Barry Malone
@barryjmalone.bsky.social
“Talk to people who make you see the world differently”
An inquisitive Waterford man. 🇮🇪
An inquisitive Waterford man. 🇮🇪
You may not like to hear it but after 10 years of “opportunity loss” due to Brexit, and 30 years before that of special opt outs, the EU countries will need to see a much wider commitment before risking another 10 years (or more) of churn.
December 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
You may not like to hear it but after 10 years of “opportunity loss” due to Brexit, and 30 years before that of special opt outs, the EU countries will need to see a much wider commitment before risking another 10 years (or more) of churn.
And same applies to no special deals for SM access / CU membership
December 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM
And same applies to no special deals for SM access / CU membership
View from EU clearly is UK will have to wait until there is strong cross party political support on joining EU without seeking opt outs. Can’t see that any time soon when only Greens advocate joining EU and even then are they clear in no “special deals” for UK?
December 2, 2025 at 1:36 PM
View from EU clearly is UK will have to wait until there is strong cross party political support on joining EU without seeking opt outs. Can’t see that any time soon when only Greens advocate joining EU and even then are they clear in no “special deals” for UK?
Is that all that different from the Brexit disease of those that hated living in England and decided it was the fault of the EU. A particularly strange condition for those who had become immigrants in Spain.
November 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Is that all that different from the Brexit disease of those that hated living in England and decided it was the fault of the EU. A particularly strange condition for those who had become immigrants in Spain.
My interpretation is ref thought initial movement grounded and although TMO couldn’t see ball after that to over rule on field decision, ref realised initial attempt wasn’t grounded so she over ruled her own call.
November 22, 2025 at 4:57 PM
My interpretation is ref thought initial movement grounded and although TMO couldn’t see ball after that to over rule on field decision, ref realised initial attempt wasn’t grounded so she over ruled her own call.
Haha. Rather than engage with the points raised you have now moved the goalposts.
Funny to see someone incapable of giving a straight answer to a straight question throwing out the “You think you’re Jeremy Paxman“ line.
Funny to see someone incapable of giving a straight answer to a straight question throwing out the “You think you’re Jeremy Paxman“ line.
November 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Haha. Rather than engage with the points raised you have now moved the goalposts.
Funny to see someone incapable of giving a straight answer to a straight question throwing out the “You think you’re Jeremy Paxman“ line.
Funny to see someone incapable of giving a straight answer to a straight question throwing out the “You think you’re Jeremy Paxman“ line.
You don’t know me. Poor for one calling out others for objectionable comments resorting to personal insults. You appear to see UK defence capabilities trumps EU economic leverage & can renegotiate cheap access that Boris gov failed to get on the back of Ukraine suffering. I find that objectionable.
November 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM
You don’t know me. Poor for one calling out others for objectionable comments resorting to personal insults. You appear to see UK defence capabilities trumps EU economic leverage & can renegotiate cheap access that Boris gov failed to get on the back of Ukraine suffering. I find that objectionable.
Really? It is improved access to SM that UK obviously sees more important than “slight reduction in paperwork for a limited number of products”. Can you answer my simple direct question?
November 8, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Really? It is improved access to SM that UK obviously sees more important than “slight reduction in paperwork for a limited number of products”. Can you answer my simple direct question?
There is no poo in the straight question I asked. Do you find the 3 points I listed problematic?
November 8, 2025 at 8:24 PM
There is no poo in the straight question I asked. Do you find the 3 points I listed problematic?
And do you find problematic the points I made (1) EU has always been clear non members pay for access to SM, (2) that access was never going to come cheap, (3) EU will use their leverage to benefit member states (as expected by their citizens and voters).
November 8, 2025 at 8:18 PM
And do you find problematic the points I made (1) EU has always been clear non members pay for access to SM, (2) that access was never going to come cheap, (3) EU will use their leverage to benefit member states (as expected by their citizens and voters).
My focus is on distilling the key points from the message to understand do you find those points problematic or is it just the tone/author of the original article?
November 8, 2025 at 8:08 PM
My focus is on distilling the key points from the message to understand do you find those points problematic or is it just the tone/author of the original article?
While he does not sugar coat the message, the key point surely is EU has always been clear non members pay for access to SM, that access was never going to come cheap, EU will use their leverage to benefit member states (as expected by their citizens and voters).
November 8, 2025 at 7:23 PM
While he does not sugar coat the message, the key point surely is EU has always been clear non members pay for access to SM, that access was never going to come cheap, EU will use their leverage to benefit member states (as expected by their citizens and voters).
