FURY AS TOP TORY WARNS: ‘WE CAN STARVE THE IRISH’
Posted by Jim on December 10, 2018
Anglo-Irish relations are at their worst in decades after a senior
British Tory MP suggested using the possibility of food shortages in
Ireland to coerce negotiators into dropping their opposition to the
remilitarisation of the border area after Brexit.
A leaked British government report indicated that the economic impact on
Ireland of a crash Brexit could be worse than in Britain, and that food
supplies to Ireland would be heavily impacted.
More than half of the total food imported to the 26 Counties comes from
Britain or the north of Ireland, and this could be cut off, it was
suggested, if new trade rules are not agreed.
The threat of a food embargo, voiced by former Tory Cabinet Minister
Priti Patel, recalled memories of the Great Hunger, when a million Irish
people starved to death when food was withheld by the British government
to fuel their industrial revolution despite the failure of the potato
crop.
Patel, who has an Indian background and a reputation as a Thatcherite,
urged the British government to exploit what she saw as “leverage”.
The comments brought a tsunami of outrage on social media.
“This proposal from Priti Patel really exposes the Brexiteer attitude to
Ireland as nothing more than a colonial irritant whose rights really
shouldn’t be taken into account,” Sinn Fein’s Chris Hazzard said.
“They know the history of the Irish famine and Britain’s role in it and
the very fact that they would seek to inject that into the Brexit debate
is crass and offensive.
“The Tories couldn’t care less about the impact of their reckless Brexit
agenda on the people and economy of Ireland. We are simply collateral
damage.”
Hard-right British MPs are demanding a renegotiation of the Withdrawal
Agreement reached by the EU and the British government last month.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing an uphill battle to win the
support of the Westminster Parliament for the deal. A vote on Tuesday
has little prospect of success, despite efforts in recent days to
unilaterally water down the ‘backstop’ to appeal to unionists and the
hard right.
Few have attempted to predict what the next steps will be, and the odds
of a chaotic crash Brexit, or no Brexit at all have both increased, as
have the chances of May’s resignation or a general election.
But Patel saw an opportunity in the scenario of mutually assured
destruction after an official report for the British government found
that a chaotic Brexit would see Ireland suffer a 7 per cent drop in
economic activity, even greater than the predicted 5 per cent hit for
Britain.
Some 80 per cent of goods transported from Ireland to the EU via road
passes through Britain, according to the report, meaning a hard Brexit
would cause “political and social damage” to Ireland.
Ms Patel said the British government should exploit the possibility as a
tactic during negotiations with the EU.
She said: “This paper appears to show the government were well aware
Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario. Why hasn’t
this point been pressed home during the negotiations? There is still
time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal.”
Her comments were condemned by Westminster MPs, particularly the threat
to food supplies.
Labour’s Lisa Nandy said: “Threatening Ireland in this way is as morally
reprehensible as it is futile.
“Britain should be showing itself to be a dependable neighbour and
friend in the future, and it is frightening that Brexiteers are even
contemplating a move which could see stopping trade, including food
supplies, being weaponised in this way, particularly given the
uncomfortable historical echoes.”
SNP MP Stewart McDonald said: “It’s a particularly cruel and
historically illiterate type that would think to threaten a friendly
neighbouring country that saw 1 million of its citizens die as a result
of famine – and a further 1 million to emigrate – with modern day food
shortages.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the statement showed the
“sheer moral bankruptcy of the Tory Brexiteers”.
Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada said the comments were “despicable” and
“reek of desperation”
“It’s a despicable comment to make and indicative of how desperate the
Tories are getting as their aimless Brexit blundering continues to
implode,” she said.
“The mask has well and truly slipped here. We’re all used to hearing
Theresa May’s contrived over-earnestness as she stresses over and over
how she doesn’t want to see a hard border but this is exactly what they
think of Ireland.
“The government and the EU would do well to remember that when dealing
with the Tories on Brexit.”
There have been concerns in Ireland over the lack of preparation for a
crash Brexit. While Ireland, unlike Britain, could expect an immediate
increase in direct trade with other EU nations, problems could across
due to the lengthy sea voyage to France and Spain. Ironically, another
issue which has been raised is the reliance of the 26 County state on
potatoes grown in Britain.
But Ireland’s EU commissioner for agriculture, Phil Hogan, turned the
tables when he suggested a food trade war could lead to severe shortages
across the sea. He pointed out that 43 per cent of the food consumed by
the British comes from the 26 County state.
“So if she [Patel] wants to advocate a policy that brings about
starvation of the British people this is a good way of going about it,”
he declared.