Ireland and the EU fought to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Now the Republic wants to close it to economic migrants!
The EU and the international lawyers  fought against the UK returning illegal migrants to France. Now they think the EU should be able to return them to the UK.
Why do so many upholders of the international rules based system set out to stop the enforcement of law against illegal migration?
April 29, 2024
They make the ârulesâ. We DONâT live by ârulesâ – we live by laws enacted by authorised bodies.
We need obey NOTHING else.
April 29, 2024
Lynn, it is a standard negotiating approach. If the agreed rules don’t fit their required outcome people want change.
Of course, this now gives the UK a stronger hand and a chance to renegotiate the Windsor Agreement. That depends on the UK Government having the nerve to stand up to the EU.
April 30, 2024
I cannot help but think this is a political scam. If the RoI is annoyed itâs grievance is with France not UK. The RoI accepted the border less EU by entering into the association and letting themEU govern on its behalf. What is wrong is that we voted leave and the Tory govt refuse to implement it. UK could and should leave ECHR, but that would mean EU could,cancel EU sell out agreement within 12 days. Tory govt. Remainers do not want that. Heaton-Harris was perfectly content to sell out our country and DUP with EU Windsor sell out agreement. He is not fit for any public office.
April 29, 2024
Because most countries know what a spineless shower run the country.
We saw how you capitulated over the Brexit negotiations
No doubt Frances will threaten to withdraw electricity supplies if we don’t agree.
Rolls Royce are already pulling out of pressure vessel fabrication because of government intransigence no doubt they will manufacture them abroad. More skilled well paid jobs lost.
April 29, 2024
Most international laws are an abomination and a direct threat to Democratic government.
April 29, 2024
I donât really think that we COULD leave ECHR even if there were the political will.
Blair so fundamentally changed laws and treaties etc that it is hard wired/baked into all sorts of law enforcement and judicial agreements. ( Not that I have any real grasp on it).
(Wonderful vid by Mr Starkey explaining the horrible extent of what TB did)
Politicians still living in the world of Interpol and Maigret.
This inability to take action must be widely understood just as they probably know that the Rwanda farce can achieve nowt.
April 29, 2024
Absolutely.
April 29, 2024
This is the evil we have defeated and banished from the U.K. the political class need to comprehend they have no locus to reverse the decision of the true Sovereigns – the People.
“The fewer rights, the fewer violations”: European Council chief calls Ukraine’s restriction of human rights a “positive signal”
“We welcome Ukraine’s decision to restrict human rights in a transparent and open manner. It was an important and courageous step by the government to limit a number of freedoms of citizens to prevent them from being violated by security forces. A positive signal for Ukrainian democracy,” – European Council President Charles Michel
So if you have no rights nobody can violate them. Thatâs AI thinking for you!
April 29, 2024
Why indeed, well clearly just Ireland and EU self interests drives it. But why did Boris and Sunak cave in and betray NI and then Sunak even signed the dire Windsor Accord in another act of gross betrayal.
April 29, 2024
So Astra Zenica have finally admitted in Court that their Covid Vaccine causes Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome â blood clots and a low blood platelet count. So why are tax paying having to fund their defence bills as well as suffering the side effects?
I was reminded that Prince William is (bizarrely) minded to destroy destroy all the Buckingham Palace Ivory. Does he think this will bring the elephants back to live? What about my, and all those millions of pianos?
April 29, 2024
Many post vaccine shingles outbreaks were reported too.
April 30, 2024
Do you have any evidence that there have been more cases of Shingles than before the Pandemic ?
Somehow I doubt it.
April 29, 2024
How absolutely disgraceful that the Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has decided to recover the fiscal losses acrued after his decision to reduce National Insurance â by soaking the disabled and the long-term sick to pay for them. Which immediately means that the Party has lost the disabled/sick vote to Labour. Talk about the nasty party!
April 29, 2024
They are probably concerned that the number of disability claiments doubled over a 12 month period SG ( between Summer 2021 and July 2022). The IFS have a short report on it that makes interesting reading.
