Let Ireland vote on their own ‘Brexit’

SO yet another deadline for Theresa May to have to grapple with, this time laid down by Donald Tusk, president of the European Council.

Mr Tusk wants a lot more money by way of divorce payment and a solution to the Northern Ireland problem. This is not negotiation, but blackmail.

The Ulster border is presenting many difficulties on all sides, and the Irish government is also starting to play hardball.

However, I do have a solution: give the people of Ireland the opportunity to vote on leaving the EU.

I just do not believe that the European Union will last in its present form. The electorates of countries such as Denmark and Holland would love to have the opportunity to vote on leaving the EU, but their governments won’t let this happen. If Ireland then chooses to follow the UK and quit, the Border problem would vanish overnight. From a business point of view, both sides of the Irish Sea would benefit.

As the years roll by, the expense of running Euroland increases year on year, as do the ever-increasing number of regulations being handed down, pushing up the cost of running a business. The latest imposition is the General Data Protection Regulations which come into effect next May.

Business is getting very anxious about the rules of the game that they are going to have to work with post-Brexit, so it is imperative that government comes up with a clear lead in this respect.

I therefore see much merit in an indication being given that we will switch to WTO rules, for I just cannot see how 27 other member states of the union will agree a final deal with the UK.

There are far too many vested interests, and it is almost inevitable that the power of veto will be implemented, already indicated by the current Irish Prime Minister.

I sincerely hope that our government will not succumb to demands by Brussels for more cash, insist that negotiations commence immediately on trade, and if not, well, just walk.

Now that would really concentrate Euro minds! Russell Luckock is chairman of Birmingham pressings firm

AE Harris