth in them and are a bit similar to JRM. An imperfect deal could possibly be all we could hope for and is at least a start. I’d noticed, as someone else has commented that Sir John has kept his integrity. Also our fishing waters have again been sacrificed and that is unacceptable. Anyway, at the moment it looks like, what with the Remainiacs and some true Brexiteers it wont get past HoC.
If we are LUCKY, it being Parliament itself scuppering ‘The Deal’, maybe the Benn Surrender Act CAN be avoided. Who knows? I don’t.
Gerrard Batten knew years ago that Article 50 was devised by the EU, (Lisbon Treaty was it?), for the EU, precisely in order to prevent anyone leaving. He said from the start we should have repealed the Act/Treaty that took us in to the EEC.
To be fair to May I seem to remember she was reluctant to go the Article 50 route. Though my memory could be wrong on that. Especially as she made such a hash of things after. I still think Hammond was whispering in her ear and there has been a comment somewhere that he is closely involved in ‘suspect’ financial dealings.
However did we lose sight of the fact that we never did need a trade agreement in order to leave the EU? We have been cheated, bamboozled and blinded by the smoke and mirrors in the struggle of attempting to get ”a deal”. Why?
Listen to to this and see how we have been lied to again. Farage breaks down the “deal” showing it for what it is – a sell-out.
Forgot the link: https://youtu.be/mHew0ncKofk
It is no good for any part of the uk, only a fool would think this is a deal yet alone a good deal. Its a good deal for the eu but not the uk. Its a death sentence for the uk
The DUP make valid points and overall the ‘deal’ (in fact an internationally binding treaty) does not augur well for the wider UK as we shall certainly not be independent and will spend £30+ billion on top of a small step forward. Fisheries abandoned, foreign policy not to conflict with the EU, locked into regulatory trade bureacracies, not able to make trade deals which are more advantageous than the what the EU has achieved, … Yes it’s better than May’s nonsense but has no relation to the perks of an independent nation.
Let’s be clear : this is STILL a fake Brexit, though better than May’s.
May was chosen by the Tory party to “negotiate” a Fake Brexit, but the con failed. The 9% the Tories got in the Euro elections was a dire warning to them. So they dumped May and hired an even better con-artist : BoJo the huckster to renew the con. YES, a conned Joe Public CAN be conned again!! Or can he?? This time I am not so sure.
If the deal fails to pass AND is not followed up with a No Deal Exit, we are CERTAIN, in my opinion to get Jeremy in Downing Street quite soon.The Tory party will be finished, and we could suffer years of Marxist government as a result.
Peter
The DUP seem to be ignoring the zeitgeist.
The public are sick and tired of both the whole Brexit debate and the sabotage tactics that prevent agreement from hard -core Leavers AND Remainers.
The NI issues, although important to NI and Ireland ,are only a part of the Brexit issue, but, just like our current collective obsessions with LBGT rights, crazy environmentalism and the rest, the minority shouting is in danger of overwhelming majority sensibilities. That must now be quashed.
The Boris Deal is imperfect in much the same way – as I’m sure Nigel Dodds will appreciate- that the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty was imperfect. However that was a start. The very real prospect of rejecting the current deal is to force normally moderate people into immoderate and perhaps violent protestors and light a fuse that is much more dangerous than any treaty. This is not worth spilling blood for.
In the case of Ireland, this problem is magnified. Let’s look at the facts. Varadkar and Sinn Fein support the deal. To get them to agree was something of a miracle. There is NOTHING in the Boris deal that takes anything away from the Unionist side. They are still in the UK, and during the long transition period that will define the customs arrangements there is the opportunity ( if NI chooses), to sit down at the assembly they have all turned their backs on for nearly 3 years and start compromising .
But that aside, Ireland’s , NI’s and Scotland’s politicians CANNOT block, by dint of their sense of overriding entitlement the insistence of the MAJORITY of the UK that Brexit GETS DONE.
The deal IS imperfect, and Labour / LibDems and now even Farage want to scupper it for reasons of self interest, not the United Kingdom’s interest.
The electorate, given the chance, will heavily punish those politicians who attempt to kick what is a reasonable, but imperfect deal into the long grass for dubious and oft-sinister motives.
Johnson and what is now apearing to be his poodle, Moggie both voted for May’s WA3, so anything that is not much different from that would be to them, a good deal. It is unacceptable to be subject to the ECJ, to give up our fishing and what is termed close alignment ie an arm tight round the neck saying ‘you’re not going anywhere’ and much beside.
I have not gone through the detail, it not being my thing, but I would rather take note of calm, rational thinkers such as Sir John Redwood, who has come to the conclusion that this ‘new deal’ is the same as the old one (it’s not just about the backstop, virtually all that Johnson has been concentrating on) and therefore bad for the UK.
