Archiv: Nordirland / Northern Ireland
Brexit – live: PM hails ‘decisive breakthrough’ in striking Northern Ireland trade deal
The UK and the EU have agreed a new Brexit deal to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland protocol, in an agreement announced by Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen.
The so-called Windsor Framework was hailed as “historic” by the European Commission president, who alongside the prime minister insisted the deal marked a “new chapter” in UK-EU relations.
Windsor-Abkommen: Einigung im Brexit-Streit um Nordirland
„Mit diesem Rahmenwerk können wir ein neues Kapitel beginnen“, sagte von der Leyen bei der gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz. Die Unsicherheit der Menschen in Nordirland sei mit diesem „entschiedenen Durchbruch“ beendet, versprach Sunak. Die Verhandlungen seien nicht immer einfach gewesen, doch seien Großbritannien und die EU Verbündete, Handelspartner und Freunde.
The NI Protocol lacks democratic legitimacy and must be removed
It is the Protocol – not Brexit – that has created a border in the Irish Sea. As such it represents an existential threat to the future of our place in the Union. No Conservative and Unionist government can stand by and watch as the pro-union people of Northern Ireland diverge further and further from the rest of the United Kingdom. The checks on the Irish Sea border are the symptom of the underlying problem, that Northern Ireland is subject to a different set of laws imposed by a foreign entity without any say by any elected representative of its people.
Let‘s build a better future together. JOIN Sinn Féin today at sinnfein.ie/join @MaryLouMcDonald @moneillsf
Northern Ireland election results: Sinn Fein becomes largest party at Stormont with 27 seats – as it happened
Sinn Fein has become the largest party in Northern Ireland after winning 27 seats at the Assembly election – the first nationalist party to ever do so.
Until today, a unionist party had always been the largest party in the Assembly since the formation of Northern Ireland in 1921
Post-Brexit-Status von Nordirland: Neuer Vertrag – oder London steigt aus
Lewis und Frost skizzierten die Probleme, die das Protokoll hervorgerufen hat: soziale Spannungen in Nordirland, ein reduziertes Warenangebot, mehr als 200 Betriebe, die Nordirland gar nicht mehr beliefern, ein unverhältnismäßig großer bürokratischer Aufwand.
Es sei absolut klar, dass die britische Regierung unter diesen Umständen Artikel 16 des Protokolls aktivieren könne, sagte Lewis.
Covid-19 vaccine chaos as EU is forced into U-turn after blocking supplies to the North
A government source said the Taoiseach had not been given any advance warning of the EU decision to invoke the article in the protocol.
The source said the article may have been inadvertently triggered by “someone who did not understand the political implications” of the decision.
Some EU officials are understood to be livid about the move, which they see as ruining the work they’ve done since the Brexit vote in 2016.
EU backs down on plan to control export of Covid-19 vaccines across Border into North amid outcry
In a steep escalation of the EU’s fight to secure vaccine supplies, Brussels had said it would trigger clauses in the Northern Irish Protocol in the EU-UK withdrawal agreement to control shots moving across the open Border between the State and the North. It said this plan aimed to prevent the movement of vaccines onwards into the rest of the UK via a Northern Ireland “backdoor”, while preserving the capacity to allow shipments into the North.
EU withdraws threat to trigger Article 16 of Northern Ireland Protocol
It comes after the bloc invoked part of the Northern Ireland Protocol in an attempt to stop vaccines made in the EU from getting into the UK through the back door.
The protocol, which is part of the Brexit deal, allows goods from the EU to be exported to Northern Ireland without checks.
However the EU triggered Article 16 of the protocol tonight to slap temporary export controls on vaccines sent to Northern Ireland.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British leader Boris Johnson had an unexpected phone call, during which the UK PM “expressed his grave concerns about the potential impact which the steps the EU has taken today on vaccine exports could have
Britisches Oberhaus stimmt gegen Brexit-Gesetzesklauseln
Nun kommt es zu einer Art politischem Ping-Pong-Spiel zwischen dem Unter- und dem Oberhaus. Aus der Regierung hieß es bereits, man werde das Gesetz nach Änderungen im Oberhaus wieder entsprechend umändern.
