US and EU Commission Presidents both under fire in one speech in UK Parliament

Watch our video clips as a noble Baroness lays it on the line for Washington and Brussels

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

Facts4EU.Org and CIBUK.Org summarise a powerful speech in the Lords this week

In an important speech in the House of Lords on Monday – unreported in the media – the Presidents of the United States and of the EU Commission came under fire from a mild-mannered Baroness.

In measured tones Baroness Kate Hoey expressed what many people feel about the position that an integral part of the United Kingdom finds itself in.

Baroness Hoey, former Labour minister and now a crossbench independent Peer, told our Chairman:

"Once again Brexit Facts4EU and CIBUK are standing up for the principle of the whole United Kingdom being a free, independent and sovereign country. I am pleased you have chosen to highlight what I had to say about this in the House of Lords on Monday.
"If the Government think those who oppose the Protocol will be influenced by the threat of an election or their salary reduced they have not understood how this issue transcends the desire to restart the Assembly. It is simply a choice. Protocol or Devolution."

Facts4EU.Org and CIBUK.Org present some excerpts from the speech plus two short video clips which can be shared. We are grateful to Baroness Hoey for her assistance with this report. The transcript of her full speech is available here.

Baroness Kate Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin

Excerpts of speech in House of Lords, Mon 05 Dec 2022

“We in Northern Ireland face a big threat - an even bigger threat than we had before over 30 years of people trying to bomb us and terrorise us. We face the threat of our place as an integral part of the United Kingdom being whittled away by the Protocol, and that transcends any monetary considerations.”
“I do not fear an election in Northern Ireland as I think pro-union people will be even more determined to come out and vote as they have seen what has happened over the past months.”
“It seems to me that the EU is still working under the same negotiating mandate, and that is not going to work.”
“We cannot be left under EU rules. Huge chunks of the Retained EU Law Bill coming to us will not apply to Northern Ireland; we will be left even further behind as divergence takes place. Let us not forget that the Protocol has not yet been fully implemented and we have no idea what will be happening to the grace periods that are ending.”
“The noble Lord, Lord Bew, spoke of the new technology that the EU has been talking about: this invisible border that we can now have in the Irish Sea…. Well, if it is invisible at the Irish Sea border, it can jolly well be invisible at the frontier between Northern Ireland and the independent country of the Republic of Ireland that is within the European Union. Technology could work - many people talked about that some time ago - but, if it is to be invisible, it can be invisible where it should have been in the first place.”

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

What Baroness Hoey said about President Biden

If the video doesn't load you can watch it on YouTube here.

“As has already been mentioned, we are facing the 25th anniversary of the Belfast agreement in April, and President Biden wants to come - to Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. That is meant to hit people with the idea that, to get President Biden here, we have to get the Assembly working again; that we cannot possibly have him here if the Belfast agreement is not being properly carried through. But I am not sure many people are that worried about whether President Biden will come or not. He has shown that he does not really - or does not want to - understand the pro-Union community in Northern Ireland, so I do not think that will be a particular influence on getting any changes.”

What Baroness Hoey said about EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

If the video doesn't load you can watch it on YouTube here.

“Then just last week - I have to mention this because it shocked so many people - Ursula von der Leyen spoke in Dublin about the years of Ireland being in the European Union and how wonderful it was. She then appeared to liken the IRA to freedom fighters in Ukraine, and likened the United Kingdom to Putin. Your Lordships may say that she did not actually say that, but she certainly spoke in such a way that everyone who listened knew what was going on. How can we in Northern Ireland think that Ursula von der Leyen, as President of the Commission, really has the interests of the Belfast agreement and peace in Northern Ireland at heart when she can go to Dublin and say that?”

Baroness Kate Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin

Final excerpts of speech in House of Lords, Mon 05 Dec 2022

“We need to face up to the fact that we, here, are the legislature for Northern Ireland and have been so on many issues over a long period of time. We should not try to pretend otherwise.”
“The Government have to show their determination that they mean to get rid of the Protocol. If we cannot get rid of it by using negotiations in the EU then we have to use the Protocol Bill. If we want devolution back, we are going to have to get rid of that Protocol. That is the real issue facing us today.”
- Baroness Kate Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin, House of Lords, Mon 05 Dec 2022

Observations

Who would be a politician these days?

Politicians frequently come in for some criticism from the public, as we all know. In today's instantly-judgemental internet world this criticism online can often be quite simply abusive and unacceptable. This has certainly been the case for Baroness Hoey, in her firm stance against the EU's Northern Ireland Protocol.

We therefore wish to thank Kate Hoey for her kind assistance as we prepared this report. Both Facts4EU.Org and CIBUK.Org (of which we are an 'affiliated organisation') are fortunate in having warm and civil relations with many MPs and Peers from different parties or none. We do not have to agree with every word they utter but we do defend their absolute right to express themselves freely.

