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The Irish Government is prepared to \u201cgo the extra mile\u201d to find fixes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, Leo Varadkar has said.<\/p>\nThe Irish Government is prepared to \u201cgo the extra mile\u201d to find fixes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, Leo Varadkar has said.<\/p>\n
However, the T\u00e1naiste ruled out abandoning it altogether, saying all of the \u201crealistic alternatives\u201d have been rejected by Unionism.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said he is willing to engage with the next leader of the DUP to find solutions, but criticized the party\u2019s unwillingness to compromise.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe are willing to engage through the European Union, with the British Government, in consultation with all of the parties in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re willing to go the extra mile to provide any kind of practical fixes that we can within the terms of the agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he added: \u201cThe protocol stays, unless somebody can come up with an alternative that means that, somehow, you can protect the single market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said the alternatives such as the backstop and the UK remaining in the single market and customs union had been rejected by \u201cpeople who can only ever say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said staying in the customs union had been DUP policy \u201cuntil they got captured by the ERG.\u201d<\/p>\n
The European Research Group, a collection of Brexit supporting Tory MPs, became close allies of the DUP when they held the balance of power in Westminster, and had pushed for a no-deal exit from the EU.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar added: \u201cThe backstop, the single customs territory, those were all rejected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said yes to all of those.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always been the people who have said yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is there are some people who can only ever say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar also said he accepts criticism of comments he made on a united Ireland at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis during the week.<\/p>\n
He came under fire for the timing of his speech, which discussed delivering reunification in his lifetime, at a time when the institutions in Northern Ireland were under threat amid turmoil in the DUP.<\/p>\n
But the Fine Gael leader said there will always be people who do not want to talk about the future of the island.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI understand the criticism and I\u2019m willing to take that on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s also the fact that there are people in this State who will always be uncomfortable about talking about unification.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will always be the wrong time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the wrong time during the three years of Brexit because of those sensitive negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the wrong time this week because of the difficulties the DUP is having.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be the wrong time for the next few months because of negotiations around the Protocol and the marching season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be the wrong time next year because we\u2019re running into the Assembly elections, and it will be the wrong time after that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for those people who are uncomfortable, including some of my own party, talking about unification, they will always be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this conversation has already happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no majority anymore in Northern Ireland, either for unionism or for nationalism, and a growing middle ground of people want to talk about this.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung people in particular, and we want to talk to them.\u201d<\/p>\n