Wonder what the fuss about the Withdrawal Agreement is all about?

Well, former prime ministers, well-known Remainers, John Major and Tony Blair give the game away in an article in the Sunday Times last week.  It is their view that if our democratically elected parliament passes the Internal Market Bill, then the UK is ‘bound to end up before the European Court of Justice’ because ‘under the Northern Ireland Protocol, [the ECJ] retains jurisdiction over EU rules’. 

Yes, you read that correctly.  The UK could still be taken to court by the EU which we have actually already legally parted from in January, for decisions it takes in its own sovereign territory.    

Well, we have to say a big thank you to Messrs Major and Blair for putting this in crystal clear language.  And telling us exactly why they don’t want the Withdrawal Agreement to be replaced.  But there is nothing new here.  They are simply reminding us that they reject the largest vote in the history of this country. This is their last throw of the dice to impose their views over those of the majority.    

We know Messrs Blair and Major are as determined to retain EU oversight in the UK as they ever were.

One amusing, but scary part of their article is where they argue that adherence to international law is ‘just as important’ as adherence to domestic law; that internationally drafted treaties should be viewed ‘in the same way’ as the laws drawn up by the elected parliament in the UK itself.      

Bingo!!  In print (or online if you are digitally minded), the Brexit battle summed up. 

As Brendan O’Neil, the editor of Spiked writes, “There are those who believe that international laws, rules, regulations and treaties, whether drawn up in the EU or the UN, should have the same authority as laws drawn up in a democratically elected national parliament, and there are those of us who believe that the parliament we elect should be sovereign over everything else, including treaties we signed and have now changed our minds about.  A parliament bound by international treaties it cannot change, and threatened by legal action from a foreign court, is not a free parliament.  There is only one problem with the Internal Market Bill: it doesn’t go far enough.  To defend democracy in the UK, the Withdrawal Agreement must not only be tweaked – it must be torn up.”

Borders and Good Friday

Let’s just look back a few months, or is it years, this is so long and drawn out after the people voted to Leave the EU.     

In summary, post Brexit, the UK wanted to keep the current Irish Border open.  I think we are all agreed on that.  But so the Republic of Ireland also wanted the border open.  I think that too is an agreed position   So far so good.      

But then the EU basically insisted that, in order to preserve the integrity of the EU internal single market, keeping the border open was not possible as there was no current electronic solution acceptable to the EU – and what would be the EU’s ‘hard’ border, would be a threat to peace.  Of course, the feet dragging EU will quite possibly never find any solution acceptable in spite of similar situation existing around the world where there are “hard borders”.    

But here is where the EU are being cynical.  Having similar (electronic) EU-UK border solutions at the Irish Sea, where the Britain – N.Ireland 200-year old internal market must now have (EU imposed) barriers, is to Brussels/Dublin ‘peaceful’, despite several times more trade passing over it electronically than at the current Irish Border.    

And by the way, the EU putting obstacles in the way of an open current Irish Border border does not contravene the GFA as there was no mention of keeping the Irish Border open within the Good Friday Agreement.  

But moving the Irish Border to the Irish Sea and setting up EU customs/tariffs between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, without the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly, does contravene the GFA - as a 3rd party (the EU) is attempting to control north-south affairs – and EU member the RoI would clearly beneficially gain from that 3rd party.

The GFA is an international treaty.  The WA international treaty does not overrule the GFA.   The EU and the UK agreed within the WA, via the Irish Protocol, that Northern Ireland is in the UK’s customs territory, and no customs duties will be within the UK.  This is now what the EU apparently now disputes.

So it is very clear to anyone who cares to look that it is the EU looking to knowingly contravene the GFA.  It is not the UK.   Nd the stooshie of the Internal market Bill?  Well it is there, if needed, to protect the integrity of the UK’s single market, and the GFA.  The only people who could possibly not agree with the UK having such a back up are those who still refuse to accept the will of the people.   

Just a final point, 88% of our GDP is generated by activity within the U.K., and unless you think that the other 12% will just disappear, (which of course it won’t), you need to stop being such a pessimist and doom monger.

Do your homework, Mr Potential President.

Presidential hopeful Joe Biden and U.S.A. Senate and Congress leaders need to do their homework.  For example, Nancy Pelosi says that there will be no deal if there is a border put in Ireland between the north and the south.    

Or as Joe Biden, the man who would be president warns, any trade deal between the US and UK "must be contingent upon respect for the agreement and preventing the return of a hard border."     

How depressing that the man who aims to be the so called leader of the free world can be so ignorant. There has never been a hard border.   The border has been an open one allowing free passage of people since 1923, just after Ireland seceded from the UK, and of goods since 1993, long before the Good Friday agreements.    

On a wider point, I think even the most ardent pro EU advocate would blush if they stated the EU wasn’t a bully.   We have seen then break agreement after agreement when it suited them.   And if they can bully the UK with all its strength, wee poor African nations desperate to sell into the EU have no chance.   The EU don’t respect democracy either.    

And if you think I'm over the top, just remember Ireland (yes dear old Ireland) being told by the EU, think again.  Just keep voting till you get it right.    

On the trade issue, I’m really quite staggered by the remain voices that simply haven’t the slightest idea of how trade works.  I make something. You want to buy it.  I sell it to you.  

That was what we did before we joined the EEC as it was.  And there is absolutely no reason why we could not just go back to that.  Anyway, the UKs business are ready to leave the EU.  Not that the CBI were not aware of it. 

But of course, in Brussels we have elite that really is not interested in democracy or free trade.  They want any trade to be wrapped up in their political ambitions for a European Super State.  The UK is now being a bit of a spoke in the wheel for progress towards that.  And they don't like it.  

The UKs problem is that under Cameron and May the EU were not relieved of their belief that the UK would roll over.   Perhaps it is late in the day but now they hopefully realise that leaving the EU means we are not subject to their courts of law.  Japan, Canada, USA, Australia, Brazil et al.    None of them as independent nations would allow such a situation to happen.  So why should the UK?    

On a final point, the EU has one of the most fearful PR department able to produce propaganda like never before.  This video is an example.  The less than subtle Message?   EU good.   Everyone else bad.   Classic. I’d hate to ever be on the wrong side of them.