Baroness Hoey has always been clear in her stance against the Protocol and we have always taken the same position. One of the reasons we felt it important to cover her speech is because of rumours that the Rishi Sunak government is softening its approach towards the dictatorial EU on the question of Northern Ireland. We very much hope that these rumours are unfounded. Unfortunately - and whatever the new administration's stance is - it seems that this problem is being kicked further down the road.

Along with other problems the country is facing, we urge the PM to grasp this issue and deal with it once and for all, so that we can truly say the UK has achieved a full Brexit and is an independent and sovereign country once again.

We must get reports like this out there

Reports like the one above take far longer to research, write and produce than many people realise. If they were easy, readers would see other organisations also producing these daily.

However, there’s little point in the Facts4EU.Org team working long hours, seven days-a-week, if we lack the resources to promote them effectively – to the public, to MPs, and to the media. This is where you come in, dear reader.

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[ Sources: Baroness Hoey | Parliamentlive.tv ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 08 Dec 2022

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Reader Comments 17

1. Buster , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 07:22:

In the late 1990s Kate Hoey was a genuinely sensible and decent slightly centre left politician.
But then Farage came along as she aged and she’s now become one of these mad ranting grandmas who have infested our country with their toxic bigoted poison and gross stupidity about just about everything.
Far-right grandmas are actually one of the biggest problems we face. They are senile, bigoted and unpleasant but they actually vote - all whilst outwardly looking like sweet little old ladies. Not at all. They are mostly just nasty.
Nobody voted for you Hoey. You are unelected. We can’t get rid of you. But what an absolute embarrassment you are to your country and to yourself.

2. Dr Proctor , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 09:17:

Good morning 'Buster' have you ever considered seeing a psychiatrist about your hate and anger issues?

3. Paul , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 09:57:

Talking of toxic bigoted poison and gross stupidity, senile, nasty and unpleasant - hi Buster, and thank you for your introduction. I thought so, I just didn't want to raise it, but I'm pleased it's now out :) Most certainly nobody ever voted for you in your life, poor soul. Seems like we can’t get rid of you. Yes, Dr Proctor is right, do take your pills, might just make you feel better.
PS Btw We all know you're not British.

4. Jon, Wales , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 11:06:

Buster (1) - I feel so sorry for you (yawn)!! - for it is clear you have no interest in facts and zero debating skill.
In my considered opinion, you may require professional help to address your mental state.
You seek only to cause a degree of harassment not only on this site, but your rather extremist 'attacks' on named individuals is disturbing and show how juvenile you are.
Many of your postings are generally without purpose, are abusive, racist, ageist, and any other 'ist.
We should all understand your comments are nothing but 'click-bait' and have no relevance, despite many of us using our best attempts to debate with you.
This user will not respond to any future comment you're allowed to make from this point on - I will simply ignore your irrational comments - unless you grow up and behave!

5. Gazzablack , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 11:26:

More bluster. from Buster.
.
So Bluster, which is the country?
The EU member state or the EU itself?
Evidence points to it being the EU.
.
And are you content that the Spanish government has imprisoned it's political opponents without
any evidence being brought before a jury of their peers to justify it?
And that they can keep them locked up indefintely, without charge.
Is that the kind of judicial system you want British nationals to be subject to?
.
Dame Kate Hoey was a long standing ELECTED MP before being elevated to the HOL for services to the country.

6. Dennis Kemp , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 13:12:

All I can say is that the people in the United Kingdom who don’t want to be a free and independent sovereign country don’t believe in Democracy, they must be suffering from Mental Disorders.

7. jon livesey , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 18:47:

Despite "sanctions" the EU27 still export $3-4bn a month to Russia, which is several times the amount from US+UK together (About a couple of hundred million in all)

8. jon livesey , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 19:22:

I honestly do not know very much about Baroness Hoey, but she makes a very valid point. If technology can be used to make the Irish Sea border "invisible" then it could be used to do the same for the open-border between NI and the Republic instead. That would remove the rationale for the NIP in its current form.
This week, polling showed that twice as many people in NI would vote for continued Union in the UK than for unification with the South. That alone tells you where any "invisible" border ought to be.

9. jon livesey , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 19:31:

6. Dennis Kemp , And we have been here before. In the1920's the anti-British forces in the UK, who called themselves Pacifists rather than Remainers, declared that Germany was the victim of WWI and that the UK was the big threat to World Peace and needed to be disarmed. I guess we all know what happened ten years later.

10. John Hardman , Thursday, December 08, 2022, 20:27:

Buster needs to clean the EU flag bedspread as the smell of poo is so strong every time a post appears.
Buster must be Steve Bray.
What a saddo.

17 comments, page 1 of 2

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