#Brexit: we have now made the breakthrough we needed. President @JunckerEU and British Prime Minister @theresa_may talk to the media from our headquarters in Brussels. WATCH: https://t.co/Um0AJ1Vat1
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) December 8, 2017
and here’s the presser – UK has made ‘significant commitments to avoid a hard border’, rights of UK citz in EU and EU citz in UK ‘will remain the same’ after UK leaves. DUP clearly loving all the Vatican white smoke refs. pic.twitter.com/4vdgmLdwoy
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) December 8, 2017
Northern Ireland border issues kicked into long grass with finest Sir Humphrey-esque joint text. Agreeing ‘intention’ to ‘maintain full alignment’ but ‘should this not be possible the UK will propose specific solutions’. In other words, they’ll think about it all another day. pic.twitter.com/eCZ8rUoQMB
— Chris Leslie (@ChrisLeslieMP) December 8, 2017
Foster says “there’s no red line down the Irish Sea”. May says “no hard border” on the island. Northern Ireland will be like a magical portal between the two worlds https://t.co/DnLCr3W3la
— Jennifer O'Connell (@jenoconnell) December 8, 2017
Striking distinction between what
Irish Government & DUP are saying in response to the #Brexit deal. Dublin, categorically: "We have achieved all of our goals".
Arlene Foster: "There are still matters we would have liked to see clarified; we ran out of time essentially".— Sam McBride (@SJAMcBride) December 8, 2017
Key lines in letter to NI; leave customs union, unfettered access to GB, no border,no ECJ jurisdiction. pic.twitter.com/dJnf9HcV7n
— michael cairns (@Cairnspolitics) December 8, 2017
So, a UK wide-Ireland (EU) Customs Union (without formal UK membership of CU) arrangement plus regulatory alignment – as recommended by most sensible people for the last year. Absurd delay to reach the obvious.
— Jon Tonge (@JonTonge) December 8, 2017
The "sufficient progress" report reads more like a surrender document.
On almost every point, UK has just capitulated to EU27 positions of April 2017. Eight months wasted – could have just said yes then.https://t.co/dTez1t6C3M
— David Allen Green (@davidallengreen) December 8, 2017
M.C. Escher's agreement on Northern Ireland. People will still be arguing about what this means in 2027. pic.twitter.com/XwfWz8WxdQ
— Paul Davies (@PaulJDavies) December 8, 2017
Effectively, this is May saying to Brexiteers: "I'm VERY excited about your magic solutions to the Irish border question. Love the airships! But if FOR SOME REASON they don't come off, Brexit will be softer than you wanted. Your move." pic.twitter.com/DkGihuUZb3
— Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) December 8, 2017
Attention Mark Carney: Time to start hiking interest rates…very quickly. #Brexit pic.twitter.com/ceh4iaJe6Y
— Peter Spiegel (@SpiegelPeter) December 8, 2017
An aside – a UK government that is able to say that come what may, it will avoid hard borders with Ireland/NI after Brexit can never again tell Scotland that independence would mean a hard border between Scotland and rUK
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 8, 2017
Deal Confirmed! Ireland supports Brexit negotiations moving to Phase 2 now that we have secured assurances for all on the island of Ireland – fully protecting GFA, peace process, all-Island economy and ensuring that there can be NO HARD BORDER on the Island of Ireland post Brexit
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) December 8, 2017
The EU/UK Govt declaration actually has in it "Under the caveat that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,"
— David McCann (@dmcbfs) December 8, 2017
So, is Friday's agreement on the Irish border basically Monday's agreement for slow learners?
— Kevin Meagher (@KevinPMeagher) December 8, 2017
Read this twice and looks to me like May and colleagues spent 3 days consoling the DUP that Britain loved them and wanted them and went ahead as planned. https://t.co/1TlVxHxdkQ
— Sophie Long (@SophieLong01) December 8, 2017
Pleased to see text that suggests UK will remain in SM/ CU (unless the Brextremist hardliners torpedo that and NI will need a special deal). But citizens – esp Brits in EU27 – need more. Phase 1 was supposed to be the easy bit.
