No political party can be allowed to have a monopoly over what happens to the border, according to the Tánaiste.
It’s after the DUP said they’d pull support for the UK government if the North gets a separate deal to the rest of Britain.
This afternoon Leo Varadkar will meet European Council President Donald Tusk to discuss Brexit.
Meanwhile, former Fruit of the Loom CEO and International Fund for Ireland Chair Willie Mc Carter has published proposals which he says could ensure no change on the border.
He wants to see what he termed a special arrangement to suit everyone’s needs…………
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Mr McCarter’s letter in full –
As the CEO of Fruit of the Loom Ireland from 1987 to 97 I together with 3000 colleagues ended up sending 70 million Fruit of the Loom T Shirts and Sweat Shirts across a very hard Donegal / Derry/ Londonderry border each year right across the wider EU.
Together we managed to make this Fruit of the Loom cross border enterprise work very successfully but not one of us want to return to that border or those days.
I am sure all 3000 of us and many more wish to see the existing arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic being maintained and the peace process built on the Good Friday/Belfast and St Andrews agreements built on and developed for all the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic.
To that end might I offer some suggestions as to a possible outcome of the Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU:
– the EU would agree to negotiate a “ special “ Customs Union and Free Trade Area with the UK. ( this is somewhat along the lines just suggested by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. )
– in return the UK would agree to pay 10 billion sterling per annum on a permanent basis to the EU.
– there would be no up front “ divorce “ payment
– the UK Corporate and Financial sectors might agree to pay this 10 billion by means of a levy so as to alleviate any burden on ordinary tax payers
– while the “ special “ Customs Union and Free Trade area was being negotiated all existing arrangement s would remain as at present and when the “ special “ Customs Union and Free Trade arrangements are complete all existing trading arrangements between the UK and the EU would remain as they are at present.
– because the new cu and fta would be “ special” it would be possible to alter the existing rules so that
1. The UK would gain control over its immigration policy.
2. The UK would be free to seek new free trade deals throughout the world but on identifying each such deal the UK would endeavour to include the EU in each free trade deal and no deal could be concluded by the UK until the EU was included.
– a new joint UK EU court to be set up to adjudicate disputes in regard to the “special “ cu and fta area.
– the existing common travel and work area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and all existing reciprocal rights and benefits stretching back to 1922 and from the Good Friday/ Belfast Agreement to be maintained
If something like the above were to be concluded I believe it would be in the interests of everybody in EU as it exists at present.
Furthermore I do believe it would reinvigorate the Peace Process in Northern Ireland and give everybody in Northern Ireland and the Republic new hope for a peaceful and prosperous future.
Yours sincerely
Willie McCarter
Fahan
Co Donegal
Ireland
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