I have no idea whether we are all getting much sicker or better at swinging the lead – but I can see why Government is worried.
April 29, 2024
It’s one rule for them, another for us. The EU, and its supporters that wield power, are psychopathic. This sort of thing confirms Brexit was the correct path to take (though we are not there yet).
April 29, 2024
If the EU, in this case the Irish republic, are given the power to return illegal immigrants to the UK (via N.Ireland) Then the UK MUST get reciprocal power to return illegal immigrants to the EU via France.
April 29, 2024
Good morning – again.
Following on from the previous article, I would like to bring attention to the following:
Isn’t it amazing that the French, despite giving them millions and demanding they do something, have suddenly, just before the forthcomming UK General Election, have started to try and prevent the boats from setting off.
And now we have the RoI Government, just before their elections, blaming MASS IMMIGRATION on the UK Government due to the Rwanda scam.
It all seems to me to be a bit of a, “You scatch my back and I’ll scatch yours.” ;o)
May 1, 2024
Translation required for ‘ don’t bite the hand that feeds’.
April 29, 2024
Three little lines which sum the situation up well.
If the Irish can send immigrants back to us (how do they prove how they got there?) then we can turn the boats round in the Channel.
The laws are the same.
April 30, 2024
The law has always been on our side in returning the boats to their home port âŠ.its the will of politicians that been in question
April 29, 2024
Why canât Ireland send the migrants from the U.K. straight to France, as they are both EU countries?
April 30, 2024
I agree (plus the French not accepting illegal immigrants from UK – they can’t have it both ways. And as someone else said, the special agreement between Ireland and UK over borders is based on good will and does not take into account illegal immigrants).
I was surprised to see, just now, that over the years, majority of these illegal immigrants are coming from Middle East in particular IRAN (I thought they were mostly Africans – not so).
And a lot too from IRAQ & AFGHAN (part of consequence of Blair’s daft wars in Iraq and Afghan).
April 30, 2024
Ed M :
Itâs quite ridiculous that weâre receiving and accepting young men of fighting age from countries such as Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan when it is the women in these countries who could justifiably be claiming asylum from oppression, mistreatment and persecution.
April 29, 2024
I Agree.
April 29, 2024
It is reported that France has previously declined to take back illegal immigrants who arrived in the UK from France in small boats. So why should we accept double standards from EU member states on this issue? Perhaps the Republic should be returning them to France? Is this evidence that the Rwanda plan will work?
April 29, 2024
As usual a little bit of misinformation here – Ireland and UK share a common travel area from old times because it suits the people from both jurisdictions but it will only work if there is goodwill from both sides – it was never meant to accommodate for illegal migrants – but if the present arrangement is not working then I’m quite sure the Irish will come up with some ingenious way to remove them anyway and it won’t be at the same cost that UK is paying to Rwanda – that’s for sure
April 30, 2024
That shared common travel area policy is for Eire/UK citizens only
April 30, 2024
herebefore :
Perhaps we should be asking Ireland if they want to join our Rwnada scheme?
April 29, 2024
Unintended consequences with unforgiving social media to identify and highlight. The scourge of interfering politicians.
Presumably not a tinge of embarrassment from said EU and U.K. remain politicians about the double standards shown between Ireland and France.
If only Sunak and co werenât so weak, this is a golden opportunity to pile in on Starmer/Blair to demonstrate their loyalties lie with the EU at any cost.
April 29, 2024
Simple really, the Republic of Ireland should have a quiet word with there EU partners to stop letting these economic migrants into Europe in the first place, and we should have the balls to turn back these invaders at sea and being a bloody taxi service to everyone
April 29, 2024
The EU favours supporting International Law to impose responsibility on others until its harshness reflects to make them face it.
April 30, 2024
They chose to ignore the ‘law of the sea’
April 29, 2024
It is not the âIrish Borderâ but the âUK / Irish Republic Borderâ – lest we forget
April 29, 2024
Off topic but again our obsession with crumbling, signing up to agreements not in our interest?