Brexit-Änderungen: Unterhaus nimmt umstrittenes Gesetz an
Trotz aller Warnungen hat das britische Unterhaus für das umstrittene Binnenmarktgesetz gestimmt, mit dem Großbritannien Teile des bereits gültigen Brexit-Deals mit der EU aushebeln will. Bei 340 zu 256 Stimmen brachte Premier Boris Johnson das Gesetz am Dienstagabend mit einer klaren Mehrheit durch das Londoner Parlament.
Johnson zum Brexit-Kurs „EU hat Revolver nicht vom Tisch genommen“
Am Abend stimmte das Parlament dann in erster Lesung für die umstrittene Änderung des Brexit-Vertrages. Für die Gesetzesvorlage votierten 340 Abgeordnete, dagegen 263. Das neue Binnenmarktgesetz würde den im Januar mit der EU geschlossenen Brexit-Vertrag einseitig ändern.
Britisches Unterhaus stimmt für Änderung von Brexit-Vertrag
In einer ersten Abstimmung hat sich allen Warnungen zum Trotz eine Mehrheit im britischen Unterhaus für das umstrittene Binnenmarktgesetz von Premier Boris Johnson ausgesprochen. 340 der Abgeordneten votierten gestern Abend für das Gesetz, mit dem Johnson Teile des gültigen Brexit-Deals ändern will.
GB: Unterhaus debattiert über umstrittenes Binnenmarktgesetz
Im Zuge des Brexit-Streits debattiert das britische Unterhaus heute Nachmittag über das Binnenmarktgesetz. Mit dem geplanten Gesetz will Premierminister Boris Johnson Teile des bereits gültigen Brexit-Abkommens aushebeln. Dabei geht es um Sonderregeln für das britische Nordirland, die eine harte Grenze zum EU-Staat Irland und neue Feindseligkeiten dort verhindern sollen.
Not surprising that Major and Blair who were amongst the most extreme proponents of Brexit are supporting the EU position on free trade throughout the UK. I predict an even bigger majority for the Internal Market Bill tomorrow
#rightthingtodo
6/7 The EU‘s position is that listing is needed for Great Britain only, not Northern Ireland. So if GB were not listed, it would be automatically illegal for NI to import food products from GB.
Das Problem mit Johnsons „Binnenmarktgesetz“
Zwischen der Republik Irland und Nordirland besteht seit 1998 eine „weiche Grenze“. Johnsons „No Deal“-Brexit könnte dies bald ändern.
‚Absolutely no chance‘ of border coming back says Micheál Martin
The Taoiseach made clear he was assured by Downing Street that they are committed to implementing the protocol and not undermining the Good Friday Agreement.
Read in Full: Boris’s New Negotiation Position
Boris has finally presented his detailed proposals to abolish the Backstop in a letter to the EU. The ERG and DUP are behind the proposals, now over to Varadkar…
Read the proposals in full below…
Brexit-Verhandlungen – Juncker sieht „positive Fortschritte“
Der von Brüssel geforderte Schutz des Europäischen Binnenmarkts vor Produkten, die nicht den EU-Standards entsprechen, läge in der Hand des nordirischen Regionalparlaments.
Die Volksvertreter dürften künftig alle vier Jahre darüber entscheiden, ob sich der britische Landesteil an europäischen oder an britischen Standards orientiert. Nach dem Willen Londons soll sich die Europäische Union gleichzeitig verpflichten, in keinem Fall Kontrollen an der Grenze durchzuführen.
Boris Johnson says no to customs union and yes to single market for Northern Ireland, writes Robert Peston
Boris Johnson‘s new Brexit offer to the EU comprehensively rips up the backstop agreed by Theresa May – but it contains one proposal that may upset some Brexiter purists, namely that Northern Ireland should more-or-less remain in the single market for goods, food and agricultural products, subject to rules set by Brussels.
