Northern Ireland Windsor Framework

[Hymie]

Rishi Sunak has extolled the Windsor framework a fantastic deal for Northern Ireland in giving them access to both the UK and European markets (placing them a unique position in the world), saying that business leaders want to invest in Northern Ireland, making it the world’s most exciting economic zone (Sunak’s words, not mine).

Given that this Windsor framework is a fantastic deal (for the reasons above), can any Brexiteers explain why the Windsor framework is not being applied the whole of GB (England, Scotland & Wales), thereby making us one of the world’s most exciting economic zones, having access to European markets?

[jno]

not being a Brexiter, I cannot. As far as I know NI has had access to the UK and European markets for some time, though whether it's been the world's most exciting economic zone I couldn't say.

[royfromaus]

Surely you are aware why your question is complete ***?

[Canary42]

No no, you've got it all wrong - the Windsor Framework is something to encage Andrew.

(HIGNFY joke)

[douglas9401]

'Most exciting' although maybe not in a good way.

[Hymie]

Why would Mr Sunak think such an arrangement was fantastic for one area of country, but not for the rest – there must be a logical explanation.

[ichkeria]

It isn’t the Windsor Framework that has enabled this. It was the situation that already existed.
The point has been made before and yes, it is hugely ironic

[Gromit]

This was a teasing question at PMQs by the SNP leader.
It was funny watching Sunak squirm. Even TTT couldn’t be bothered to claim Thatcher2 had won the day.

It was a bit of an unfair question. NI and Scotland are not the same.

All good fun.
Watching yet another useless Conservative PM fail dismally is one of my latest sadistic pleasures. Sunak is on a lose/lose strategy, and it won’t end pretty.

[gness]

I agree, Gromit. Well not the sadistic pleasure bit. I just feel sad that the UK doesn’t have decent and honest leadership doing it’s best for the country.
I too squirmed listening to Sunak today.

[ichkeria]

Trying again ;-)

It depends how you look at it: the point about N Ireland has been made before, ironically, as I said, often by Brexiteers.
But not the DUP.
I sympathise with the SNP to an extent: personally I think N Ireland deserves this privileged place but then I’m biased. For one thing because it is compensates for the border conundrum which honestly is insoluble by any known means. And secondly because NI after all did vote to remain in the EU. Scotland shares the second of these reasons but not both.
I like Sunak: after the chaos of Johnson and Truss he feels like a whiff of sanity. The problem is his party.
But even then most of the hardliners seem happy with Windsor.
And he’s right to go easy on the DUP for now : the reward of Donaldson being able to win round the loons like Ian Paisley and the demented Sammy Wilson will be the return of a government at Stormont.

[Old_Geezer]

Mr. Sunak is lying. It's a crepe deal playing with the edges of the present situation and not tackling the big problems with it. So the idea it would be good to apply it to all of the UK isn't worth thinking about.

[naomi24]

OG, I agree. Papering over the cracks and hoping no one will notice.

[ToraToraTora]

"...can any Brexiteers explain why the Windsor framework is not being applied the whole of GB "
I will if any remoaner can explain why wanting your country to be governed by unelected foreign bureaucrats is anything other than treachery. Over to you Hymie.

[ichkeria]

No solution is perfect. Inevitably there will be things the purists on either side will not be happy with.
But for Brexit to work compromise is needed.
Frankly, for anything to work …

[ichkeria]

A lot of people missing the point here: Hymie’s question is largely rhetorical.
Sunak is quite correct in what he says: but at the risk of repeating myself it’s not the Windsor Framework that has led to this “ideal” state of affairs. All that aims to do is make things run more smoothly within it.
So he’s talking up the positives in order to make it politically easier for the Unionists to accept, while presumably taking the hit from those who reasonably (but hypothetically) ask Hymie’s question.
That’s the Right Thing for Sunak to be doing

[Ellipsis]

The Windsor Framework reminds me of the EU Reform Bill 2016, when David Cameron negotiated a deal with the EU, cqme back to "sell" it to the detractors, and it fell flat. The same negotiating and selling is now happening with Rishi Sunak, and the outcome could well be the same falling flat.

The problem is that the detractors are many and various, and don't agree with each other. What if the opposite way was tried ... get the detractors to agree first, and then try the result with the EU? Nope, that would not agree either, because the detractors will not agree with each other!

So, we either stay in the mess we are in, or we push on with the new agreement and tough if you don't like it.

[Untitled]

I agree ichkeria... sunak has shown a degree of statesmanship here... much more than any of his recent predecessors

Brexiters ought to be very pleased with this

[bhg481]

I fully expect Boris to rubbish the agreement; Boris is more interested in promoting Boris and dissing Rishi than he is in the interests of the country.

[bhg481]

I had not read this when I made my previous post:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1741463/Boris-Johnson-Brexit-Rishi-Sunak-EU-deal-Northern-Ireland-Protocol-Windsor-Framework

[naomi24]

//I fully expect Boris to rubbish the agreement; Boris is more interested in promoting Boris and dissing Rishi than he is in the interests of the country. //

And on a personal level, that benefits him how exactly?

[bhg481]

Naomi - I can't believe that's not a rhetorical question so, just in case, I think Boris might just be trying to worm his way back into being leader of the Tories.