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TODAY MARKS THE 10-week point until Brexit. The manner in which the UK government chooses to leave the EU after 47-years of membership is still undecided despite 27 other countries dedicating more than two and a half years to negotiations centred around British red lines.
The possibility of the UK choosing to leave the EU without a deal is still very real and so in Ireland we cannot take our minds off preparations.
There are few contingency plans that will totally cancel out the damage of a no deal Brexit, there are merely mitigation measures to soften the blow.
‘Ugly and difficult’
A hard Brexit, if the UK chooses one, will be ugly and difficult. That is why we need businesses to ensure that the next 70-days are used to be as ready as they can be.
The government’s central portal for this is gov.ie/brexit. Here businesses will find the first steps to the training and supports available across the country. Customs training has been particularly well attended in recent weeks for firms trading with the UK who haven’t had to complete customs declarations before.
The Revenue Commissioners have also spoken by phone with an additional 10,000 businesses to get them an EORI number, without which a firm will not be able to trade with the UK.
There are nine steps that all businesses, large and small, should take now:
It feels a bit strange for me to have to keep stating this, but I have read some commentary this week that was vague, to say the least, on the fact that Ireland will remain a fully committed EU member state after Brexit.
That is the country’s number one contingency, our EU membership and all of the security and support it brings.
Simply put, Irish businesses will continue to have full access to the biggest single market in the world after Brexit, UK businesses will not. Our EU membership is the cornerstone of our economy and that will not be changing.
Leaving the single market and customs union is the UK’s choice.
Overnight change for the UK
The deal negotiated between the UK and EU gives British business the transition period until 2021 where everything would stay the same while a future trade deal is being negotiated. If the UK government and Westminster chooses a hard Brexit and rejects that deal, then they reject this transition period and choose overnight change.
Therefore, a like for like comparison between the UK and Ireland on no deal preparation is somewhat redundant as we will not be starting from scratch in Ireland. Our EU membership will be there in the case of a hard Brexit and that will bring vital supports for the most exposed and worst hit sectors.
We will not be dragged out of the single market and customs union for convenience and will protect our EU membership.
I said at the start of July that our work with the European Commission on the twin objectives of protecting Ireland’s place in our single market whilst also preventing infrastructure at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is happening.
Inferior backstop alternatives
That work, for the case of no deal, is ongoing and there are no easy answers. What is apparent is that any answers we find will be far inferior to the backstop and will badly hit the all-island economy.
That is why the backstop and the Withdrawal Agreement are so heavily supported in Northern Ireland. In fact, I have been struck in recent meetings and by recent polls that showed me support for the backstop in Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, has grown in recent months among all sectors and communities.
The backstop is overwhelmingly supported by business, farmers, unions and employers in Northern Ireland. This gets very little recognition in the Brexit debate in the UK.
A lot can happen in politics in ten-weeks, but ten-weeks is a very short time in business.
The time for a ‘wait and see’ approach has passed for business. Companies, particularly small and medium enterprises, need to act but they are not alone. There are multi million Euro supports available including training, grants, loans and expertise on mapping supply chains and markets.
If your business hasn’t taken the first steps on being Brexit ready, the state agencies and EU supports are there for you. The time to act is now.
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Galaxy S3 for me, bigger screen, better apps and faster.
Bigger screen?! It looks like a bleedin ipad!
With you there.
I meant with you there Alan. S3 rocks
Yeah like a bag of rocks.
and it’s not faster
I was thinking about trading my old phone in to get this because of the few extra centimeters but then I thought what if my girlfriend is thinking the same about me?
Go wider she’d might prefer that….
Wow that’s inappropriate even for me.
Short arse!
I hope Apple paid Ye well for that ad
This love affair between thejournal and apple is getting embarrassing
It is manufactured using what amounts to be no less than slave labour.
Jesus christ here we go again. Your tv. Stereo etc And most of the electronics in your house are made by the same company
So that makes it alright then.
What did you use to comment on this article? Phone, computer, tablet…..where you think they are made?
Foxconn pays twice the minimum wage
Every stitch you wear and probably all your electronics are in the same boat. Its the way of the modern world and choices are limited.
you love the screen yet is made using a ratio previously unheard of IBM the smartphone industry. you hate the fact that apps aren’t optimised for the screen you love? cake and eating it anyone? Galaxy S3 is already technically superior and it’s been out for months already!
16:9? Are you for real? Apple were one of the last to have this.
Sony Xperia s for me!! crapple
apple
I’m feeling Ya,
I’m feeling Ya, Xperia s is sexy as HELL
Bring on the Galaxy Note 2. Cant wait till me 4S contract in over.
I don’t care if it’s faster, how have they still not updated the home screen? The only change to this since the original iPhone has been the ability to create folders, otherwise it has the same functionality as any old nokia. On any other platform I can set widgets to give me info at a glance, why can’t they manage that in iOS?
Wait it will have i-widgets “patented” for iphone6.
Meh. Widgets are a gimmick and a battery hog. Yeah some of them are handy but most aren’t. Rather have a better battery than widgets. Switched to the s3 last week and I miss the long lasting battery off my iPhone 4. I do like the s3 though :)
I have an s3 and love it, far superior than any iPhone,
but on an other note, does anyone know when LTE will be available in Ireland??
Auctioning of the spectrum begins next year, I’d give it at least 2014 before it’s rolled out nationwide. As usual we lag behind.
And a complete con as comreg are auctioning off 5ghz and instead of 20mhz which means basically 3g speeds
Don’t waste your money. I got one last week not impressed. The Samsung Galaxy 3 is alot better and faster.
