Because, as brexit proves, the EU was designed so you couldn't easily leave.
The UK is a third country and no more an EU member.
Leaving is very simple if you're willing to face the consequences.
And this is the true problem of the UKs exit. That they're neither willing to face the truth nor the fact that's it a third country now with all restrictions that come with that status.
Ireland, as far as I know, is not part of the UK. While Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England are all out.
Which part of the UK is still in the EU?
(Honestly curious)
I didn't consider NEs current status.
This will open another can of worms, when some of the exceptions run out by the end of September.
You should also take note of my comment below - there is no "they" wrt the UK, as the country was divided, and actively fighting over the issue - with some actively trying to prevent a brexit.
I'm not suggesting that at all. Actually I think that it was enormous stupidity to send that letter before England even defined what it wanted exactly.
It didn't help at all that Ms. May tried to appease the Brexit extremists in the conservative party. People that, as we now know , cannot be appeased, ever, since they just move the goal post to an even more extreme position.
> You should also take note of my comment below - there is no "they" wrt the UK, as the country was divided, and actively fighting over the issue - with some actively trying to prevent a brexit.
I appreciate that. Nevertheless 52% of people that bothered to vote wanted out.
Pissing off their European partners at every turn also certainly doesn't help
Unless Britain gives up it's extremist position I predict a world of hurt once the EU is no more willing to kick the can further down the road.
Long queues at immigration, when vacationing in Spain will be the least of your worries.
Brexit in no way breaches the GFA. Threatening a return to violence in Ireland over Brexit is what I mean by "making things difficult".
The Troubles were not about sausage shipments between Belfast and Dublin.
:)
In fact, they signed up for exactly that not even 2 years ago.
It seems, though, that they were just kicking the can down the road and never really had intentions to live up to their side of the deal.
Global Britain! Yeah, right...
> Threatening a return to violence in Ireland over Brexit is what I mean by "making things difficult".
Recognizing that putting in jeopardy an international agreement that brought an end to the troubles might incite violence, is not the same thing as threatening violence. It's common sense.
> The Troubles were not about sausage shipments between Belfast and Dublin.
You're right, they were an ethno-nationalist conflict, during which the British government sanctioned the murder of its own citizens, and now continues to protect those murderers from prosecution.
Bit early for the drink, no?
Can you point to the line or lines in the GFA which would have been breached by Brexit?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit_and_the_Irish_border#Go...
I asked for a reference in the GFA, you've provided a Wikipedia link. Fantasy stuff in the HN comment threads as usual.
I suppose I should have expected it when you blamed the EU for the self-inflicted woes of Brexit.
> If you can't see why an open border is vital for the continued peace, and why removing it would place tension on a peace that took decades to achieve, then you've already made up your mind.
I didn't say that, and I'm not even going to engage your straw man.
And I did not blame the EU for Brexit woes, I made a pretty basic statement of fact that would probably cover any negotiation, one which was intended only to signal compromise -- hence why the UK did not leave entirely -- not woe or blame.
The UK also doesn't want a border between Ireland and Northern Ireland but that's stricly an issue between the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Obviously as Ireland is a member and the EU is a constructive and diplomatically open entity, it was more than ready to negociate. Actually, multiple solutions have been proposed and at least one was tentivaly accepted before being reneged by the UK government.
I mean at some point in a negociation if the weak party can't come to its sense, you have to stop wasting everyone's time and tell them to get lost which is more or less what's happening with the UK.