Four ‚suspect devices‘ left in Derry – days after journalist Lyra McKee killed
A controlled explosion has been carried out outside the home of a Derry politician as bomb disposal teams scrambled to four locations across the city.
Houses have been evacuated and police warned of „major disruption“ after the devices were reported.
One of the devices was reportedly found outside the home of Derry councillor Gary Donnelly, where the explosion was carried out.
„Lyra‘s murder was also an attack on all the people of this community, an attack on the peace and democratic processes.“ A joint statement from the leaders of six political parties in Northern Ireland following the fatal shooting of journalist Lyra McKee.
(19.4.2019)
Brexit: Nancy Pelosi steps up pressure on UK over Irish border
(18.4.2019)
So this was a message to some Brexiteers: if the Irish government is not happy, we will block a trade deal.
A US deal is perhaps the ultimate prize for the free-trading, ‚Global Britain‘ branch of the Brexit movement.
It would demonstrate that Brexit was worthwhile, that it allowed the UK to land big deals as an independent trading nation.
Lyra McKee, 29, was the first working journalist to be killed in the United Kingdom since 2001. In Derry. Irish border. Good Friday eve, Day after Nancy Pelosi visits and appeals for peace, calm, open borders.
****WARNING**** WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN SERIOUS RIOTING DERRY/LONDONDERRY(Journalist Lyra McKee )18.4.19
****WARNING**** WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN SERIOUS RIOTING DERRY/LONDONDERRY 18.4.19 VERY GRAPHIC
*edit* journalist Lyra McKee Named as victim
An Open Source Survey of the Shooting of Lyra McKee
Below, the vantage point of the first video (dotted red line) and the second video (dotted blue line). The position of the shooter is marked with a black “X”, and the approximate location of the police vehicles on Fanad drive is marked by the yellow box:
(…)
Below, the vantage point of the first video (dotted red line) and the second video (dotted blue line). The spot where McKee fell is marked by a black “X”:
„I carry this flag for Lyra, an activist, a journalist, and a child of peace.“ – @MaryLouMcDonald #Derry
A statement from the party leaders on the murder of Lyra McKee:
„We are united in rejecting those responsible for this heinous crime.
„They have no support in the community, must be brought to justice and should disband immediately.
„We reiterate our support for the PSNI, who while carrying out their duties were also the target of last night’s attack. We call on anyone with any information to bring that forward to the police and assist their inquiries.
„This is a time for calm heads.”
Michelle O‘Neill (Sinn Féin)
Arlene Foster (DUP)
Robin Swann (UUP)
Colum Eastwood (SDLP)
Naomi Long (Alliance)
Clare Bailey (Green Party)
It’s not anti-Irish to criticize Leo Varadkar
I don’t need an academic study to tell me Brexit threatens all that. As someone who physically embodies the binding blood and cultural ties between Britain and Ireland, I’m regularly attacked in the Irish media for having voted to leave.
Londonderry: Frau bei Ausschreitungen in Nordirland erschossen
Zu den Hintergründen machten die Behörden bisher keine Angaben. Der geplante EU-Austritt Großbritanniens schürte zuletzt Sorgen, dass der Konflikt zwischen pro-irischen und pro-britischen Gruppen in der britischen Provinz wieder aufflammen könnte.
I was standing beside this young woman when she fell beside a police Land Rover tonight in Creggan #Derry. I called an ambulance for her but police put her in the back of their vehicle and rushed her to hospital where she died. Just 29 years old. Sick to my stomach tonight
(vor 10 Stunden)
Massive security operation happening in Mulroy Gardens in Creggan #Derry tonight. A house search is being conducted. Army Technical Officers are also at the scene although the area is not cordoned off
(vor 13 Stunden)
Force Research Unit
The Force Research Unit was a top secret unit of the British Army which was engaged in running informers and has been alleged to be involved in a number of assassinations in Ireland. It has reportedly now been renamed the Joint Support Group and seems to be associated with the Special Reconnaissance Regiment created in 2005.
