Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture and Heritage has said there is a lot of “posturing going on” over the Brexit impasse.
She said negotiations could go up to the “wire” and that she sees no workable alternative to the current backstop proposal, but they are waiting for a solution from Boris Johnson.
She added, “It’s very difficult to tell at this moment in time, often in negotiations it can go right up to the wire and the last minute.
“It can happen between countries as well, it’s the same principles, there’s a lot of posturing going on, but we along with the EU have set out our stall and we hope the UK will find a way to ratify the withdrawal agreement or demonstrate an alternative to the backstop.
“I don’t see how that is in any way achievable at the moment but there is always hope.”
Madigan who was speaking in Dublin refused to be drawn over whether she trusts the British prime minister.
Madigan said, “It’s not about trust, I understand negotiations, I understand there is posturing, I do understand people might say one thing in private and one thing in public, whether what he’s saying is what he’ll follow through with remains to be seen.
“He voted for the withdrawal agreement in the past, it may be that that happens. We take each day as it comes, and hope sense will prevail.”
Adding, “It is an impasse and there are ways of resolving anything, but it’s a matter of getting both the parties to the table and identifying issues that are similar and try and reach a compromise.
“It could be that we go to 30 October, it wouldn’t surprise me, and if it were at that stage and we reached a deal that’s OK as well, there is time. I know there’s talk of Boris coming back in 30 days with a plan, we might be able to move forward then.
“From Ireland’s position, because of the Good Friday Agreement, because of the fragility of Northern Ireland, we cannot reach a compromise in relation to the backstop, there cannot be a time limit, it is an insurance policy absolutely crucial for this country, but there may be other ways, in the future relationship, for compromises and the UK will be aware of that.
“A lot of people forget what the Troubles were, and many of the younger generation aren’t aware of the effects it had.”
Leave a Comment