[Ireland ambassador to UK] Dan Mulhall: Ireland will do ‘all we can’ to keep the UK in the EU

EurActiv ^ | Published: 27/02/2015 - 14:33 | Updated: 27/02/2015 - 14:37 | Mark Briggs

[Olog-hai]

UK membership of the EU was in “fundamental Irish national interest”, and would adversely affect the whole EU, the Irish Ambassdor in London told EurActiv.

Ireland will do “all that we can” to ensure the UK remains in the EU, stated Dan Mulhall. “A British exit would inevitably weaken the Union, which is something that cannot be in Ireland’s interests,” said the diplomat. […]

Mulhall said Ireland would back reforms that make the European Union “work better”, but warned now was not the time to engage in “radical treaty change”.

“I don’t think full blown treaty reform is appropriate or desirable at a time when Europe is emerging from the deepest recession in its history,” said Mulhall. “The Union needs to focus on economic recovery. Now is not the time to embark on ambitious program of treaty change.” …

[Myrddin]

PIIGS - Portugual, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain. Of course the Irish want to keep the UK snout in the EU to access the deep pockets of Germany for bailout money. I disagree. The UK needs to be indpendent of the EU. The EU seeks political power and control over the UK. It is not in the best interest of the UK to allow that.

[Olog-hai]

Still buying the propaganda that there was free “bailout money” and that Germany is being bled dry, eh? The “bailouts” were loans and the terms insisted that the countries that took the loans surrender more of their sovereignty to the EU. (Ireland claims that their loans were paid off too.) Never mind Germany’s own beggar-thy-neighbor policy that turned them rather suddenly from the “sick man of Europe” into its leading economy (and de facto political ruler).

[Olog-hai]

Aside from that, every European country needs to be independent of the EU, because all it has done is hurt for the sake of accruing power and territory.

The EU is a social market economy. That started in Germany and spread by treaty to the rest of the member states.

[Myrddin]

I thought the EU was a mistake from the beginning. As a business traveler in Europe, I despised the inconvenience of having to deal with currency exchanges as I moved to different countries. I was still dealing in German marks on my last trip to Frankfurt in 1999. Since then, I've made only one trip in March 2005 to present a paper in Rome at the 10th International CAN Conference. It was the first time I had Euros in hand. No trips across a border, so no advantage or disadvantage at the time.

I found my trips to Wales in the 90's a bit enlightening. The exchange rate was $1.63 (USD) per UK pound. Merchandise in stores was priced about the same in pounds as I paid in USD at home. Essentially, everything cost 63% more for the same goods. I limited my purchases to a subset of items unobtainable in the US e.g. Welsh language music and books.

The impediment to trade across borders is annoying, but hardly justification for ceding sovreignty to the EU.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Ireland (or 26 counties of it) hasn’t returned any members to the commons since 1922, so their opinion on what the UK should do no longer matters. They will just have to do as they have always done ever since and adapt around us like it or lump it.

[dfwgator]

Ireland, that country that sat out WW II.

[McGruff]

The Euro-weenies are fighting with each other. Putin must be laughing out loud.

[the scotsman]

‘Ireland is the side-car to our motorbike, they aren’t going anywhere without us...’

-—comedian Al Murray

[the scotsman]

Correct, although 20000 Irishmen did fight for the British against the Axis, and were treated appallingly on their return (some Catholic NI men were also treated badly in pro-IRA/Nationalist communities in places like Belfast or Derry/Londonderry)