Tributes to Reverend Robert John Bradford
(16. November 1981)
The Prime Minister (Mrs. Margaret Thatcher)
The right hon. Member for Down, South (Mr. Powell) has spoken for the whole House and for the United Kingdom in expressing our horror and revulsion at the assassination of his hon. Friend, who was killed because he was a Member of this honourable House.
Robert Bradford was well known as a conscientious and devoted constituency Member, yet he was murdered on Saturday morning when he was helping his constituents—helping them so that he could better serve them here in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
We shall pursue with the utmost vigour those who committed this wicked crime and we shall persevere in our duty to rid our country of the evil of terrorism.
…
MP could have been saved: MP ‚sacrificed to protect agents within ranks of the provisionals‘
(15.4.2007)
It was another horrific day in a blood-spattered year in which 117 people lost their lives in the Troubles – 1981, the year of the hunger strikes.
Today, however, 26 years later, Sunday Life can reveal that neither Rev Bradford nor Mr Campbell should have died in the IRA attack – RUC Special Branch and Army Intelligence had prior knowledge of the incident an incredible THREE DAYS beforehand.
They told neither the Rev Bradford, nor his police protection officer.
Three years ago, a former officer with the shadowy Army intelligence-gathering outfit the Force Research Unit (FRU) contacted me with information on several murders which took place during the Troubles.
Investigating the murder of Rev Robert Bradford – Lyra McKee wants your vote
(23.7.2013)
„For the last 11 months, I’ve been asking questions about Reverend Bradford’s murder and the last months of his life. I’ve interviewed dozens of his friends, colleagues and acquaintances as well as ex-security officials, seeking answers
While Reverend Bradford’s wife wrote a fantastic biography on him, the facts around his death have yet to be established. As one former intelligence official remarked to me, Bradford’s killing was one of a number that didn’t have any “logic”. „
Decades After Northern Ireland’s “Troubles,” Families of the Dead are Still Seeking Answers—and Taking the Investigations Into Their Own Hands
(30.5.2017)
Janet Donnelly’s unarmed father was shot point-blank by a British solider. She spent 20 years unraveling the Army‘s cover-up.
Forty years ago I would have been denied my rights in Northern Ireland because I was Catholic. Now they could be denied because I’m gay
(25.11.2014)
The battle for equal rights for Catholics has been fought and won but as long as Givan & Co. keep finding new people to hate, the Protestant community will not be allowed to forget what happened. They continue, in the eyes of the world, to be “those bigots” who said no to civil rights in 1969. Every request for others to “respect their culture” is consequently treated with scorn when it should be considered.
Christians have rights – and I will defend them. Yes, I disagree with their views on gay marriage but I’ll defend to the death their right to hold them. I can live with someone having an opinion I don’t like.
Growing up gay in Belfast: ‘I used to bargain with God not to send me to hell’
(26.1.2017)
Two years ago, Belfast-based journalist Lyra McKee wrote a blog post; a letter to her 14-year-old self, who was at that time struggling with the fact of being gay in a hostile environment. She received wide attention for the post, which was picked up on social media, and then by BBC Radio Ulster.
“I wanted to write it because a local evangelical pastor here made some horrible derogatory remarks about gay people, and gay women specifically, and it really upset me,” she explains by phone from Belfast.
So was Lyra McKee specifically targeted?
Derry attack: dissident republicans blamed after journalist Lyra McKee shot dead in Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were carrying out a search operation in the Creggan area of Derry aimed at disrupting dissident republicans ahead of this weekend‘s commemoration of Irish independence, when a situation developed during which more than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at officers and two cars were hijacked and set on fire.
During the unrest a gunman fired a number of shots at police, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said.
What would be a good night for the Conservatives in the 2019 local elections?