Allegedly we will be forced to give up a large percentage of our vaccines to the âcorrupt politically riddled, in Chinaâs pocketâ the WHO.
Why and how is it to our benefit? they are still covering up the source of Covid.
April 30, 2024
They can have “my” jabs …. since I haven’t and won’t be taking them. I value and look after my own health.
April 29, 2024
Presumably when the EU demands that migrants on arrival in the UK are branded with an indelible “Not for EU”, Sunak will sign up and comply? That will make it easier for any non-compliant migrants to be spotted in the EU and returned to the UK.
April 29, 2024
If the ROI find a way to return illegal migrants to the U.K., can the U.K. not use the same rules to return them to France? Or would it be the case that the EU country can return illegal migrants to a 3rd country, but a 3rd country cannot return such migrants to the EU?
April 29, 2024
The Irish government is just looking for someone else to blame, faced with the public reaction to large numbers of illegal migrants.
It’s just the same in this country, when the media blames the French and the government blames people traffickers, when the real cause is attracting illegal migration through policies of free accommodation, free healthcare, free legal aid and access to the black market.
April 29, 2024
The EU and Eire operate on the basis that Rules are sacrosanct as long as they benefit the EU (and Eire).
If they don’t, the Rules are no longer sacrosanct and must be changed to restore the beneficial impact on the EU (and Eire).
Unfortunately, for 45 years the British Establishment has meekly gone along with the EEC/EC/EU’s operational Rules. And they did the same when we voted to LEAVE with May’s proposed sell-out; with Johnson’s Brino+ and Sunak’s Windsor betrayal.
So you can hardly blame the EU for thinking they can do it again ….. or me for thinking that once again, the British Government will roll over.
It’s what they do.
April 29, 2024
My guess is our Tory government will be WEAK in response to Ireland and concede their actions against us.
Hopeless and dangerous to us as usual.
April 29, 2024
I told you the other day that if you didn’t change the freedom of movement rules with Ireland it would become a backdoor route for migrants to legally settle in the UK. Once they get their Irish passport we can’t stop them. If Ireland can send migrants back here why can’t we send them back to France? Here’s an idea why doesn’t Ireland send them straight back to France or better still their home country? The whole asylum system has become a joke and our weak politicians do nothing about it. I don’t even believe these migrants have travelled from the UK. Ireland has signed up to accept quotas from mainland Europe and is trying to blame the UK for their increase in numbers to appease their people.
April 30, 2024
In fairness to the Irish (the ordinary people not the politicians) they have put their foot down over now WOKE agendas (including making it harder for illegal immigrants) and so I’m guessing it’s going to get much harder now to get an Irish passport – if not already). But thanks to the ordinary Irish person on the street – not their WOKE / slightly corrupt and pretty incompetent politicians.
Can I also add, I’ve spoken to some people ( from abroad ed)here who do carework and they have told me that there are foreigners taking the p-ss here. That they (not these caseworkers who are working hard) come to the UK to manipulate the system. That true, poor (overseas people ed) who do need help, are just too poor and vulnerable to even think about the long (and relatively expensive) journey to the UK. So based on personal experience, I know there are foreigners milking the system and see us as easy target.
April 30, 2024
Christine, I’m glad you said that about travelling from the UK. You can’t just get on a ferry for free without a ticket; you can’t fly without your passport. How do the British authorities know if they arrived in Ireland in Irish trucks? They arrived in the UK that way for years, and now they sail directly.
If the asylum seekers want to settle in Ireland as Ireland openly supports Palestine, they were the first EU member to endorse the Palestinian state people will want to flee into a supportive country. Videos from Ireland have pinged around the World. Perhaps the Irish are flying people in themselves from Palestine?
April 29, 2024
I thought you would delete that comment Sir John. You cannot face the truth , along with many other politicians.
It was not pleasant going about ones work with a .22 pistol in ones belt, but the soldiers needed engineering support by Defence
Estates and PSA!
One needed to be alert to the enemy. But there we are!
