Pro-Brexit Labour MP Kate Hoey and DUP chief whip Jeffrey Donaldson have displayed breath-taking ignorance on avoiding a no-deal Brexit. They both think Ireland should sort it out.
Hoey and Donaldson suggested Ireland should act as a go-between to enable the UK and the EU to avoid no-deal. Such a scenario looks “increasingly likely” should the UK leave the EU as planned on 31 October.
Completely clueless
What Hoey and Donaldson clearly forget is that Ireland is a member of the EU27 that negotiated the withdrawal agreement with the UK. And that agreement isn’t up for renegotiation.
But Hoey still tweeted an open letter claiming to represent Irish attitudes to Brexit. Trinity College Dublin professor Anthony Coughlan wrote this letter:
An Open Letter on Irish Attitudes to Brexit https://t.co/AZH9PuABX0
— Kate Hoey (@CatharineHoey) August 11, 2019
Coughlan’s letter suggested Ireland:
act as a mediator between the EU and the UK and help London get the best deal possible with the EU, while recognising that the UK is leaving the customs union and single market.
Stupidity loves company
Donaldson’s tweet was similar. He suggested:
Dublin can play a crucial role in helping broker an accommodation that both the UK & EU can accept.
https://twitter.com/J_Donaldson_MP/status/1160549201266302976?s=20
Donaldson’s tweet appeared to be inspired by an article in an Irish newspaper. People took to social media to set both him and Hoey straight.
It should frighten him
The first resistance to Donaldson came from within his own support base.
https://twitter.com/gibbo889/status/1160550380947869699?s=20
But shock at Donaldson’s ignorance went much further. Donaldson showed he wasn’t just out of touch with his own supporters but also with the majority view in the north of Ireland. Because a greater number of people support joining a united Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit, compared to those who wish to remain in the UK.
https://twitter.com/PastorJimberoo1/status/1160568453880848389?s=20
This prospect should send a shiver down the spine of any DUP member given its main reason for existence is:
to maintain and enhance Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the United Kingdom
Setting the record straight
This person made it very clear that the British government is responsible for the mess.
https://twitter.com/MorpheusNI/status/1160565379158151168?s=20
Then one person reminded Hoey of majority Irish attitudes to the EU:
And, if you are interested @KateHoeyMP in public opinion in Ireland, the annual Red C opinion poll for @emireland in spring 2019 showed 93% of people in support of Irish membership of the EU.
*hint Anthony Coughlan is amongst the other 7%. pic.twitter.com/XhGCfJ0ZuN— John O’Brennan (@JohnOBrennan2) August 11, 2019
As did another:
Far from it Kate. This author holds an ultra viewpoint which is longstanding, and completely out of step with the country. His views do not not reflect the the majority of Irish citizens who are overwhelmingly pro EU by over 80%. You are spreading misinformation.
— Helen Adams (@HelenLouAdams) August 11, 2019
But the final word on Hoey goes to this poster who made it clear what he thought about the letter Hoey tweeted:
A better title would be "A Random Letter from Some Moron".
If Brexit is so fabulous and easy, how are the Irish stopping it from happening?
If no deal is so desirable why do you care about the Backstop and Ireland at all?
Why should Ireland seek to facilitate it?— Adam Cafolla (@adaliabooks) August 11, 2019
Time Donaldson and Hoey faced the truth
Boris Johnson took on the baton of a botched Brexit from Theresa May. And when he returns to the House of Commons in September, a motion of no confidence could await him. So there’s possibly an election on the horizon.
Hoey has already said she won’t stand, and the election could return the DUP to Westminster irrelevance. So neither opinion will matter. What matters is the opinion of the British people. And they won’t forget or forgive the Tories for creating this mess. More importantly, they’ll make them pay as soon as that election is called.
Featured image via YouTube – Fox News / Flickr – TeaMeister
