Irish leader scores a Brexit own goal
THE Irish premier Leo Varadkar claims the EU has the upper hand in trade talks with the UK because the 27 countries of the EU have a population of 450 million as opposed to our ‘small’ country of 60 million. He also compared the negotiations to a game of football, asking which of these two teams you would support. Maybe Mr Varadkar should ask Alexander von Schoenburg, editorat-large of Germany’s biggest circulation newspaper, for his opinion. Writing in the Mail’s Saturday Essay, he pointed out the UK economy is bigger than 18 of the smallest EU countries combined. The EU states only account for 7 per cent of the world’s population — but 50 per cent of all welfare spending. The IMF says that the UK will be the fastest growing G7 economy in Europe in two years. The jobless rate in the UK is one of the lowest in the EU. In Germany, fears are growing that the ship of Europe is sailing in troubled waters and soon could be dashed on the rocks. Europe is trapped in bureaucratic sclerosis, obsessed with regulation while the rest of the world is embracing commercial freedom. I bet Alexander doesn’t support Leo’s daft football comparison.
DAVID BECK, Waterlooville, Hants.
MANY of the 450 million Europeans do not support the corrupt EU team, which has useless managers and needs to play dirty in its bid to win. Such teams usually end up at the bottom of the league without a backer or money to buy new players.
P. GOLDTHORPE, Sleaford, Lincs. IRISH Taoiseach Leo Varadkar needs to think before taunting one of his country’s best customers. We don’t have to buy Irish cheese or beef. Surely the last thing he needs is for British customers to boycott Irish products as a result of his ill-tempered taunts.
IAN HUTTON, Nantwich, Cheshire. DOES Leo Varadkar need reminding that the only reason the Republic of Ireland is still in the EU is because its people were told to keep voting until Brussels got the answer it wanted. Why is this upstart talking as if he is running the EU and telling us what we should and shouldn’t do?
JOHN EVANS, Wokingham, Berks. REGARDING Mr Varadkar’s rude, ill-advised remarks about Britain, it may be worthwhile pointing out that we rescued his country to the tune of several billion when its Celtic Tiger economy got into severe financial difficulties.
DAVID HAYES, London NW10.