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Brexit
Original poster

EU article 16

64 replies

Baileysforchristmas · 29/01/2021 22:06

What does everyone think of the EU after their terrible behaviour re AZ and article 16 towards Ireland’s border?

OP posts:
bellinisurge · 29/01/2021 22:30

Fucking ridiculous cockup. Hopefully they are back pedalling like mad.

I thought it was only the Uk government that cocked up like this.

Taoiseach is having discussions with Biden government about whether to make usual trip to US for st Patrick's day. Hope he mentions this

mrslaughan · 29/01/2021 22:41

Already backpedaling- as fast as they can....

blubberyboo · 29/01/2021 22:42

Words fail me
After 29 days of trade issues getting goods over from GB and trying to make the protocol work. This week we had already heard that the UK military can’t bring supplies to NI without filling in Eu customs forms which is ludicrous.
Plus the worry about what is going to happen when the amnesty period in April rolls around

Now we have the EU just sticking a border on the island just like that when the notion takes them

It doesn’t bode well. Not specifically for vaccine supplies as we will probably continue to get those from GB (after customs forms no doubt!)Northern Ireland is going to have an eternity of this shite. Everytime something crops up some newbie is going to make decisions that effectively cut us off from either Gb or ROI

It is a really hostile move and that’s what it feels like here. We cooperated reluctantly and now getting fingers burned before the first month is even out

Thecrashingwaves · 29/01/2021 22:45

Um, they said they didn't understand the full implications of their actions.
Remind me who negotiated the sea border between N.I. and GB and why.
Vaccine cock up, hard border cock up. I wonder what will be their next cock up.
Still, they did manage to get all the major parties in N.I to agree on something. So there is that.

Original poster
Baileysforchristmas · 29/01/2021 22:46

The EU are showing their true colours.

OP posts:
bellinisurge · 29/01/2021 22:55

EU is showing they can be fucking idiots too who don't see the consequences of seemingly simple statements .

Mintjulia · 29/01/2021 22:58

So do they want a border in Ireland or don't they? Perhaps they could have a quick Zoom call and make up their minds.

Grin Grin Grin Grin

blubberyboo · 29/01/2021 23:57

The EU have shown that they do want a border in Ireland when it suits them.

They have back tracked now but it is still deeply unsettling. They announced this without even speaking to the Irish Taoiseach or Boris first

jj19094 · 30/01/2021 04:11

Staunch remain voter here (although I was never a supporter of a second referendum, so perhaps not as passionate about it as some).

I don’t mind saying I’m shocked.

A deplorable and indefensible display

yellowspanner · 30/01/2021 09:05

Unsurprising bullying.
They have shown their true colours, but at least they have U turned.
I hope people now realise what the EU is really like.

Spudlet · 30/01/2021 09:12

I’m another dyed in the wool remainer. I’ve always accepted the EU needs reform (I used to do some charity lobbying in the EU so have some experience of the issues there) but I thought we were better off staying in and being part of that reform.

I’m not shocked that the EU isn’t perfect - never thought it was. Not shocked that they’ve made mistakes, never thought they couldn’t. I am shocked at how lightly they seem to have thrown NI under a bus and how ignorant they seemed of the implications of doing this. It may not be in the best interests of the EU to have vaccines leaving the bloc, but the Troubles resurging is most certainly not in their interests either. The Good Friday agreement was hard-won and not inevitable, and it should be respected. I don’t expect much from Johnson and his band of Erin idiots... I expected better from the EU.

I can only hope that Commission ears are still burning from the ‘discussion’ with Ireland, and that they’ll take the lesson on board. I have family in NI - we’re not close, but I don’t want to see their home go backwards.

bellinisurge · 30/01/2021 09:13

I hope people realise how fucking sensitive NI is and all the stupid Willy waving they were doing for the past four years over Brexit was stupid and dangerous. The EU fucked up big time and back pedalled. Which is to be welcomed.

Spudlet · 30/01/2021 09:13

That should say Eton idiots - autocorrect strikes. I’m sure no Erins were involved in this omnishambles.

C8H10N4O2 · 30/01/2021 09:17

I am shocked at how lightly they seem to have thrown NI under a bus and how ignorant they seemed of the implications of doing this

I suspect the idiot minding the night office didn't think it through. On the other hand, it was acknowledged as a cock up and rapidly reversed. A skill the UK government could still learn from and after years of watching the UK government make stupid decisions I suppose its reassuring to know we don't have the monopoly on them.

Boris Johnson called to invoke article 16 recently, the NI Unionists have been lobbying to involve it for weeks - Arlene Foster was banging on about it againi this morning. This doesn't seem to get a fraction of the attention that one stupid decision in Brussels, rapidly reversed, has received.

Spudlet · 30/01/2021 09:30

Agreed - they did at least manage to reverse. Like I said, my expectations for the UK government are an awful lot lower (frankly, they’re all but subterranean at this point).

jj19094 · 30/01/2021 09:35

This doesn't seem to get a fraction of the attention that one stupid decision in Brussels, rapidly reversed, has received.

I agree. All the people you mentioned are utter twats.

It doesn’t make this, or the begrudging “there was an error” u-turn statement any less outrageous.

They’ve crossed a line for me. I used to know the EU was far from perfect, but I never thought they’d remind me Trump, or Johnson and his sociopath cronies.

I’ll eye them with suspicion for the rest of my life.

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 09:48

EU: we're blocking your vaccines
EU: oops, that was said in error. No we're not.
EU: yes we are actually. Change of plan.

This from BBC News just 5 minutes ago...

EU vaccine export row: Bloc backtracks on controls for NI www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55865539

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 09:49

@Spudlet

Agreed - they did at least manage to reverse. Like I said, my expectations for the UK government are an awful lot lower (frankly, they’re all but subterranean at this point).

They've just reversed the reversal!

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 09:50

The WHO have come on board to criticise this terrible decision

bellinisurge · 30/01/2021 09:50

Not sure you are reading that story correctly @Spudlet

bellinisurge · 30/01/2021 09:51

I mean @GamingNewb

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 09:56

Am I not?

It reads that EU say we're blocking vaccines

Then they reverse it.

And now they're saying: actually, we're not reversing it because we have not choice

That's a reversal of the reversal is it not?!

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 09:58

The article says this:

"However, the EU said it had "no choice" but to press on with introducing export controls on vaccines."

bellinisurge · 30/01/2021 10:02

As long as it doesn't fuck with the Protocol it can do what it likes whether we like it or not - and no I don't, if you are interested. However it's screwing with the protocol I care about.

GamingNewb · 30/01/2021 10:04

Gosh, this is hard to talk to you on two different threads like this! But, since you've started, let's finish!

It's still the EU saying:
We're blocking your vaccines... no we're not... yes we are... (just using a different method to block you getting them)