The iPhone smokes Samsung in all benchmark tests. 9 times faster than lumia in JavaScript. All iOS devices including old ipad and 4s faster in all OpenGL tests than the best Android phone.
I didn’t think so, i have the iphone 4s, this to me was not much different. I got the Samsung G3 a couple of months back, i think it is alot better.
Mark. There are stats and anecdotes. I doubt if you saw the iPhone 5. Where is it available? But even if you did – that’s an anecdote.
Eoin: benchmarks aren’t the same as real world tests. It’s easy for a device to excel in a single task if it’s only able to run a single process at a time!
Eoin i don’t care about the stats, you doubt if i even saw the iphone5? Do i care about your doubts, No. im from London, in my opinion its just like all the other iphones. The Samsung Galaxy 3 is the better phone in my opinion…………..
Sony Xperia s for me!! crapple apple
Whats the xperia like Louise?
Xperia s is a beast it’s easily the best looking handset out there right now, have tried the s2 and 4s iphone but have yet to get my greedy paws on an s3
What about all its newer found faults?
http://bigginsblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/iphone-5-the-problems-have-started/
How is the 5 as a phone? I have the 4 (not 4s) version and it has been a disaster!!! Does the 5 function perfectly as a phone?
there is one thing u need to know not few. there are better phones out there.
In your opinion…
Apple fanboys in da house….
Fanboy? Fan of the iPhone? Yes. Have a Samsung washing machine, am I forgiven?
Sorry I don’t have that authority…..
I doubt you have any authority in anything Damien. Nice family pic, maybe you should grow up and stop calling people you don’t know fanboys because they prefer one product over another. You look older than the type that would post childish comments like that. Ah well…
@Gordon, When you take something said in jest seriously and react in that way it only makes you look silly.
Apologies if I got under your skin.
You didn’t get anywhere close to being under my skin Damien! I just find it a bit sad to see a grown man, father of two trolling “fanboys in da house”..! I’m silly..? Have a nice day.
@ gordon
yep, that was my opinion. I belive that’s the idea of posting comment.
I can say more, for me any iphone is not a smartphone, its a gadget. my phone is over a year old, but I find it way more usefull than any of the iphones. and it is my opinion, based on my needs.
Michael your statement came across as such, as a statement of fact, not an opinion. Just saying, I disagree.
One of us is ribbing the other for perceived unhealthy love of apple.
The other is bringing a persons wife & kids into the argument.
Who’s the troll again?
Don’t start crying like a little girl Damien and take my comment (made in jest) so seriously, it makes you look silly…!
Thanks.
damian for the win
Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 5. No there is another winner there Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
1st October UK launch. More powerful than S3, jelly bean on board and killer 5.5 screen + stylus pen. Simply best android phone in the world. Some may only complain about size even bit bigger than s3. But watching movie ir browsin web on it is pure joy :-)
the screen is 1136 x 640 pixels. ergo non standard.
Ah apologies for my earlier comment so Mark, I thought you meant the screen size and aspect ratio, forgot about the resolution.
Nokia lumia for me.
Damn you auto correct!
Who cares . It’s a phone whoop dee doo
can’t imagine you can pop in and buy one. I’d say they’re all preordered. I read about concerns over supply issues but it didn’t say where so I don’t know if it’s affected Europe
As far as I can tell only 3 have been taking pre-orders. Other networks have only been taking expressions of interest..
the note does look pretty savage but I have reservations about how portable it is. the S3 is pretty massive on its own adding another inch to the screen brings us almost into tablet territory. In saying that it would be pretty decent as a media player but probably not so much a phones
I have note 1 which is same size as new note 2. Its actually very light not sure now but maybe just tiny bit heavier than iphone 4 or same. Size is not an issue at all fits no problem in standard shirt pocket and in slacks / jeans. It has a feature to reduce keyboard and move to each side so allows one hand typing too (with full size keyboard setting not really possible unless you have huge hands). Stylus pen allows you take quick notes and pen is very accurate and responsive – no way you can achieve that with iphone and finger. Finally phone that i can use for taking shopping list of my second half :) Screen is a beauty and youtube or movies or web looks just stunning. This is complete phone I dont use tablet much anymore. Having said that note 2 is all note 1 is and even much better its a proper beast. Definitely on my Christmas wish list.
The note will be phone that brings dungarees back in to fashion
my apologies I ment physical screen size. by making it taller and not wider they’ve created a non standard screen.
But it is a standard screen size 4″ diagonal and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Only thing different is the in cell technology so the glass is slightly thinner
Hoseph – he means it’s not a standard mobile phone screen size, yes it’s a standard tv and film broadcast format, but not a mobile phone format
I think the journal should hold one of their lovely vote things on ‘Samsung v iPhone’ and lets really get this fire going :) would be extremely entertaining lol
Recently had the chance to compare iPhone with Samsung. Samsung looked and felt brilliant but operating system was confusing. iPhone far more intuitive. With that said, I recently synced ios5 and it almost wiped everything. Love the iPhone, hate iTunes.
How much will it cost?
Your soul…
In reality will the new iphone be available in the likes of Vodafone, 02 etc. stores this Friday??
Very much doubt it. As far as I recall any apple launch it hardly ever and anywhere had enough items just to walk in and buy. When new iPad launched you could get it just for couple hours if survived long queue. Then they didnt have stock for like 2 weeks. Then particular models and colours did not stick like for another 2-3 months, only after that situation settled.
have your say