— Seb Dance MEP (@SebDance) December 8, 2017
For the next Brexit phase each side will now have a team of seasoned negotiators. That in itself is progress.
— Christopher Meyer (@SirSocks) December 8, 2017
Earlier…
Theresa May is on the brink of a new deal with the EU amid tense negotiations https://t.co/vUWcku64uj
— The Independent (@Independent) December 7, 2017
.@JunckerEU was on the phone with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and then with @theresa_may. We are making progress but not yet fully there. Talks are continuing throughout the night. Early morning meeting possible with press/point thereafter. Tonight more than ever, stay tuned, gsms on.
— Margaritis Schinas (@MargSchinas) December 7, 2017
Brexit deal done? EU’s Donald Tusk to make surprise early morning announcement TOMORROW https://t.co/uRNgTpwNb8
— Voice of Europe (@V_of_Europe) December 7, 2017
Latest on that developing Brexit 'deal' story from the BBC's @bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/2QGuCd7UeQ
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 7, 2017
DUP spokesman says their team has more work to do tomorrow on the Brexit deal
— Mark Devenport (@markdevenport) December 7, 2017
The Brexit Select Committee has been in Armagh today. Here's my take on the Northern Ireland border with the Republic. pic.twitter.com/mIY4l7kuhJ
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) December 7, 2017
New poll from @LucidTalk has found 47.9% of people in Northern Ireland would vote for a United Ireland in order to stay in the EU in the event of a hard Brexit https://t.co/oCkNKVfrNA
— Siobhán Fenton (@SiobhanFenton) December 7, 2017
Harsh lessons for the next phase of Brexit https://t.co/qoAS59F9IF via @FT
— Richard Sambrook (@sambrook) December 8, 2017
Use our Brexit negotiations tracker to monitor the progress of the EU-UK talks across 12 key areashttps://t.co/N2gt6Aon55 pic.twitter.com/4TszLXftve
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 8, 2017
Wolverhampton voted for Brexit 63%-37%. https://t.co/C9dwEMFX4t
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) December 7, 2017
***
TRUMPWORLD
Minnesota Democrat Al Franken took to the Senate floor today and made the announcement that he was going to resign. @nancycordes has more. pic.twitter.com/NVYvXjnaTC
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 7, 2017
Al Franken's resignation speech turned him into a political kamikaze https://t.co/ymPuHUCgbn
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 8, 2017
Now That Al Franken Is Gone, Democrats Need to Hold Hearings on Trump via @thenation https://t.co/bddWwAElSD
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) December 8, 2017
JUST IN: Ethics Committee launches investigation into GOP lawmaker accused of sexual harassment https://t.co/6DeuL2OrAp pic.twitter.com/m8LGlNt4C4
— The Hill (@thehill) December 8, 2017
Arizona Rep. Trent Franks expected to announce resignation https://t.co/QsM72GSVnG pic.twitter.com/LtC7cmf6yM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 7, 2017
Worried about missing a horseback ride with Mike Pence, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent $6,250 of taxpayer money on government helicopters to get there in time, @bjlefebvre scoops. https://t.co/ixEgMnt0mD
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) December 7, 2017
***
WORLD
Same-sex marriage officially signed into law in Australia https://t.co/flQMzM18WM
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 7, 2017
Bitcoin futures trading looks like it’s going to be choppy https://t.co/oRDRVLwN3D pic.twitter.com/m3M5Qg3jpY
— Bloomberg (@business) December 7, 2017
A few months from now, mining ether will be completely obsolete https://t.co/BhjgiEOTXR
— Motherboard (@motherboard) December 8, 2017
Everyone's sharing this video of a man saving a rabbit from the California wildfires https://t.co/T72vsTHjz3 pic.twitter.com/e6Jd5tf0iW
— Mashable (@mashable) December 8, 2017
