This is a hot burning issue in the UK as the government disentangles itself from the European Union in a process that is prove to be more complex than voters expected. This is happening while the legitimacy of the vote to exit the EU hangs of the larger issue of Russia’s intervention of the popular vote and in Putin’s effort to dismantle western democracies and weaken countries in general.
“Tony Blair has said the EU is duty bound to block Theresa May’s negotiating goals as he made an impassioned call for new leadership to rescue the UK and Europe from economic disaster and the needless sacrifice of peace in Northern Ireland “on the altar of Brexit”.
Theresa May's recent speech on Brexit side steps the friction over the Irish border. Others like former PM John Major are questioning the wisdom of Brexit over the Good Friday agreement which has kept the peace in Northern Ireland since 1998.
Views vary about the chances of the EU agreeing to the “UK’s cherry-picking demands somewhere between nil and zilch”. A common regulatory area as proposed between the EU and Northern Ireland - would "threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK" by creating a border down the Irish Sea as stated by PM May to UK’s Parliament. The volatile allegation is that the EU is trying to "annex" Northern Ireland raising the stakes for negotiation.
The “Irish Question” has now being revisited and reopened. Prime Minister, Theresa May, claims that the European Commission proposal of a common regulatory area between the EU and Northern Ireland threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK. Former PM John Major challenged the argument that Brexit would have little impact on the UK, arguing instead that while the British people would "get through it", it was likely to leave the country "weaker and less prosperous" and a "diminished" force on the world stage.
However, Brexit troubles don’t stop just there as the only issue for the UK government which is expected to make an immediate legal challenge at the Supreme Court if the Scottish parliament votes for its own emergency powers over Brexit. The British government must finalize a deal with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales before the summer in order to pass a Brexit Bill in the national parliament before risks to national unity surface.
Welsh, Cardiff officials say British Prime Minister Theresa May's current plan is to take control of laws and policies and reverse the process of devolved governments adding that such action is “simply not acceptable.”
On the north side of the border First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, stated that she still has "a mandate" to hold a second independence referendum if the government in London tries to impose its will on Scotland.
In the meantime, the international trading community also highlights the negative impact of inefficient border procedures on governments, businesses the consumer and finally the economy as a whole. Lack of enforcement at a border weakens a government’s ability to stop smuggling, fraud and national security problems, draining public funds, while businesses must pay a premium for unpredictable goods delivery. Moreover, expensive customs compliance will at the of the day reflect higher prices for the consumer. All what is gained by trade facilitation, as well as the costs and challenges invested in it for further multilateral trade liberalization collapses as inefficient border procedures higher cost to governments and lost revenue all pile up.
For instance, determining the origin of products or collecting trade statistics becomes a challenge for officials. Also, inefficient border procedures lead to wasteful export competitiveness, higher costs and make the country involved less attractive for investors.
No comments:
Post a Comment