You’ve heard it before but one more time with feeling: This is a huge week in the land of Brexit.
I say that not because there will be a big breakthrough – but because somebody on either side might finally let go of the notion that there is going to be a moment of clarity. And once either the UK or EU publicly admits that it is impossible to secure a deal before leaders meet on October 17 then we can start focusing on what happens next.
Until we reach that point though, the country will be subjected to another few days of charades as politicians try to convince us that everything will be alright.
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At the same time, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will present a Budget based on the assumption that everything will not be alright.
At some point Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to London for a sit-down with Boris Johnson. It won’t be like the Theresa May era when there was room for ‘Love Actually’ jokes. This is all very serious and the other EU leaders will be watching how Varadkar handles himself.
Over the weekend, the UK press reported that Johnson is prepared to “squat” down in Number 10 rather than quit if the next few weeks go badly for him. One source was quoted in the ‘Sunday Times’ as saying: “Unless the police turn up at the doors of 10 Downing Street with a warrant for the prime minister’s arrest, he won’t be leaving.”
The source was probably somebody speaking with a large dollop of hyperbole – but at this stage who knows?
Leo Varadkar will walk into that bizarre setting in the full knowledge that his prospects as leader are closely intertwined with Johnson’s. Whoever comes off better is likely to fare better at the polls.
With his own Brexit plan in tatters, Johnson wants voters to believe he has been torpedoed by those most undemocratic EU legislators.
Naturally Varadkar will lose his head to head with Johnson in the UK press. Last week the ‘Daily Telegraph’ said he “is a very well-balanced politician – he has a chip on both shoulders”.
But Varadkar knows there is political capital to be gained at home from Brexit. At the weekend he took a pre-election swipe at Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
“If we had a Fianna Fáil-led government now and they were involved in Brexit negotiations now, who could they send who could match Simon Coveney or Helen McEntee?” he asked a room full of Fine Gael supporters.
“And then there’s Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin approach Brexit the same way it approachs all political issues. It sees Britain’s difficulty as Sinn Féin’s opportunity.
“They don’t seem to mind that Britain’s difficulty is Northern Ireland’s difficulty and ours as well,” he said.
Those political punches sounded a lot like normal service resuming at home. We are a long way from that but step one could happen if the Brexit debate moves to the question of an extension.
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Home » Analysis & Comment » Kevin Doyle: 'Any talk of Brexit extension will send politicians back where they like it best – at each other's throats'
Kevin Doyle: 'Any talk of Brexit extension will send politicians back where they like it best – at each other's throats'
You’ve heard it before but one more time with feeling: This is a huge week in the land of Brexit.
I say that not because there will be a big breakthrough – but because somebody on either side might finally let go of the notion that there is going to be a moment of clarity. And once either the UK or EU publicly admits that it is impossible to secure a deal before leaders meet on October 17 then we can start focusing on what happens next.
Until we reach that point though, the country will be subjected to another few days of charades as politicians try to convince us that everything will be alright.
Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.
Log In
New to Independent.ie? Create an account
At the same time, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will present a Budget based on the assumption that everything will not be alright.
At some point Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to London for a sit-down with Boris Johnson. It won’t be like the Theresa May era when there was room for ‘Love Actually’ jokes. This is all very serious and the other EU leaders will be watching how Varadkar handles himself.
Over the weekend, the UK press reported that Johnson is prepared to “squat” down in Number 10 rather than quit if the next few weeks go badly for him. One source was quoted in the ‘Sunday Times’ as saying: “Unless the police turn up at the doors of 10 Downing Street with a warrant for the prime minister’s arrest, he won’t be leaving.”
The source was probably somebody speaking with a large dollop of hyperbole – but at this stage who knows?
Leo Varadkar will walk into that bizarre setting in the full knowledge that his prospects as leader are closely intertwined with Johnson’s. Whoever comes off better is likely to fare better at the polls.
With his own Brexit plan in tatters, Johnson wants voters to believe he has been torpedoed by those most undemocratic EU legislators.
Naturally Varadkar will lose his head to head with Johnson in the UK press. Last week the ‘Daily Telegraph’ said he “is a very well-balanced politician – he has a chip on both shoulders”.
But Varadkar knows there is political capital to be gained at home from Brexit. At the weekend he took a pre-election swipe at Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
“If we had a Fianna Fáil-led government now and they were involved in Brexit negotiations now, who could they send who could match Simon Coveney or Helen McEntee?” he asked a room full of Fine Gael supporters.
“And then there’s Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin approach Brexit the same way it approachs all political issues. It sees Britain’s difficulty as Sinn Féin’s opportunity.
“They don’t seem to mind that Britain’s difficulty is Northern Ireland’s difficulty and ours as well,” he said.
Those political punches sounded a lot like normal service resuming at home. We are a long way from that but step one could happen if the Brexit debate moves to the question of an extension.
Source: Read Full Article