Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern says that from an Irish perspective the proposed Brexit deal which British Prime Minister Theresa May will put to her Cabinet today \u201cseems to address most of the issues and positions that we are concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that his position was on the basis of reports \u201cfrom various spokespersons in the tunnel\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr Ahern told RTE\u2019s Today with Sean O\u2019Rourke show that Mrs May\u2019s \u201cback is to the wall\u201d and she will have a difficult time \u201ctrying to convince the Cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed out that \u201call the senior business people in the UK\u201d have been telling her for months about the consequences of Brexit to the UK economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow will she possibly get this through?\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cthose people, Gove and Johnson, came out in the campaign saying they would go and negotiate great deals for 60million people. They didn\u2019t tell these people that these countries already have deals with the EU which is 440million people. Now, who is in a stronger position, 60million or 440million?\u201d<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s chief negotiator Michel Barnier had made a big concession to the UK in relation to a temporary customs arrangement, said Mr Ahern.<\/p>\n
When asked about how the UK Cabinet is likely to vote, Mr Ahern said: \u201cyou\u2019d need to be a mathematical wizard to work out the votes.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Michael Gove votes against Theresa May then \u201cshe\u2019ll be doomed\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Ahern, also said he wished politicians would stop saying that the constitutionality of Northern Ireland would be impacted by the backstop. \u201cPeople saying that the constitutional position in Northern Ireland will be affected are wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
“The ordinary \u2018Joe or Mary Soap\u2019 in Northern Ireland will be better off under this backstop deal,” he said.<\/p>\n
On the same program, the Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell called for \u201ccool heads and calm reflection\u201d until the details of Mrs May\u2019s proposal are revealed. \u201cLet\u2019s see what it says.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not get carried away. In a few hours, we can see the text and then we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he warned that it would be a disaster to \u201cbuy something that we don\u2019t want.\u201d<\/p>\n