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THE DUP LEADER has blamed Leo Varadkar for setting a precedent that has led some loyalists to contemplate violent resistance to the Brexit deal.
Arlene Foster pointed to the Taoiseach’s warnings about the potential for increased dissident republican violence if Brexit led to a hardening of the Irish border, calling his comments “wrong”.
Foster was addressing fears around possible loyalist disorder if Brexit creates economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Simon Byrne is among those who have voiced concern at the prospect.
When asked about the issue ahead of her party conference this weekend, Foster suggested Varadkar’s words had been a contributory factor.
“Of course any violence or threat of violence should not be adhered to,” she told the PA news agency.
“When Leo Varadkar talked about the possibility of dissident violence along the border, if there were any border infrastructure piece, I thought that was wrong. I said so at the time.
Because you can’t use the threat of violence to achieve something.
And that unfortunately now has set a precedent where people from loyalism are looking at that, and they’re saying ‘hold on a second, he used that in that particular way, so now we’re going to use that’.
“That’s wrong. That is not the way forward.”
Foster said loyalist concerns about the Brexit deal were understandable.
“I am not dismissing, and I want to be very clear on this, fears and concerns of the loyalist community, or indeed unionist middle class people, or anybody in unionism at the moment, because actually unionism and loyalism are all at one relation to this deal – they are rejecting it,” she said.
“So instead of talking about loyalist violence in relation to that, let’s deal with those fears.
“And let’s deal with those concerns in a way that addresses them.
“And the way to do that, of course, is to try and deal with those issues around (democratic) consent and the concerns that we have around customs.”
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Old knobbly knees is on the gravy train again.
@JJandtim Dwyer: Hope she wears the hijab . Wouldn’t want to upset her Muslim network ! Might be no harm when she is in an investigative mood to have a look at how our “Foreign Aid “ budget of approx. €800 million is spent , and why our Government screws citizens with appalling Inheritance Taxes etc. to support the ideologies of the likes of Robinson .
A tax on initiative at home by saving and leaving something for your family , but by God don’t we cut a dash on the Foreign Aid circuit !
@JJandtim Dwyer: very original is that the best you can come up with
@Tony Lyons Mary will look after Mary and her leftist pals, investigating a Nigerian banker what does she expect to find,,,a rose garden.
whats the most corrupt nation on earth?Advance fee fraud?Immigration fraud.
Wake up Tony
@Tony Lyons: take a look at your spam folder and you will have no problem identifying the 419 scam artists and where they originate from , its not rocket science and certainly does not need the lavish expenses of Mary dear and I presume Nick will accompany?
How is Princess Latifa these days? Mary was no help to her.
A c0rrupt Nigerian……one displaying a lavish lifestyle with expensive suits…..surely not
No doubt the radical left will be saying that’s racist.
Mary Robinson is an incredible States woman, a successful barrister, former President and head of the Elders and a champion on Climate. Mary Robinson has and is spending her life in service to the greater good and fair dues to her to take on this dangerous and complex task. Right wing Trump bots busy on here again – disgraceful lack of respect for an incredible woman.
@Woman On the Up: Incredible woman? How did her €8.5m bill for a Ballina library – complete with tax breaks for her – go down with the public? She’s another champagne socialist.
You’ve a memory of a goldfish.
@Woman On the Up: Noddy has never had a real job in her life and has made millions from the Irish tax payer.
@Woman On the Up: Spending her life on the greater good of Mary just like Trump,to the detriment of the average working man.
@Woman On the Up: And im sure Mary is back in the Mount Falcon nodding in agreement
No better woman.
“Ireland has become the African Development Bank Group’s 81st shareholder, following a declaration issued by the institution’s President, Akinwumi Adesina, on 24 April 2020.” – so says the bank’s website.
Here is another of the “world’s five largest multilateral development” banks. Ireland is a shareholder there too: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ebrd-complaint-exclusive/exclusive-ebrd-head-faces-investigation-call-over-dossier-on-directors-idUSKCN1MF2CZ
Same old
Hopefully she doesnt quit half way through the task
All the offshore assets of the Third World elite should be frozen and then returned to sovereign wealth funds in each of those countries, to be then used under proper supervision for social and infrastructural development. A lot of this ill gotten wealth is of course bribes and side kicks for natural resource robbery, these days by in particular the Chinese. Africa has massive wealth and resources. Its just a matter of who controls it. Not doing this, means half of the disenfranchised in Africa want to arrive here in Europe, encouraged by likes of M.R. under the guise of “climate justice” migration and others including the left wing of the Green Party, who want to do away with our “false” asylum restrictions.
@Nicholas Grubb: Well said Mr Grib
A GREAT woman. Always a head of her time.
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