Gay Byrne thinks Ireland should follow the UK’s example and leave the EU

Well they haven't left just yet...

It's been a tumultuous few months for Britain following the Brexit referendum and that continued over the past week with Sterling falling to a six-year low against the Euro. At the Tory Annual Party Conference recently, Prime Minister Theresa May said that Article 50, which is the beginning of Britain's complex extraction from the EU, will be triggered by the end of March 2017. A key point for the British government is the issue of immigration and tightening their border controls, with May acknowledging that restricting immigration will be a red line in any negotiations with the EU. There's even talk of them moving their border controls into Ireland. At the moment, there's huge uncertainty surrounding the whole situation and whether or not there will be a 'hard' or 'soft' Brexit. But that hasn't deterred Gay Byrne from claiming that we should follow Britain's lead and exit the EU. Byrne has been vocal in his euroscepticism in recent years and he has declared it encouraging to know that the majority of people in Britain have agreed with him. The 82-year-old told The Irish Sun: “When I first started to give my anti-EU feelings, 10 or at least five years ago, I was written off as a noodlehead. “It is heartening to realise that at least half of the population of the country now agree with me and certainly over half of the population of the UK agree with me. So there you are.” But as the issue of Brexit has such an effect on Ireland and what will happen with the border area, he would like to see Britain postpone their exit from the EU so that the practicalities of the situation are addressed. “Maybe there is a case, that is the way I phrased it, for Theresa May to say — because of the appalling vista that greets us making an effort to leave — we (the Brits) are not going to do anything for at least five years. “We certainly know at least half of those who voted for Brexit are now sitting at home with their heads in their hands saying, ‘Oh sweet divine God what have we done’.”