By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 17 Oct 2016 • 8:23
Martin McGuinness.
ONE week after Scotland tabled a new independence referendum bill as a ‘hard Brexit’ looms, the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland has said the nation should push for a special EU status.
Martin McGuinness has argued that Brexit will have a “devastating” impact on the Irish people and called for Dublin and Belfast to unite in opposition to Theresa May’s plans.
“As things sit at the moment we are going to suffer big time,” McGuinness said. “Theresa May says ‘Brexit means Brexit’, but so far as we are concerned Brexit means disaster for the people of Ireland” said the Sinn Fein leader, whose compatriots voted 56 per cent to 44 per cent to stay in the EU.
“There is a large amount of discontent, including within the unionist community, about how this Tory-led Westminster administration is being so cavalier in disregarding the impact of what they are planning,” McGuinness continued.
“There has to be an island of Ireland solution that we can live with, and it is critical that we have an Irish government fighting our corner, so the big challenge in the next few weeks is whether the government in the north and the south can come to a common position. We need to get our act together about what we want to see come out of these negotiations.”
“May says she is negotiating on behalf of the United Kingdom, but there is absolutely nothing united about a so-called United Kingdom. We don’t agree. We see our future in Europe. Scotland sees its future in Europe.”
His statement comes amid worries that a hard border will once again resurface between the north and south of the island, a symbolic rebuff of the hard fought peace process.
“Any removal from the customs union effectively means we are cut out of a market of 500 million people, yet half an hour down the road they will be able to trade freely with the EU. It would be a devastating blow,” McGuinness noted.
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Notice how Gerry Adams has remained silent after his outburst of NI needing to the UK after the Brexit vote and how McGuinness has changed his tune on the same… as I mentioned before to those who threw this in the air as a breakup of the UK, they and their supporters have too much to lose if NI where to leave the UK, many of their supporters are either on UK welfare or working for UK government in NI… of course they don’t want to leave the UK anymore as someone has told them to digging a hole 🙂
BTW, it is strange how many from the south actually go to the North to shop… as its cheaper, there won’t be any change!
Moaning people like you only do yourselves more damage, all of you along with moaning politicians such as Nicola Sturgeon actually add to that exchange rate falling by adding to instability… but you don’t even see that do you! Go back to the UK, even Guernsey if you want more sun and you won’t have to worry about the exchange!
It is important you understand the facts rather than demanding things which are contrary to democracy, we are not leaving Europe, we are leaving the EU…. two totally different things!
You say 6.5 M expats wanted to stay in Europe “EU” and where not allowed to vote! 1) A lot of these people where allowed to vote and 2) How do you know the ones that where not would have all voted to leave? I have discussed this with quite a few of my friends and many of them would have voted to leave as I would have if I had been given the vote, you need to get on with it in a positive manner and things will be a lot smoother for everyone.It was taken to court and it was lost, end of story! If you had such a big issue with that then why didn’t you contact your MP when Blair brought that regulation in rather than wait until it situation existed where you didn’t like the result!
Don’t worry, the number of Irish citizens without a British passport but who live in the UK who should not be given the right to vote and where, will have more than compensated for your and other voters.
There should not be and there won’t be one so face up to that!
I think it is you who ought to go back to the U.K. what an absolute load of crap you whinge about anyone who has a right to voice their opinion. Brexit has unleashed a multitude of harm which will not be solved in more than a decade. The heart of England will be ripped out in less than two years Brexit has already started without the trigger being pulled. Farage was only intent to get his own back with the E.U. for them laughing at his mannerism. Hence the lies and deceit in the campaign. How can there be a plan for Brexit until there is an all round discussion which cannot begin until May. Meanwhile everyone suffers the uncertainty.and loss of income.
I am not the one complaining about the exchange rate so I have no need to go back to the UK, if you had given what I wrote some thought you would have understood that but the impression I get is you don’t really appear to think or look at anything beyond what suits you, the same as many expats here!
Gosh are you really trying to tell me that “the lies and deceit in the campaign” where on the leave side, give me a break, sadly for you I can see why you are having issues with Brexit but I won’t insult you by stating the obvious here! 🙂
You might find this interesting, maybe get your brain into the mood for looking into things a bit:https://peterwiddows.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/how-could-16-2m-people-vote-remain/
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