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The Alternative Arrangements Commission has been on the road this week promoting their report in Belfast & Dublin. What's the Irish government's view on it? (thread)
Officially there is no view as this is the work of a private organisation, not the UK government, but given the MaxFac noises from Hunt & Johnson it has been looked out.
Sen Neale Richmond was on @BBCgmu this morning and set out three issues.
@BBCgmu 1) Even if Alternative Arrangements were added to the WA there's still no guarantee it would get through Westminster. Sure Brady passed but it was very broadly worded. No guarantee there's a majority once the detail is explained.
@BBCgmu 2) The AltArrange people emphasis this isn't new tech, it's just bringing existing stuff together. But this bringing together is itself novel so there are no complete examples to draw on. So a guarantee (backstop) is still needed.
@BBCgmu 3) The UK-Ireland food standards zone idea is 'beyond pie in the sky' as it dilutes Ireland's place in the Single Market.
@BBCgmu But I understand the Irish govt have a more fundamental objection which goes back once again to the words 'related checks and controls' in the 2017 Joint Report.
@BBCgmu The AltArrange people say this just means no related checks & controls AT THE BORDER and their ideas proceed from there.
@BBCgmu The Irish govt view is that misreads both the text & the understanding. They don't want new checks & controls anywhere. They have not resiled from that view.
@BBCgmu They also think some of what is proposed is ignorant of or cavalier with the EU's legal order ie. the UK-Ire food standards zone, exemptions for small traders etc.
@BBCgmu There's also the perception that the AltArrange tour is running in parallel with a fresh attempt to bad mouth the Irish govt in EU capitals.
@BBCgmu So lets see what the official AltArrange groups being organised by DexEU come up with. (fin)
@BBCgmu Oh and Simon Coveney directs us towards a thread
