“Brexit has definitely not been done,” say politicians in Parliament
CIBUK.org
Posted On December 3, 2022
Montage © CIBUK.Org
This report has been co-published with our affiliated organisation, Brexit Facts4EU.Org. We are most grateful for their original research into the raw data which backs what follows.
Angered by the EU, they react to our report of EU legal actions in the UK
“Applies a wrecking ball to our Union”, “We are not a sovereign country”
There was strong condemnation of the EU – and to a slightly lesser extent of the Government – from politicians in the House of Lords, House of Commons, and in Northern Ireland, following their early sight of our report yesterday into the EU’s behaviour in imposing its own laws on a sovereign part of the United Kingdom.
Feelings are running high amongst those who are in favour of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Below we provide readers with a flavour of what we were told by some key figures in the fight to keep the Union intact. Once again this is published in support of CIBUK’s Rebuttal Unit.
Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin
“This legal action against the UK Government shows that despite the claims that ‘Brexit has been done’ it definitely has not.
“While one square mile of UK territory stays under EU laws and the EU Court of Justice, we will have constant legal actions being taken against the UK. It really is time for our Government to get a grip of what is happening and to stand up to this harassment by an EU simply wanting to punish us for leaving their club.
“While the Protocol remains in place we are not a sovereign country.”
– Baroness Kate Hoey, House of Lords, speaking exclusively to CIBUK.Org and Facts4EU
The Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP
“The Northern Ireland Protocol legislation which passed the Commons unamended with good majorities is making more difficult progress in the Lords.
“If their lordships don’t see the wisdom of it, it will need to be Parliament acted and there’s still time to do that. We think it is essential to clarify the Northern Ireland Protocol, so that Northern Ireland can be properly and fully part of the United Kingdom and have a full exit from the EU in the way that Great Britain has enjoyed under the existing interpretation of the agreement.
“None of us who have been active in promoting this legislation think it entails breaking international law. If you read the Northern Ireland Protocol, it is ambiguous and contradictory, and there is plenty of ground for us to assert in UK legislation that GB to NI trade should be as free as trade within GB. Because it’s all part of the same country, whereas it’s not at the moment because of the perverse way in which the European Union is implementing it.
“We’re also very keen to stress that there should not be enforced convergence or compliance with EU law in Northern Ireland because they may export some things to the Republic. Anything that is not exported to the Republic should be under good UK law in the way that it is in GB and we need to be able to bury that more from European law as as we go forward.
“And above all, we wish to make it very clear that the European Court of Justice can have no role in decision-making over trade and business regulation in Northern Ireland any more than it has now for the rest of GB, so it’s an alignment piece of legislation.
“The government is properly still conducting negotiations with the EU in the hope that there is a negotiated settlement and agreed interpretation of the Protocol, but I and my colleagues think that’s highly unlikely because the EU will not flex its negotiating mandate to its chief negotiator, and shows no willingness to understand the fundamental problem which has broken apart the Good Friday Agreement and prevents devolved government taking place in Northern Ireland.”
– The Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP, speaking exclusively to Facts4EU and CIBUK.Org
Jim Allister MLA KC, Leader of the TUV Party
“The Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a parliamentary and economic union. That is what the Acts of Union, both the Irish and Scottish, created: a unified Parliament and a unified economy and single market.
“Art 6 of the Acts of Union is what creates the economic union by providing that all trade between and within the U.K. shall be on “the same footing”. The Protocol, of course, trashes that by putting a trade border in the Irish Sea.
“Today, the Government, faced with the prohibitions in Article 6, boldly argued, in order to contend for the legality of the Protocol, that its effect is to “disapply” Article 6 and, indeed, any other provision that stands in its way, which could even include the consent principle of Section 1 of the NI Act 1998.
“This argument, if approved by the Court, applies a wrecking ball to our Union. Once, of course, the economic union is not sacrosanct, then, nothing in the Acts of Union is safe.
“The Jesuitical pretence that there is a practical distinction between “disapplication” and “repeal” only adds disingenuous spin. If something is disapplied it is of no effect and might as well be repealed.
“HMG’s argument should bring home to every unionist just how constitutionally dire and dangerous the Protocol is. Moreover, it should confirm Unionists who care in their resolve that the Protocol must go and that there can be no let up in the political campaign against it, including the refusal to operate institutions which of necessity would have to implement this dismantling of the Union.”
– Jim Allister MLA KC, Leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice Party
Lord Walsingham, ex-Foreign Office German Political Department
“After 60 years of EU membership the civil service has mostly become ignorant and idle Remainers, who found it quite convenient for decisions to be taken prior to issues being sent to UK. You would think everyone would notice that Europe was not democratic and was a dictatorship, but so far nobody has noticed.”
– Lord Walsingham, commenting exclusively to CIBUK and Facts4EU
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For the original report, click here: https://facts4eu.org/news/2022_dec_brexit_reaction
