Sune Auken #FBPEGlobal #BLM Profile picture
Sep 12, 2020 12 tweets 2 min read Read on X
In the department of "shit that could actually have been predicted ages ago" here's a blogpost I wrote almost two years ago. Here's what it says about the Irish border question: 1/

1europe4all.wordpress.com/2018/10/20/fbp…
"The abhorrent debate over the Irish border has been particularly vexing in this regard. The basic problem is not particularly hard to grasp, yet it is recurrently obfuscated through ignorance, negligence, selfishness, or even plain malice. ... 2/
If the UK leaves the EU, the Irish Border is an external border for the EU. Relinquishing control of it, would amount to giving up control of what happens in all EU-territory. If the UK establishes a trade deal with the US that lowers safety standards, food standards, ... 3/
worker’s rights, environmental standards´ etc. etc. then sub-standard products can then be imported with impunity from the UK to the EU. In other words: An open border with a deregulated market dominated by the US means giving up even a pretense to control. 4/
It will lower safety standards, food standards, worker’s rights, environmental standards´ etc. within the EU. ... 5/
Also, it means that in a situation where control with immigration is key to maintaining the EU—and is also the recurrent attack point by budding or roaring fascist movements within and outside the EU—the union would be without control of one of its outer borders. ... 6/
Therefore, not only is it fair for the EU to stand firm with Ireland on the issue of the Irish border, it is a case of life-or-death for the union. 7/
However, in the UK-debate the question is frequently treated as if it was a point where the Irish could just be a little more flexible and all would be fine, or simply seen as a non-problem weaponized by the EU against the UK. 8/
... Moreover, the UK leadership has yet to come up with a workable solution; indeed, the UK-leaders have yet to prove themselves marginally trustworthy on this point. ... 9/
The situation is, quite obviously, infuriating. I cannot fathom how Michel Barnier keeps his cool, but I guess that’s why it’s him, not me, who conducts these negotiations." (QUOTE ENDS) 10/
Take note, please, that I wasn't in possession of any skills of prophecy. I was actually quite late to the party. Better analysts than me had said something akin to this many times over before me. 11/
It's frickken obvious. And only very dumb and/or very disingenuous debaters can claim they didn't see it. 12/12

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More from @SuneAuken

May 26, 2022
I'd like to take a minute to address the deployment of "Christian forgiveness" in the Downing Street Debauchery Debacle.

I ask my very good atheist friends to please forgive me for going full-on theologian on the topic. The point could basically be made without faith. 1/
But once faith enters into the picture - dragged in by the disingenuous defenders of the indefensible - those of us who profess to have faith are called to make a reply. So bear with me. 2/
My language is very much the language of the believer, but if your language is not, I am sure you can recast the whole thread in ethical terms and we'll find ourselves in complete agreement on the other side. 3/
Read 15 tweets
May 14, 2022
Since the border issue is up again, this note which I have made before.

Brexit can only be a success for the UK if there is an open border between the EU and the UK but without regulatory alignment. 1/
Because that would allow the UK to use the border as a giant backdoor into the single market without abiding by its rules and make a killing out of undercutting its standards. 2/
This would be destructive to the single market and - by consequence - to the EU, but it would show Brexit Britain as a success. 3/
Read 6 tweets
May 11, 2022
@EmporersNewC I think it's worth noting that even taken as a threat, this is a huge failure.

What we are dealing with here is a so-called conditional threat: Do this OR I will do that to you - i.e. Give me all the money you owe me, OR I'll beat you up. 1/
@EmporersNewC For a conditional threat to work (yep, it's a #genre thing) the consequence of non-compliance has to be worse than what the threatened party has to do to comply. 2/
@EmporersNewC "Give me your wallet, or I'll kill your children" works; "kill your children, or I''ll take your wallet" usually doesn't. 3/
Read 11 tweets
Apr 1, 2022
I don't doubt that Boris Johnson is doing his best. In fact, I am sure of it.

However, unfortunately, his best is also his worst. And it's hugely damaging for the UK. 1/
I know it's his best, because he has neither the will nor the ability to change, much less improve. He will never get better. What you see now is what you get. It's his best. 2/
Are British waterways getting polluted? Not his problem. Never was, never will be.

Catastrophically rising cost of living for UJ citizens? Not his problem. Never was. Never will be. 3/
Read 12 tweets
Mar 19, 2022
"A much more minor example of Brexiter desperation is that of a widely-mocked tweet by Paul Embery, the Lexiter trade unionist and writer. 1/
In it, he derided the EU’s sanctioning of 160 individuals in one day (compared with seven by the UK the same day), by saying that the EU’s total only “works out to six individuals per EU member state”. 2/
I disagree with most of what Embery writes, but it would be absurd and insulting to suggest he isn’t intelligent enough to realise that when the EU sanctions individuals they are sanctioned by every member state, so dividing them up in this way makes no sense at all. 3/
Read 6 tweets
Feb 2, 2022
@HanneTange1 @gaidheileamail1 Don't say I didn't warn you.

How do you address a knight?

- By his sir name, obviously. 1/
@HanneTange1 @gaidheileamail1 Which Knight of the Round Table always one due to fortunate circumstance?

- Sir Rendipity. 2/
@HanneTange1 @gaidheileamail1 Which Knight of the Round Table could not be trusted?

- Sir Pent. 3/
Read 32 tweets

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