‘The EU gets the border problem even if Britain doesn’t’ – Newry MLA | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

‘The EU gets the border problem even if Britain doesn’t’ – Newry MLA

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty has welcomed the publication of the European Commission’s paper on Ireland and has described it as yet another important milestone in the Brexit process.

Speaking to Newry Times, McNulty said, “Michel Barnier, the European Commission and the other twenty-seven heads of state across the European Union get the problems this region faces as a result of Brexit. 

 

 

“Equally they get the fact that David Davis and the Tory Government have little or no real understanding of the everyday life in this region and the impact Brexit will have on everyone living here.

“I firmly believe that Michele Barnier has listened intently to the arguments the SDLP, the Irish Government and many others across this island have made.

“He gets it, he gets the unique challenges this island faces. Collectively we have convinced the EU commission that the island of Ireland and the island of Britain require different deals and different solutions,” the Newry MLA continued.

“The European Union’s official position now acknowledges that the island of Ireland needs a special deal which will protect this island’s position and our people – we need an Irish solution to the Brexit problem. The publication of the EU’s official position this week brings more focus to the insanity of having no local institutions while the ongoing Brexit process threatens all of our futures.

 

 

“Brexit is the defining challenge of this generation – failing to use our institutions to fight a hard Brexit in Ireland will be an historic abdication of political responsibility. Brexit is this generation’s partition, it challenges everyone and every institution on this island.”

“It speaks volumes that the European Union has recognised that the island of Ireland needs a solution to the Brexit problem whilst the British Government continues to ignore our needs. 

 

 

He added, “The British Government’s position paper on the Irish border question was the biggest piece of fictional writing by a sovereign government in many a long year – it is a very welcome entry back into reality that Michel Barnier has so comprehensively blown that fiction apart.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=61480

Posted by on Sep 11 2017. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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