Ireland is accelerating preparations for a no-deal Brexit amid growing alarm that parts of the Irish economy could face severe disruption and even collapse – and that the UK hopes to leverage that prospect to wring concessions from the European Union.
Leo Varadkar’s government is due on Friday to publish a mammoth omnibus bill incorporating 16 pieces of legislation to try to shelter Ireland from the doomsday scenario of the UK crashing out of the EU.
The parliamentary marathon in Dublin will begin amid increasingly fraught warnings of a hammer blow to agriculture, food processing, transport and other industries. [...]
Some suspect the UK government is intentionally raising the stakes for Ireland in hope that Dublin will soften its insistence on the Irish backstop and let the EU agree a compromise Brexit deal that Theresa May can bring to Westminster.
“The British plan ... echoes tactics used against the government of Éamon de Valera during the Anglo-Irish trade war of the 1930s,” the Irish Independent reported.
EU officials also believe that Downing Street is trying to pressure Dublin – with little success. Brussels has been working on a package of temporary support to help ease the short-term impact of a no-deal Brexit, including aid for affected businesses. [...]
Full article on The Guardian
© The Guardian
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article