To think Brexiteers have reached a new low?

[LadyGregorysToothbrush]

In threatening Ireland with food shortages as a means of trying to get a “better deal” from the EU?

Yes, this is ex-Cabinet minister Priti Patel speaking at a Brexit Central event last night link here.

Have these people no shame? No historical awareness? Even if this were possible, is this what Brexiteers want for the U.K. - a bully state, starving its neighbours into submission?

Not to mention absolutely trashing an Anglo-Irish relationship that took decades of painstaking careful and respectful diplomacy to build up. And alienating a close neighbour and friend who could have been the most valuable ally and advocate for the U.K. inside the EU27.

I’m just despairing at this. Every day I think a new low in xenophobia and anti-Irish sentiment has been reached, and it just keeps getting worse.

Priti Patel is a pretty unpleasant individual.

I can accept the (wo)man on the street being clueless. But MPs should be better informed and have more brains. But I guess that's why we're in this mess.

Do you think it’s ignorance and stupidity? Or malice and couldn’t-give-a-shite-ness?

So she's saying we should do to Ireland what we did to India in the 1800s ?

Not really that bright is she ?

Her opinion is worthless, pay her no attention.

They are being completely unreasonable as befits their status as fuckwits in chief

Priti Patel has demonstrated that she has no integrity and it got her fired in the past so she should have learned from that.

This is Priti Patel all over. No other politician's statements scream 'sociopath' louder than hers. And, let's face it, she has some pretty stiff competition....

Yes she is truly dreadful.

@DHRoasetti ahem what Britain did to Ireland and India in the 1800’s

YANBU. She is a malevolent self-serving narcissist, glaringly sociopathic. Only that pompous rag would actually charge people to read about her latest foray into divide and rule social war games. And she appears as desperate as ever for her hateful small minded opinions to be heard, opportunistic idiot.

She is an absolute ignorant twat of the highest order. People in Ireland are very annoyed given our history of famine and she should do some research and know how much is exported to the UK. Ireland is very successful agriculturally and will continue to export and import to and from ports in mainland Europe.
What a stupid woman!

shocking and insulting don’t begin to cover how I feel. The famine in Ireland caused the deaths of millions of innocent Irish people caught in the poverty trap caused by absentee landlords - amongst other things. It’s a terrible and catastrophic event in Irish history. A systematic killing of a group of people by others - genocide. To threaten to repeat it - unbelievable.

Secondly to think that Ireland today is Ireland that Britain can do that to is an arrogant mistaken belief. It pushes aside the respectful relationship that has been so carefully developed and assumes a power Britain does not and will not have over Ireland.

Does this woman seriously think that we would starve in Ireland because Britain won’t sell to us without us agreeing to some trade agreement of Britain’s choosing? We will simply buy from another EU state. Or America. Or anywhere else who does trade with us.

Naturally as our neighboring country Ireland does a lot of trade with Britain. That does not mean such trade cannot be moved.

She should not be given public airspace. And your post is doing exactly that.

The great potato famine and the Tory starvation blockade.

Report that isn't behind a paywall here.

Patel is deeply stupid, but really her view is very typical of the unbelievably blinkered attitude of Brexiteers who simply do not care how much suffering Brexit causes, and how much of a disaster it is, so long as they get their wishes. There's a very "I'm all right Jack" attitude amongst Tory Brexiteers in particular, especially those like Rees-Mogg and Johnson whose priority is making a large personal financial profit out of it.

I'm so pissed off about this whole bloody thing. How Many of you want us to remain? Me, myself, I want to forget all of it and for everyone to be happy all together. Xxx

@ifeisheswereunicorns - yes I think that’s what most People want too. To be happy together. And that includes the Irish and the British who have developed a generally very respectful normal relationship with each other. A fantastic achievement considering historical events.

I feel so sorry for the people who are looking at their country - Britain - being dragged to a place so many of you don’t want to be by a group of powerful wealthy individuals who are looking to make sure they’re ok at the expense of you all.

From an outsiders perspective - it’s like you have a self destruct button.

The Tories are starving the working poor, disabled, women and children, now they want to starve the Irish.

Brexit was a cry for help by the vulnerable.

Labour are currently the opposite of what is advertised on the tin - with an army of red shirts monitoring thought crimes.

Oh no. What will Ireland do if food imports from the UK drop?? Brace yourselves for the sheer horror of switching imports to fellow EU countries, countries with awful food like...hmm... France, Italy, Spain, Greece. All that wine, cheese, ouzo, souvlaki, pizza, paella and seafood. No more Greggs sausage rolls or Pot Noodle... oh god please stop the madness!

Somebody needs to tell the Tories it’s not 1845 anymore.

She's my MP. The sad truth is it doesn't seem to matter what she comes out with as it's a very safe Tory seat.
I'm not a Tory in the slightest but can respect many of them for their work for their constituents and the fact they genuinely seem to want to do things for the best reasons (even if we disagree on how to achieve these things). Priti Patel on the other hand seems to be a different kettle of fish. Her letters in reply to me have on several occasions demonstrated that she is unaware of her government's policies. Anyway, she will certainly be getting a communication about this statement.
I can not believe the hideous attitude towards Ireland some of these Brexiteers have shown. I'm just glad Mo Mowlam isn't here to see her hard work under threat.

It's a fucking disgusting thing to say, but I can't say that I'm surprised by it.

I'm just glad Mo Mowlam isn't here to see her hard work under threat.

Plenty of the other architects of the GFA are here though. It's devastating to think that a hard won diplomatic breakthrough like the GFA is being threatened by this bunch of utter bellends.

Yes bellends.

Just goes to prove that you don’t need brains to make money.

The permanent expression on Priti Patel’s face is insufferably awful.

When is the Tory machine finally going to fail - please God. Not that I am up for a Corbyn government either. Mass defection to the centre of both centrist Labour and Tory MPs is what I would like.

I despair of politics at the moment and her statements are just exemplifying why. I genuinely think we’d do better getting a bunch of sixth formers to replace 80% of MPs. One of the issues is that safe seats means that lazy, self-serving idiots can get in just because they are down as red or blue on the ballot paper. I effectively feel disenfranchised because however I vote, it’ll make no difference in my very safe seat area.

Couldn't agree more, User, same situation and feel exactly as you do. Despairing and infuriating, a very bad mixture of frustrated emotion that doesn't bode well for any of our futures.

She is just reflecting the views of her and perhaps the wider UK electorate?
She has been voted in via 3 GE's, people have a choice and they ve chosen her 3 times.

Safe seat or not, it says something about her party and who votes for them.

Of course her views should be aired, we need to know what our representatives are like.