EU slaps down Johnson's opening gambit to renegotiate Brexit

[jpak]

Source: Portland Press Herald

BRUSSELS – EU leaders on Tuesday slapped down an effort by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to renegotiate Britain’s departure from the European Union, declaring that they were unwilling to agree to any deal that did not include ironclad assurances to ensure peace in Northern Ireland.

The rejection kicked off a nail-biting season of negotiations ahead of Oct. 31, when Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union. Johnson rose to power last month on a hard-line platform that his country would depart the bloc in October, regardless of whether a deal was in place to ease the transition.

The European response came a day after Johnson demanded that EU leaders throw out an insurance plan, known as the “backstop,” that would ensure an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The open border is a key part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which calmed decades of sectarian violence.

“The backstop is an insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found,” European Council President Donald Tusk wrote on Twitter. “Those against the backstop and not proposing realistic alternatives in fact support reestablishing a border. Even if they do not admit it.”

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Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/08/20/eu-slaps-down-johnsons-opening-gambit-to-renegotiate-brexit/

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[displacedtexan]

1. What do you want to bet that Trump encouraged Boris to try this?

This sounds like a Trumpian move.

[sandensea]

2. Bleachjob Johnson broke this; he bought it

Here's hoping the good people of the UK vote more carefully next time.

[NCjack]

3. MFer-#45 and Bleachjob have masterbated too many times to have any vision. nt

[sandensea]

4. And been bribed to many times

by Wall Street in Cheeto's case, and The City in Boris' case - plus, of course, Putin.

[ancianita]

5. Have the Brits explained to us what the royal family's role is in all of this? I don't think I've

understood the little I've come across, so I'm just thinking out loud here.

On the one hand, I understand the Queen invites the winner of the General Election to form a government in her name, but has no say in how the country is run. Regardless, given that the queen considers herself the whole country, as in "we," she might believe that this situation is "not in 'our' interest," and call Johnston to account for assurances that no economic downturn is permanent.

On the other hand, I can see that Queen cares little about "having her say" when things go for the worse in government; and she also must know that the public's trust in government has eroded such that the City is losing its financial power.

I'm positive that her wealth will not erode according to particular no-brexit decisions; that
she's got a "royal" navy, air force, etc.; she's got colonies; she literally owns islands; she has access to tax havens, banks, and other connections we have no clue about. The City of London might make her knock at the gate yearly, but she's still got a kind of power that it doesn't. And maybe she'll have more as its financial powers wane.

What can she do and not do? I have no idea.
But I just can't believe that she's not involved in some way in the separation from the EU.
I just haven't come across any explanation of her role in all this.
So I really know nothing.

Thanks for reading.

[Ghost Dog]

12. The Queen is required to play no part in politics.

Her role is purely ritualistic. Power is vested in the Prime Minister's Government in a party-political parliamentary system. She might be in a position to pull some personal strings, and she shouldn't do that if its political, but that's it, barring constitutional crisis and a monarchist coup d'etat. She is, formally and ritualistically, the Head of the armed forces although in no sense a Commander. In a situation of actual or potential civil war, for example, that factor could possibly come into play.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_prerogative

[Myrddin]

15. Ghost Dog summed it up well.

The Queen must remain apolitical.

However, she is well known for sending covert messages by way of dress and jewllery.

This was her outfit for the opening of parliament Jun 2017, when Brexit Legislation formed part of the Queen's Speech, which lays out the upcoming agenda for Parliament. The Queen pro-EU?

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-40356113

[ancianita]

16. Looks that way. So I suppose, now, that she's not concerned about her people's economic future.

Going off on a tangent here ...

Cartels -- banking, food, telecom, transportation, medical -- of the world don't seem too concerned about the fascist turn of governments any more than she is.

I'm not happy about how the 36 million millinonaires and 2,153 billionaires of the world seem benignly indifferent to the future for the rest of us.

[elleng]

6. Oct. 31, when Britain is scheduled to leave,

All Hallows Eve!!!

[jpak]

7. Be Afraid

Be very afraid.

[calimary]

8. Be careful what you wish for, Boris.

You probably thought being Prime Minister would be soooooooooo great. All that power and prestige!

Instead, YOU get to deal with this shit now. And many of your fellow citizens will say YOU’RE the one screwing this up. You’re gonna miss Teresa May sooooooooo much. So much easier and more fun to just blame somebody else and give them big headaches all the time, wasn’t it!

Now, that “honor” is ALL YOURS.

[erronis]

11. Strange how well the names Boris and Vladimir work together. What's the Russian for Dotard?

While this attempt to overthrow democracies seems a bit juvenile or pathetic, what's more pathetic is how some of the populace of the US and UK are willing to drink the swill.

[calimary]

14. Yeah, no kidding. "Be careful what you wish for" writ large.

The U.S.A. is gonna start looking like the Land of Buyers’ Remorse.

[lanlady]

17. The word "durak" would do nicely

It’s Russian for fool. Donny the Durak

[erronis]

18. Thank you lanlady - that is excellent. Sure to get under his skin!

[Grokenstein]

9. Reality slowly creeps in, even into a Tory's brain

Like Trump, Boris publicly pretends that he can still force his will upon everyone else, even from a severe disadvantage--and I'd bet good money that, like Trump, in private he's begging them to let him save face.

But as the Great Date approaches, watch for the attitude of Boris and his ill ilk to gradually change from "I demand full surrender" to "oh god please don't do this to me." Even though they did it to themselves.

[OnDoutside]

10. To break down what is happening.....

Johnson : Now listen here chaps, this backstop thing, we've decided to drop it from the Withdrawal Agreement, so let's renegotiate in our favour.

EU: Lol.

[cab67]

13. I've found this whole thing tragicomic.

The UK has been approaching the EU, saying, "We want to leave, but keep the benefits of staying. What's your offer?" And the EU responds with "You're the blokes who want to leave....."