A key point omitted is if Jim Gavin gets 12.5% of the vote taxpayer pays Fianna Fáil election expenses up to €250k.
If Breda O’Brien knew but failed to include this important point it calls the article in to question. If she didn’t know it calls in to question why she is writing on the subject.
If Breda O’Brien knew but failed to include this important point it calls the article in to question. If she didn’t know it calls in to question why she is writing on the subject.
October 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
A key point omitted is if Jim Gavin gets 12.5% of the vote taxpayer pays Fianna Fáil election expenses up to €250k.
If Breda O’Brien knew but failed to include this important point it calls the article in to question. If she didn’t know it calls in to question why she is writing on the subject.
If Breda O’Brien knew but failed to include this important point it calls the article in to question. If she didn’t know it calls in to question why she is writing on the subject.
In my layman’s opinion not only do your EU neighbours place huge importance on the ECHR as a basic guarantee of a minimum standard of human rights but an absolute block is that some cannot constitutionally agree renegotiating such as info sharing & extradition without commensurate controls (ECHR)
August 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
In my layman’s opinion not only do your EU neighbours place huge importance on the ECHR as a basic guarantee of a minimum standard of human rights but an absolute block is that some cannot constitutionally agree renegotiating such as info sharing & extradition without commensurate controls (ECHR)
It’s not forgotten and was welcome but don’t pretend it was a purely altruistic action. It protected a severely exposed UK banking sector, was commercially very lucrative for UK, and of all creditors of the time only UK didn’t facilitate early repayment.
www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...
www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...
Ireland paid at least €709m in interest to UK for bailout loan
Britain's bar on early repayment helped make it one of the most lucrative state-to-state loans ever advanced
www.irishexaminer.com
August 8, 2025 at 6:50 AM
It’s not forgotten and was welcome but don’t pretend it was a purely altruistic action. It protected a severely exposed UK banking sector, was commercially very lucrative for UK, and of all creditors of the time only UK didn’t facilitate early repayment.
www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...
www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...
You are correct … Sweden don’t have an opt out and have a commitment to join when they meet the necessary conditions. A condition for all future EU applicants which UK agreed to.
August 6, 2025 at 10:26 PM
You are correct … Sweden don’t have an opt out and have a commitment to join when they meet the necessary conditions. A condition for all future EU applicants which UK agreed to.
It really isn’t difficult - even the countries that opted out (including the UK) agreed future applicants to join EU would sign up to the Euro.
August 6, 2025 at 9:48 PM
It really isn’t difficult - even the countries that opted out (including the UK) agreed future applicants to join EU would sign up to the Euro.
because they (like the UK) were members when Euro was introduced and they only way to move forward with Euro was to allow opt outs for EXISTING members … see it’s not difficult to understand why UK is now in a different position if it applies for membership
August 6, 2025 at 8:30 PM
because they (like the UK) were members when Euro was introduced and they only way to move forward with Euro was to allow opt outs for EXISTING members … see it’s not difficult to understand why UK is now in a different position if it applies for membership
No answers so resorts to abuse. Bye
July 3, 2025 at 1:43 PM
No answers so resorts to abuse. Bye
There are 35 chapters of the EU Acquis defining what rejoin means. No UK party has a credible plan to grow the economy and/or raise taxes and/or targeted spending cuts and “Moving On” is being trotted out to close down conversation calling that out.
July 3, 2025 at 12:38 PM
There are 35 chapters of the EU Acquis defining what rejoin means. No UK party has a credible plan to grow the economy and/or raise taxes and/or targeted spending cuts and “Moving On” is being trotted out to close down conversation calling that out.
You studiously avoided the point and made a very obvious and poor attempt to change the topic. Bye
July 3, 2025 at 12:31 PM
You studiously avoided the point and made a very obvious and poor attempt to change the topic. Bye
Quite simple really - politicians to stop using vacuous phrases like “Moving On” and provide actual policies with detail
July 3, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Quite simple really - politicians to stop using vacuous phrases like “Moving On” and provide actual policies with detail
I’m just amazed the British public haven’t learned from seeing bluffers like Farage and Johnson use empty phrases like “Brexit means Brexit” to avoid defining the consequences and now allowing chancers to use similar silly phrases like “Moving On” to avoid putting forward actual policies.
July 3, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I’m just amazed the British public haven’t learned from seeing bluffers like Farage and Johnson use empty phrases like “Brexit means Brexit” to avoid defining the consequences and now allowing chancers to use similar silly phrases like “Moving On” to avoid putting forward actual policies.