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A FORMER UK Brexit Minister has said that former Taoiseach Enda Kenny was a lot more positive about finding solutions to the issue of a border in Northern Ireland after Brexit, and said that Leo Varadkar’s comments so far are “not terribly helpful”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, David Jones MP said that “a technological solution” is required on the issues of the customs union and the Irish border, but said that Enda Kenny’s government appeared more receptive to finding a collaborative solution to the problem.
“I do detect a certain change of tone since Taoiseach Varadkar came to office,” he said. “I think that’s regrettable.”
When pushed on this comment, Jones said that it seemed to him that Kenny was “well disposed” to finding a technological solution but Leo Varadkar’s speech last week “appeared to rule that out”.
Varadkar had said that it was up to the UK to put forward solutions for the handling of the border between north and south in a post-Brexit world. He went on to say that the government’s position is that there should be no border, so it will not help in designing one.
Jones said that the British and Irish economies are very closely intertwined, and that the UK’s decision to leave the EU is something that should be addressed by both governments.
I detected a change of tone subsequently in what he said and I think he may have regretted adopting such a dogmatic approach to the problem.
He said the impression he got from Kenny was that he was a lot more positive on finding “technological solutions” to the border issue.
Speaking at Queen’s University in Belfast last week, Varadkar said that the alternative to a customs union could mean a return of border posts, which he called “a brutal physical manifestation of historic divisions and political failure”.
He warned “the clock is ticking” to reach an agreement, as Britain began the two-year process of leaving the bloc in March.
When pressed on what these solutions could be, Jones referenced the border between the US and Canada, and Norway and Sweden.
Jones did, however, rule out similar posts at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
He also defended the British government’s approach to Brexit so far, despite admitting that there was no plan put in place before the referendum.
The approach has been correct… As we know no preparation was done beforehand.
He is no longer a Brexit minister after he was subject to a reshuffle immediately after the general election. Jones said that, despite being moved out, the UK government’s overall approach had not changed.
The MP added that a lot of figures “had been plucked out of the air” when it came to the bill the UK would be required to pay when it leaves the EU.
He did dispute, however, that figures given on how much Britain sends to the EU every week – the £350 million that was quoted widely in the Brexit referendum campaign, for example – were incorrect.
TheJournal.ie has asked the Irish government press office for its response to the claim from Jones that the Taoiseach “may have regretted” his approach.
Wow. RTE Celebrities complaining that the world doesn’t love their podcasts.
Newsflash. Your not in Montrose now Toto.
You’d get a bit tired of listening to hours and hours of content talking about mental health
@Ned Gerblansky: Bressies podcast is actually very interesting, and very helpful, which is why it’s won an award.
@Ned Gerblansky: Yip, while people with mental illness are struggling because mental ” health” is taking away valuable resources. Learn how to meditate, exercise and become more resilient. It’s pretty simple and it’s free.
@Ned Gerblansky: Now they’re whining that they can’t make money from it. FFS.
@D’oh: where do you see them whining?
Blindboy isn’t talented. Take the bloody bag off your head, it was funny for 5 minutes, 10 years ago
@Dub Cell: he doesn’t do it to be funny. Also, I think 2 best selling books, constant sold out live podcasts and a listenership of over 1m people each week will say otherwise.
You wouldn’t know talent if it smacked you in the face
@Dub Cell: could you be more wrong!?
@Tom: He’s spouting out populist dseudo intellectual drivel.
@Tom: it’s a matter of opinion Tom, I’m entitled to mine as you are to yours. I feel he jumps on bandwagons (gretha) and uses intellectual sound bites which appeals to his liberal followers. He made a song called “horse outside” ffs, he’s hardly Christopher Hitchens material
@Dub Cell: I heard an interview with Blindboy on the radio about 2 years ago (Guess what, it was dealing with mental health!). Inside about 20 minutes, in an effort to agree with opiniond coming in from listeners, he contradicted himself twice.
How can he win in the British Podcast Awards when he’s Irish? Are the Brits at it again?
podcasts are so last decade !
@ed w: No, they are the future, so much to listen to and you can pick and choose what you want and when you want, and they are not restricted by radio rule and you can support them if you want. Haven’t really listened to a radio show in ages.
I suppose the reason podcasts are not included in the JNL RADIO listeners figures is in the name. It’s a different medium. Listening to a podcast is a more focussed and deliberate activity than listening to the radio, which might be just on in the background, being listened to by multiple people. What advertisers need is a JNLP statistic.
@Conall: The article misses pointing out a very important fact …the JNLR research costs thousands and thousands of euro to conduct the listenership survey and compile the ratings – this is paid for (jointly -the hint is in the title ) by radio stations who use the findings to sell advertising – are the podcasters going to contribute and pay for the research to be commissioned or included in JNLR – somebody has to actually fund the research it is not free – and the model that evolved for radio made perfect sense to get it ot this point – makes sense to ask now HOW to move forward but just reads like having a rant without addressing the key issue -how much Poscasters are willing to who wants to actually PAY for the research to be commissioned – there is a big shift underway in terms of listening habits and a similar shift required in terms of the model to monetize podcasting etc
Can’t take Breslin seriously. Tired of z listers pushing this stuff. RTE isn’t much better with its rampant nepotism over the years.
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