April 29, 2024
I guess that the EU doesnât like the Rwanda law?
(Has it now completely passed?)
They donât want people escaping to Ireland to avoid Rwanda.
Although I understand that some very nice houses are being built thereâŠplus the usual pocket money, teeth etc.
Could such EU outrage also be useful to a govt. that doesnât really want the law to work?
The usual shrugâŠâ Oh wellâŠwe tried but International Law you knowâŠâ
Anyway it doesnât matterâŠit wouldnât work and weâve nothing to lose/ruin left here now.
April 29, 2024
âWhy do so many upholders of the international rules based system set out to stop the enforcement of law against illegal migration?â
Divide and rule.
Globalisation will be much easier if the common culture of the historic nation states is destroyed.
April 29, 2024
The Question, Asylum seekers in the EU(France) what accommodation are they offered, what expenses are the given?
Why is it OK to ignore the human rights of UK Citizens, to favor those that do not and wonât contribute to the system but think they are just âentitledâ to take from others.?
Why is it UK Citizens abroad eventually get charged for any legal representation needed in foreign countries, yet the legal system pays what ever fees the agents of the people smugglers demand.?
Why is it that Greece can successfully turn back asylum seekers and the UK wont?
How much money has this Conservative Government generated for the Worlds people smugglers?
Double standards as always from a Conservative Government that has spent 14years ducking responsibility by maliciously refusing to âmanageâ
April 29, 2024
It is not “the EU” returning them to the UK, it is the Republic of Ireland, a soverign state acting as a sovereign state. That is why Irish ministers and the Irish parliament are involved in this, not the EU commission nor Brussels.
If the UK wants to be able to return migrants to France, the UK has to talk to France, just as the UK and Ireland plan to talk.
Attemping to blame the EU for the actions and decisions of an individual sovereign state acting entirely legitimately is a tired old trope, and simply wrong.
Is this a distraction tactic to avoid people becoming aware of the coming increases in food prices due to the UK government finally getting round (after many exercises in can kicking) to implementing the new import checks it freely and willingly signed up to which will add cost to business, and therefore to consumers, pushing up inflation again?
April 30, 2024
@Peter Parsons – the Republic of Ireland as a EU State, with a EU Government, Just as our(the UK’s) agreements viz-a-vie the Republic are negotiated with the EU, not the Republic as that would not be permitted under EU Laws The so-called Belfast Agreement, was a 3 way affair between the Republic, The UK an the USA – this has been trashed by the EU and it is their version or no version on the relationships between the parties concerned.
April 30, 2024
@Ian B, you’re wrong. These matters are negotiated directly between two sovereign countries.
For example, there were discussions between the UK and France (France, not “the EU”) at the UKâFrance leadersâ summit in March 2023 at which the UK agreed financial commitments towards dealing with illegal migration using the Channel. Going further back in history, the UK and France agreed and signed the Sangatte Protocol in 1991 and the Treaty of Le Touquet in 2003, both bilateral agreements relating to migration.
April 30, 2024
British and Irish Citizens can move freely with the CTA not the rest of the world.
April 29, 2024
Sir John,
Because some of the rules infringe on human rights
April 29, 2024
Can’t have it both ways. You are either in the EU or out. I hope we are really going to the OUT position. I cannot understand how we have not got the will to tell these people and the EU where to get off. We have our sovereign country to look after first. This is difficult for a lot who have been born and brought up under the rule of a foreign body – the EU, The history of this country needs to be compulsory to all born after entry to the Common Market (what a con that was). To those coming now it should be tested before entry is allowed. An old style A level history exam would suit the purpose I think.
April 29, 2024
I do not find the reactions of the Irish Government or the EU in the least bit surprising. The one consistency in EU policy has always been only to follow rules when they are clearly to the EU’s advantage. The British Government was consistent in its naivety in failing to recognise this and persisting in pointless negotiations, instead of just leaving and relying on the WTO. They should never have allowed the Good Friday agreement to have been weaponised against them.