But the most significant set of local elections are ones the Conservative Party won’t meaningfully contest, and were last fought not in 2015, but 2014: local council elections in Northern Ireland. All 11 local councils are up for re-election, and in an ideal world for the Tory party, these elections would confirm that the Democratic Unionist Party very strong performance in 2017 was not a passing phase but that the party is actually getting stronger.
Majority of UK import tariffs set at zero in a no-deal Brexit
The government also announced that in the event of a no-deal it would remove all border checks between Ireland and Northern Ireland except a „small number of measures strictly to comply with international obligations, protect the biosecurity of the island of Ireland, or to avoid the highest risks to Northern Ireland business.“
No Deal Plans Shoot Down Scaremongering
The UK Government has admitted that, at least for a temporary period, a No Deal Brexit can be managed with no new checks on the Northern Ireland border. So much for the horror stories of checkpoints and guard dogs…
BREAKING NEWS: The Government announces no new checks on the Irish border. A no deal WILL NOT result in a hard border. #GoWTO #Lexit
Das Brexit-ABC: Von A wie Artikel 50 bis Z wie Zollunion
B wie BACKSTOP: Diese Notfallregel im Austrittsabkommen zwischen London und Brüssel soll garantieren, dass es nach dem Brexit keine Grenzkontrollen zwischen dem britischen Nordirland und dem EU-Mitglied Irland gibt. Demnach bleibt das ganze Königreich zunächst in der Zollunion und Nordirland in Teilen des Binnenmarkts, bis London und Brüssel eine bessere Lösung finden. Brexit-Hardliner fordern ein einseitiges Kündigungsrecht.
With just 52 days until Brexit day, Theresa May has come to Belfast to say that she is now „working on a solution“ to how Brexit will impact on the Irish border that will „command broader support across the community in Northern Ireland“.
Brexit latest: Theresa May promises deal that commands ‚broad support‘ in Northern Ireland
The Prime Minister will use a speech in the country to acknowledge it is a “concerning time” as efforts continue to find an alternative to the controversial backstop.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mrs May is set to say that a solution will be found that commands support across the community and secures a majority in Westminster.
Theresa May‘s Brexit deal is doomed – Sir Michael Fallon
Theresa May‘s Brexit deal is „doomed“ and must be renegotiated, ex-defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said.
Sir Michael launched a scathing attack on the proposed EU agreement, saying it was the „worst of all worlds“ and the PM‘s future was „up to colleagues“.
Boris: Brexit debate must include Brexiteer
And the public agree: 63% of Brits are in favour of a debate that includes someone who considers a No Deal, World Trade Brexit a serious option. Which Boris has repeatedly reiterated that he does.
May replicating Cameron’s Remain defeat all over again: – EU knew she wouldn’t walk away – Left with bad deal – Rely on big business to sell – Throw out doomsday Treasury forecasts We defeated Project Fear once, we’ll do it again.
Theresa May accused of ‚rehashing Project Fear‘ as Treasury says UK will be £150bn worse off under no deal
A cross-Government analysis is expected to show that under the Chequers agreement, which forms the basis of her deal, the UK‘s GDP will be between 1 and 2 per cent lower over 15 years than if it had stayed in the EU.
However, in a move that will prompt a backlash from Tory Eurosceptics, the ministers are expected to argue that the UK will still be significantly better off than it would if it left without a deal.
DUP‘s Foster hits out at May‘s Brexit ‚propaganda‘ tour
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster has accused Theresa May of „giving up“ on getting a better Brexit deal.
The prime minister visited Northern Ireland on Tuesday as part of her two-week push to sell her agreement.
Theresa May‘s open letter direct to voters begging them to back her Brexit deal
Desperate Theresa May on Sunday goes over the heads of MPs to appeal directly to the nation to back her Brexit deal.
As things stand, the PM knows she faces defeat when the deal comes before the Commons next month as enemies on all sides gang up on her.
May has capitulated to every single EU demand. She’s abandoned NI, and now Gibraltar. At no time does she push back. As Barnier said, they have given May the deal she asked for and she has given them everything they have asked for. It’s almost beyond words how bad this is.