You pour scorn, very rightly in some cases, but not everyone deserves it.
The deal is far from imperfect; it is wholly unacceptable as it in no way respects the referendum result. It is absolutely not in the interests of the UK to accept it. The DUP may well be our saviour.
The “deal” is just a rehash of May’s (or should that be “Merkel’s”) Vassalage Treaty. It is the thrice slaughtered, rotting pig reheated and with some lipstick applied. This was always going to be Boris’ offer, he was quite happy to vote for the Vassalage Treaty at MV3 and he’s happy with it now. It would be far better to get an extension, revoke Article 50, or even a second referendum. This deal is, and has always been, the worst of all worlds.
They failed in their attempts to rig the 2016 referendum; they will not fail again.
Mr Thomas – I fear you’re right. They won’t fail again – which is why, though people talk confidently about a General Election, it won’t be allowed to give us what we want, ie a Brexit Party to bring about our escape.
“a reasonable, but imperfect deal”…………………………………????
I think NOT !
What you describe as a ‘deal’ is, in actual fact, a surrender of our Nation to the abomination that is the EU !
For the “dubious and oft-sinister motives”, just stand back and take a good hard look at the EU and it’s machinations. They would retain, (amongst other things) control of British fishing waters, our Armed Forces (via the PESCO agreement), control of our laws and regulations (via the rule of the ECJ), control of our trade policy etc. etc.
The list goes on and on but this ‘deal’ is nothing but a treaty, from which we can never escape, which gives the EU total control of the UK……………….FOREVER !
This ‘deal’ must never, under any circumstances, be allowed to pass !
Utter tosh . Will you send your son to fight to the death for a fish finger ?
I think you will find it will be the EU’s High Representative of Foreign Affairs who will send his son…and it may be to Ukraine, CAR, Mali etc….
I think I’d prefer the fish finger option….
” The very real prospect of rejecting the current deal is to force normally moderate people into immoderate and perhaps violent protestors and light a fuse that is much more dangerous than any treaty. This is not worth spilling blood for. ”
I think you are misreading the situation, this deal, and its a Treaty by the way, will potentially ignite violence, but by Loyalists, its not all about the IRA. This ‘Deal’ completely removes the right of consent agreed in the GFA by both the Irish and UK governments that the status of NI will not change without the wishes of the people. They are essentially saying politically you will do what we want and to hell with consent, remember what JFK said about peaceful change? This could well be challenged in a court, and I hope someone does crowdfund a challenge, similar to Gina Miller.
” Let’s look at the facts. Varadkar and Sinn Fein support the deal. To get them to agree was something of a miracle. There is NOTHING in the Boris deal that takes anything away from the Unionist side.”
Of course they do. Lets look at some other facts, NI will be locked into the customs union for perpetuity with Eire and will be defacto annexed; something the IRA never achieved in 30 years of violence. The NI Assembly have to vote on the deal in 4 years or the customs status remains. How do you keep the status quo? Easy, all you have to do is ‘down tools’ just before the vote and bingo another 4 year extension and then an 8 year extension. SF essentially will have a permanent veto and there is no obligation that they have to vote OR indeed turn up. The Assembly has already been vacant for 3 years, anyone with basic political understanding can see this loophole a mile off.
“The deal IS imperfect, and Labour / LibDems and now even Farage want to scupper it for reasons of self interest, not the United Kingdom’s interest.”
This ‘deal’ is a complete and utter sell out and not Brexit, it is BRINO. You can put icing and a cherry on top of a dog poop, it is still a dog poop no matter how you spin it. The proof will be in the taste, not the looks. The UK won’t even unilaterally control is own foreign policy or laws!
“The electorate, given the chance, will heavily punish those politicians who attempt to kick what is a reasonable, but imperfect deal into the long grass for dubious and oft-sinister motives.”
When the electorate discover the true implications of this Treaty (5-10 years from now) they will be outraged and realise this was a sell out.
The establishment have been deliberately trying to wear down the Leaver’s, that’s what they do. The situation is a virtual re-run of Maastricht, and we all know how that ended, a flag, an anthem, etc.
Consider this, what sort of government abandons it loyal citizens. If Johnson would do this to NI, what would he do to Gibraltar, the Falklands or other UK overseas dependencies?
Very well said, John Locke.
So, you are happy for the UK fisheries, what’s left of it, the UK armed Forces, our subservience to the ECJ to continue? Listen to this and, noting each clause, how we, the peoples of the UK, are being sold down the river: https://youtu.be/mHew0ncKofk
The plan: Kenya, Tanganyika, The Central African Federation, South Africa, Southwest Africa, Northern Ireland, Scotland …
Can the plan, at last, be stopped?
We kept the Falklands. (Although perhaps only because, should we remain, they will in any event be subsumed, with the oil and the fish, into the EU.
We shall see.
Quite right too!