April 29, 2024
Sir John, if you ever expected anything unclouded and straightforward coming from duplicitous EU bureaucrats with their legal beavers flailing around to manage their bloc of many countries to their masters’ satisfaction, you were ever going to be disappointed. The divide between the UK and EU attitude and approach to negotiation has always been vast. Always will be. We’re on completely different courses. EU bureaucrats/legals are on a combined agenda to thwart anybody/anything that is going jeopardise their mission..a mission WEF-based. As someone who lived and worked in the EU in various countries and over many years, I can only speak as someone who got to know their conniving, flubbery ways and speak from the heart. They’re desperate to achieve their no-nations goal; they do and say anything that will mess up ‘nations’. It’s in their blood, genes, mentality..Desperation leads to desperate measures, as goes the saying. They are on a lost cause. Do no expect anything at any time which seems to you in any way common sense and acceptable.
April 29, 2024
I’d like to know how the Irish and the French get away with it. The Irish are ‘lovely’ and the French ‘sophisticated’. The English are just ‘boorish and nasty.’
How will the RNLI and Border Force behave when the boats are going the other way ?
April 29, 2024
âWhy do so many upholders of the international rules based system set out to stop the enforcement of law against illegal migration?â
From such questions conspiracy theories start.
April 29, 2024
Typical hypocritical and anti democratic EU – it’s their way or else. Tell them to get stuffed. If the Irish don’t like it let them close the border. We don’t owe them anything.
April 29, 2024
As far as the public are concerned these are the main Conservative policies.
None of which were voted for, all of which were dreamt up by globalist think tanks and supported by rich elites.
* Mass Migration – explicitly voted against, low wage low skill economic migrants causing huge economic damage to tax payers.
* DEI in Government – ideological, discriminatory, racist, sexist, illegal
* Lockdowns – caused immense damage to the economy, mental and physical health
* EV Cars and Heat Exchangers – unwanted, economically unfeasible, environmentally pointless
* Hate Speech Laws – anti free speech, constitutionally illegal, oppressive, totalitarian.
* Running down armed forces – to pay for the above, negligent, foolish, dangerous.
This list goes on and on.
April 29, 2024
Agree with all you say John.
But still no real excuse for UK not actively protecting its sea border.
No real reason Ireland cannot deport people directly to France and cut out the middle man UK.
Of course the French ruling class are playing the UK ruling class who are dumb and stupid, layered on top of the fact most of the UK ruling class want mass uncontrolled immigration but are just not prepared to say so openly in front of the voters.
April 29, 2024
Absolutely.
April 29, 2024
Surely the RoI government should be flattered that large numbers of asylum seekers are seeking out their country as a haven in preference to the detestable and inhospitable UK, which is ‘not a safe country’ for asylum seekers, as the RoI High Court has decreed. The Westminster government should do precisely nothing about this, except to remind Dublin of 1) the role of their fellow EU-member France 2) the recent solemn joint undertaking to have no border between North and South. We might also point out that if immigrants are forcibly bussed from the Republic into Northern Ireland, they will easily wander back into the south.
April 29, 2024
Eire wants its cake and eat it ; they have just discovered the difficulty of illegal migration and wants the UK to absorb the problem . For too long we have put up with illegals and we should now put our foot down and start the flights to Rwanda immediately ; the role that the ECHR have played is inappropriate and has encouraged the mayhem ; we must not allow such an outside influence to exist any longer .
April 29, 2024
If the UK government gives in to this, surely it must be on the principle that since the migrants have come from the EU, we must be able to return them to whence they came in the first place i.e. back to France.
April 29, 2024
Back in July 2022 the Irish prime minister M Martin called the UK Rwanda scheme ‘shocking’ and ‘wrong’ so why isn’t it ‘shocking’ and ‘wrong’ for Ireland not to take in their fair share of European migration?
Irish Truckers have been bringing immigrants into the UK for years dropping them off on their way through many times with many tragedies along the way.
The UK gets panned unless we use hotels we cant even use army barracks yet Ireland can house people in tents, how? HOW? This is what British people are getting sick about, one rule for us, one for everyone else.