Why would she humiliate Britain like this? Lawyer savages Theresa May’s Brexit deal
But her claims rang hollow for Mr Howe, a specialist in EU law who let loose in a caustic column for The Sun. He wrote: “Politicians who claim this is just a bad treaty – one we can get out of later – are being ignorant or disingenuous.”
With respect to the backstop for Northern Ireland, for example, he said once it was in force, the UK would not be able to leave it without a joint decision with the EU which he said amounted to a veto over the UK’s exit.
Ryan Heath, POLITICO’s Political Editor, sits with the foreign minister to discuss a multitude of hot topics including Catalonia, the Spanish political economic landscape, Brexit and the 2019 European election.
(Video)
Spanish foreign minister: UK will split before Spain
And he reiterated Spain’s insistence that negotiations over the future relationship between Gibraltar and the EU should be handled separately to those with the U.K.
“I am very much [more] worried about the unity of the United Kingdom than the unity of the Kingdom of Spain. I think the United Kingdom will split apart before the Kingdom of Spain,” he said, in an apparent reference to movements in both Scotland and Northern Ireland to leave the U.K. over its EU departure.
Brexit SPLIT: UK will BREAK UP and Scotland should rejoin the EU, says Spanish minister
Spain has faced its own independence claim from the region of Catalonia, which voted to separate in a referendum dubbed illegal by Madrid. The Spanish government has always opposed Scotland being allowed to join the EU, apparently worried that it would start a precedent for newly independent European states to join, encouraging Catalan separatists.
‚Greatest HOAX in history!‘ Farage tears apart key factor CORRALLING UK into ‚WORST‘ deal
The architect of Brexit argued a free trade deal with the bloc would have avoided a hard border as Northern Ireland already operated on a different currency and tax system than its neighbour in the south.
Speaking to LBC, Mr Farage said: „This is the greatest hoax I have seen in modern history.
„If you had a free trade deal, you have no tariff. There’s no need for checks of any kind to be on goods going north and south of the border. The whole thing is nonsense.
White flags over Whitehall! Rees-Mogg blasts agreed Brexit deal vowing to vote against it
„It is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.
„We will have to get permission from the EU to leave the customs union. It is eccentric, it is bizarre.“
Mr Rees-Mogg also criticised the fact that the terms of the deal were leaked to the Irish state media instead of British media.
He remarked: „The text was shared with the Irish broadcaster first and not the BBC.
Brexit timetable thrown into turmoil as Theresa May is forced to cancel planned cabinet meeting to approve her deal
A government source conceded that an outline deal might not be ready by Tuesday – making it increasingly unlikely that a special EU summit to sign it off can be held in November, as hoped.
Theresa May‘s Brexit plans will leave Britain in ‚captivity‘, Boris Johnson warns as he calls for a Cabinet mutiny
BORIS Johnson has urged Theresa May’s Cabinet to stage a mutiny to thwart her Brexit plans.
He said the PM is “on the verge of total surrender” and ready to make Britain “the punk of Brussels”.
PM enters ‘killing zone’ (interesting choice of word by @thetimes ). Report says that 46 no-confidence letters have now been written; 2 short of those needed for formal no-confidence vote / leadership challenge
‚It‘s RECKLESS‘ Brexit backstop will turn Northern Ireland into EU ‚PROTECTORATE‘
NORTHERN Ireland would become a “protectorate” of an unaccountable EU if the backstop was introduced, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has warned. Robin Swann said unionists who voted Remain did not do so because they wanted to leave the UK and it was “dishonest and deceitful” to portray them as such.
Leading Brexiter tries to kill Northern Ireland backstop
Baker is forcing the prime minister to choose between the integrity of the UK and a negotiated Brexit.
This is her worst nightmare.
What the leading Brexiter, Baker – who organises the European Research Group of Tory MPs – is doing more precisely is making it impossible for the backstop to be introduced without the approval of the Northern Ireland Assembly.