To be expected.
A UKIP MEP has suggested that the UK threaten to revoke their common travel area with Ireland over the Irish government’s stance on Brexit.
Ireland’s position has remained consistent since the beginning of Brexit talks — any negotiations cannot progress past their first stage until a satisfactory solution is found to the issue of the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
For whatever reason, a large majority of pundits and politicians in Great Britain have only actually started paying attention to that stance in the last few weeks, and they are not happy.
Yesterday, UKIP MEP Gerard Batten wrote on Twitter “UK threatened by Ireland. A tiny country that relies on the UK for its existence. We should advise, we are free to revoke common travel area.”
When it was put to him that Ireland was able to hold such a strong stance on any negotiations due to their membership of the EU, Batten simply said: “Ireland is like the weakest kid in the playground sucking up to the EU bullies.”
https://twitter.com/GerardBattenMEP/status/934821820859068417
Again, he has claimed that Ireland ‘relies on UKÂ for its existence.’ Its existence.
https://twitter.com/GerardBattenMEP/status/934920090285428742
When he was informed that Ireland is simply seeking to protect its own interests, he ignored that too, saying “Ireland is nothing but a subservient client state of EU.”
https://twitter.com/GerardBattenMEP/status/934919135561166848
Elsewhere, Kate Hoey, Labour MP for the constituency of Vauxhall, is being torn to pieces online after saying on the radio that Ireland will have to pay for the border between the Republic and the North once Brexit is complete.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today, the Labour Brexiteer channeled her inner-Donald Trump when claiming that Ireland would have to pay for the border that would only exist as a result of Britain’s choice to exit the EU.
On the subject of a border or customs posts, Hoey said “At end of the day we won’t put up the border. They’ll have to pay for it.”
Kate Hoey on @BBCr4today ‘the ROI will have to pay for the border’
— LSE Blogs (@LSEblogs) November 27, 2017
Hoey has been jabbing at Ireland for the past few days now, sharing an article on Twitter two days ago that urged Leo Varadkar to “stop the hypocrisy.”
Leo Varadkar needs to stop the hypocrisy and remember who Ireland’s true friends are https://t.co/oSvksD0o6q via @BrexitCentral
— Kate Hoey (@CatharineHoey) November 25, 2017
Well, her comments on the radio didn’t go unnoticed.
Just turned on twitter and it appears Kate Hoey is so stupid they've had to call a royal wedding to distract us all.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) November 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/AidanKerrTweets/status/935071376247021568
Kate Hoey channels Donald Trump by saying Ireland will have to pay for any border posts once Britain leaves the EU #r4today
— Kevin Schofield (@KevinASchofield) November 27, 2017
Would recommend UK commentators to listen back to #r4today discussion W/Kate Hoey to understand where Irish border position comes from. UK pols not being serious, delivering no answers then shouting. There’s been 18 months of this
— Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack (@PeterKGeoghegan) November 27, 2017
Jaysus. Kate Hoey’s position on #r4today is staggering. You won Kate, get over it. It’s not everyone else’s job to sort out the mess you’ve created. You wanted to Leave, you come up with solutions. You’re blaming the Irish government for your complete lack of planning #Brexit
— Rod Kelly (@rodkelly50) November 27, 2017
It seems @KateHoeyMP suffers from the classical delusion that everyone else should pay for her hideous mistakes.
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) November 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheOnlyMUFC/status/935106894934499328