April 29, 2024
Dear Mr. Redwood,
Who amongst your readers believes the present UK government really wants to stand up to the Republic of Ireland on this matter? Rather, the current government is pretending to fight the good fight for headlines in front of a general election. Of course, post-election, it will likely not need to worry about it.
After all, it was only in October 2022 that ‘hard-line’ Brexiteer turncoat and current Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Steve Baker, apologized live on Irish airwaves for what he said had been ‘a ham-fisted advocacy of anti-EU policies that disrespected Irelandâs own economic needs’. He was due to meet Irish government officials today until the Irish got all uppity about the British government’s position and pulled out of talks.
The Daily Telegraph reports today that when the UK left the EU, no agreement was signed during the Brexit talks, meaning there are no formal returns agreements in place between EU countries and the UK. However, and very interestingly, a post-Brexit provision was made in the case of the UK and Ireland, which meant Ireland could return asylum seekers to Britain. It transpires that no asylum seeker has been successfully returned to Ireland, or vice-versa, under this post-Brexit arrangement since it was struck.
April 29, 2024
The Irish government can’t have their cake and eat it !
I propose we make some slight changes to our rules :
Any illegal immigrant who travels from the UK mainland to NI and stays there for more than 24 hours should be detained. They should then be deported direct to Rwanda from Belfast. This would be fair, because they would have ample time to cross the border into Eire, if they so wish.
We would, of course, refuse to take anyone without proof of a legal arrival into the UK to come across the border from Eire. Similarly, only those with evidence of UK residence or a passport should be allowed to travel back to the UK from NI on security grounds.
In the interest of fairness, we should also make a provision that we will accept a quota of illegals returned from Eire but only on a one-for-one basis with those that we are allowed to return to the EU, including to France.
April 29, 2024
Can’t we ask our activist lawyers and judges to fight them in the ECHR?
April 29, 2024
The Minister for NI, Mr Heaton-Harris, has just reminded us in a press statement that it is a joint duty of both the UK *and the RoI* to secure the outer borders of the Common Travel Area. This has nothing to do with Brexit: it is a treaty arrangement that goes back to the 1920s. The Dublin government should have a word with Paris and ask them to stop jeopardising the RoI’s CTA rights by encouraging illegal immigrants to set sail from the Northern French coast.
April 29, 2024
‘Do as we say, but never as we do’. Hypocrisy remains within the MO of EU politicos.
April 29, 2024
I really am shedding zero tears for the Irish at this present time. You reap what you sow eventually.
April 29, 2024
130 crossed the channelo today ….maybe in transit to Ireland
April 30, 2024
Let’s hope so.
April 29, 2024
My riposte to your question is why doesn’t the Government not make us of Article 5 of the ECHR and various articles of the UNCLOS, and the UK Offences against the Person Act 1861 either to turn the boats back to France or to arrest the drivers of the boats and charge them with endangering human life at sea?
It’s no good criticising others for not following laws if your own party in government doesn’t bother to use the existing laws at its disposal.
April 29, 2024
Southern Ireland is the most corrupt country within the EU
April 30, 2024
For the EU the rules have been fine until they are not, in which case they, but no one else, can ignore them. Thatâs one of the reasons why I voted out. The irony of the present situation is delicious. Maybe now the EU will suit down with the UK and agree a sensible arrangement as good, friendly neighbours should. Perhaps that is too much to hope; we must continue to be punished for leaving.
April 30, 2024
Why doesn’t the border police use some of the dingies taken for the illegals and hand them to those who wish to cross the Irish Sea on their way to Dublin?
April 30, 2024
While you donât need authorised photo ID or passport to travel to/from Northern Ireland & Eire, you do need an authorised photo ID or passport to travel to/from Northern Ireland & Great Britain travelling via ferry or flight âŠ.so how did they get to Northern Ireland without documents in the first instance
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ireland/entry-requirements
May 1, 2024
a dinghy from near Calais?