Six reasons why a no-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome

1. There is no effective UK opposition.

2. The EU is not going to abandon Ireland.

3. Johnson has not/will not play by any rules so cannot be defeated by the courts.

4. Johnson is bound by no principles so cannot be defeated by protocol, decency or precedent.

5. There are too many ‘Remain’ positions, including Brexit-with-a-deal.

6. There is only one Brexit position – over the cliff at any cost.

Amanda Baker, Edinburgh

The Irish border is a convenient smokescreen for Boris Johnson, obscuring an ever greater issue for both the EU and Labour. This is his stated objective of “divergence from the environment, product and labour standards” which the other 27 member states will carry on adhering to, but which, despite his denials, he clearly intends to cherry-pick in his negotiating stance for his desired trade deal with them.

This should be an eye-opener for all British workers, since their EU rights have always been in his sights. Also for British consumers, since our products – including food – will not necessarily come up to EU world-renowned standards any more.

As for those Britons keen on a healthy environment, what will give them food for thought is Jacob Rees-Mogg’s comment on emission standards in 2016: “If it’s good enough in India, it’s good enough for here.”

Suzanne Martin

Boris Johnson’s offer of a four-way mish-mash of customs and regulatory controls between Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, is a charade that would effectively trash the Good Friday Agreement by hardening not softening the Irish border.

That there is no functioning assembly in Northern Ireland to give a view on this must be very convenient for the hard Brexiteers as the economic and community cohesion costs under this plan will fall as hard on the region as if there were no deal.

Perhaps that is exactly the cynical plan Cummings and co have in mind. Make it so unappetising to Ireland and the rest of the EU that they are obliged to reject the deal out of hand, break off negotiations and allow Johnson to come out as the good guy.

Paul Dolan, Northwich

Why has the extraordinary solidarity between Ireland and 26 other EU countries over the Irish border question never been deemed worthy of The New European’s front page? Must the role of that page be limited to just lampooning the EU’s opponents? Isn’t there a case for using it to applaud EU successes too? I believe that such positive front pages would better reflect the newspaper’s title.

Rebecca Brown

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