They “would do well to focus on Irish history.”
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has suggested that some British politicians, such as staunch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, should read more Irish history in a bid to get a greater understanding of the dangers of Brexit and the border.
As reported by the Irish Times, Coveney said that some British politicians “need to remind themselves of the violence and tragedy and division linked to the challenges that we’ve had on the island of Ireland north and south and within Northern Ireland itself, and that’s what we’re trying to ensure we never go back to.”
These comments appear to be a reaction to Rees-Mogg’s latest tweet which stated that a “no deal (Brexit) means no hard border so no need for the backstop.”
https://twitter.com/Jacob_Rees_Mogg/status/1075822302862942208
“People like Jacob Rees Mogg in my view would do well to focus on Irish history,” said Mr Coveney during a recent press briefing.
He added: “I’m not going to get into commenting on Jacob Rees Mogg or the comments that he makes, other than to say the Irish Government from the very outset saw the dangers and continues to see the dangers of the potential corrosive effect of border infrastructure between the two jurisdictions on this island, upsetting the normality that so many people have worked so hard to create over the last 20 years and before that.”
The Cork TD also praised Theresa May’s commitment to ensuring that the backstop is in place.
“One of the most articulate and strongest advocates for the so-called backstop has been the British prime minister. If you heard what she said when she was being challenged in Westminster last week, it was a really strong defence of why the backstop is there, why the peace process is important, why Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom is important to her. Why she wants to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland and all political parties. And why she thinks the backstop does matter,” he said.
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