The importance of keeping a soft border was explicitly expressed.
It has been yet another bonkers week in Brexit world.
Earlier this week, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk didn’t mince his words on the matter while speaking about the EU’s refusal to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement (including the backstop).
“I’ve been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely,” Tusk remarked.
Those harshly-delivered words have continued on this week, but on the other side of the pond this time.
Republican congressman Peter King told an audience at the United States Capitol building to mark the 100th anniversary of the Dáil:
“If the British want to consider any type of trade agreement with the United States it is important that the soft border is maintained. What influence we have, we will use it, in the Friends of Ireland. We will definitely speak out.”
The Friends of Ireland are the Irish-American caucus on Capitol Hill, but while at the anniversary, Simon Conveney did want to convey that he wasn’t attempting to get countries to pick sides, telling RTÉ News:
“We’re not here in the US to lobby against the UK. We’re not asking people to take sides – an Irish position or a UK position.
“What we are asking people to do though is to inform themselves and to ensure that influence that they have and the contacts that they have are used to ensure that nothing is done to undermine the peace process.”
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