Irish Independent

EU must let Britain leave with pride intact or it risks an extremist reaction

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POLITICIAN­S don’t ever seem to learn. Almost 100 years ago a humiliatin­g and vindictive treaty was imposed on a broken and weakened Germany with the result that within a generation, extremist politics led to the most destructiv­e war ever seen.

At present, a humiliatin­g and vindictive treaty is being imposed on Britain which if implemente­d will almost certainly ferment extremist politics in a humiliated and weakened world power, causing untold hostility, strife and retributiv­e action in the not too distant future.

So much damage has already been caused by protracted and bitter negotiatio­ns that Britain is far less likely to swing towards extremism if separated from, rather than subservien­t to, an increasing­ly dictatoria­l and very smug EU.

We can only hope that Britain will be allowed to leave peaceably with as little interrupte­d EU commercial interactio­n as possible. If forced into a humiliatin­g climbdown or banished with shut-out hostility, extremist politics are likely to flourish. Should this happen, Ireland, the EU and Britain itself are likely to suffer great upheaval.

As for the Irish Border, it is likely to be the EU which insists on its revival to prevent American beef flavouring the dinner tables of Europe. Padraic Neary

Tubbercurr­y, Co Sligo

 ?? PHOTO: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES ?? Ill feeling: Brexit protesters continued to demonstrat­e outside the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday.
PHOTO: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES Ill feeling: Brexit protesters continued to demonstrat­e outside the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday.

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