Page 21 - CSA Speaker Bulletin September 2018 | CSA Celebrity Speakers
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CSA SPEAKER BULLETIN OPINION
BREXIT IS A BRITISH
DECISION
John Bruton is a former Irish deepening all the time and new depending on the vagaries of British
Prime Minister (Taoiseach), fields of business are being made politics. Ultimately the UK Parliament
who helped transform the Irish the subject of common rules, thereby can do what it likes. The UK will not
economy into the “Celtic Tiger,” opening new markets. This will not be part of the EU legal order. This
one of the fastest growing stop when the UK leaves. builds uncertainty into the proposed
economies in the world. John arrangement, and is bad for business.
Bruton was also deeply involved “The UK wants to
in the Northern Irish Peace take back control, but This let-out clause means that
Process leading to the 1998 the EU needs to have border controls might not be there
Good Friday Agreement, control too.” at the outset, but might have to be
under whose terms a conflict reintroduced. This is a critical issue
of allegiances dating back to Common rules are what keep the for Ireland, where the reintroduction
the seventeenth century was EU together. They derive from the of border controls on the 300 mile
resolved. EU Treaties, which is like a written boundary would be both provocative
constitution. It is difficult to amend. and impractical. That is why the EU
It means that Britain is seeking to The UK, in contrast, has no written wants the Northern Ireland issue
withdraw from a contract it made constitution, and there is no similar agreed before the UK leaves the EU.
with the other EU members, on constraint on the UK Parliament. So
the basis of which those countries the UK often looks at problems purely The UK wants to take back control,
opened their markets to British politically, while the EU has first to but the EU needs to have control too.
business, in a way it was not opened look at them legally. This causes This point is not always understood in
to other countries. That was the misunderstandings. London.
deal. In business, if one unilaterally
withdraws from a contract, one does The recent Chequers decision by the “Common rules are
not normally expect to continue to UK Cabinet says the UK will keep what keep the EU
enjoy all the benefits of the contract, to the common EU rules for goods, together.”
afterwards. One expects to have to but goes on to say that the “UK
make good some of the losses incurred Parliament would still have a lock on The EU is 27 countries, and all their
by the other party. But that is not how incorporating these rules in the UK Parliaments will have to accept any
British public opinion sees Brexit. But legal order by not passing the relevant eventual trade deal with the UK. This
it IS how it is seen by the 27 partners legislation”. This is giving with one makes the sort of” flexibility”, the UK
of the UK in the EU. This difference hand, and taking away with the other. says it would like, difficult to obtain.
in perspective is at the root of the Patience will be required. Sound bites
difficulties in the present negotiation. So, even if the UK and EU standards will not always be a help.
were the same at the outset,
The EU has developed, and they could diverge substantially,
maintained, an integrated Single
Market for business because it has
a single unified system for making,
interpreting and enforcing a single
set of rules. The Single Market is
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