Colonial master of Northern Ireland flies in from Brussels to claim credit for UK’s money

Brexit Facts4EU.Org dissects his speech in Belfast

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2023

An opinion piece on EU Vice-President Šefčovič’s visit to his EU colony yesterday

As we predicted, the unelected EU Commissioner and Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maroš Šefčovič did indeed fly into Belfast yesterday (Mon 11 Sept). His visit and speech commanded the presence of a UK Secretary of State, a UK minister, the Irish Taoiseach, and a large media pack.

Below we dissect Mr Šefčovič’s speech, reinforce some facts, and provide our commentary for him.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

An open letter to Mr Maroš Šefčovič

Blatant disinformation by you and the EU

“With an overall contribution of 1.1 billion euro, we are – collectively – clearly demonstrating that we are putting our money where our mouth is.”

No you’re not, Mr Šefčovič. You are putting the UK’s money where the EU’s mouth is.

[Sources: UK Government, Northern Ireland Office, and EU Commission.]

This is a majority UK-funded programme

80% of the money for this ‘Peace Plus’ programme is coming from the UK. This is effectively a UK project, not an EU one, and it should be branded as such. To describe it any other way – as you are doing - equates to disinformation on the part of the EU Commission. This is what is now occurring and it must stop.

The EU is a ‘peace project’?

“The EU is, and will always remain, a peace project. This is especially pertinent at a time when war has once again blighted our continent.”

What has the EU ever actually done for peace? It’s NATO that has kept the peace in Europe, not the EU. Even in the latest crisis to which you allude, it was the United Kingdom that stood up to be counted. This started in 2014, after Putin’s first illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2014, when he annexed Crimea. The UK began providing military aid to Ukraine from that point onwards.

In Putin’s second illegal invasion in February 2022 the EU itself did almost nothing. Even today, after 12 ‘sanctions packages’, the EU27 are still buying €111.2 billion of goods from Putin’s Russia and have sold him €45.6 billion - and this is only for the last 12 months for which statistics are available.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The EU’s and the UK’s trade with Putin’s Russia, 12 months to June 2023

[Sources : EU Commission statistics agency and the UK’s Office for National Statistics, accessed 03 Sept 2023.]

1. Imports from Russia as % of their total imports (How much did they each buy?)

EU : 3.91% (The EU is buying 78 times more from Putin's Russia than the UK, pro rata)
UK : 0.05%

2. Exports to Putin's Russia as % of their total exports globally (How much did they each sell?)

EU : 1.75% (The EU is selling Russia 10 times more than the UK, pro rata)
UK : 0.18%

What of the EU’s No.1 economic power?

The largest arms manufacturer in the EU – Germany – took many months following Putin’s second invasion before finally agreeing to allow some limited weapons sales to Ukraine.

The public may recall that Germany’s opening gambit was to offer President Zelenskyy’s troops some helmets. This is still a major issue and a cause of in-fighting in the German coalition government, as well as attracting severe criticism from the governments of many other EU countries.

One thing is clear. Whatever people think about the right policy to follow, Brexit Britain has been standing tall and the EU has been toothless.

The EU played no part in peace in Northern Ireland

Mr Šefčovič’ then moves on with an attempt to link the EU to the peace process in Northern Ireland, when in fact it had nothing to do with it.

“Here in Northern Ireland, we have seen how peace, when it is not a given, becomes an overwhelming desire, a primary necessity. And we have also seen how much we can achieve together when we put our hearts and minds to it. The Belfast / Good Friday Agreement has provided a sustainable basis for peace in Northern Ireland for the past 25 years.”

As Brexit Facts4EU.Org stated yesterday:

“The EU had nothing to do with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement of 1998. This was negotiated and agreed by the UK and Republic of Ireland governments, with significant involvement from N.I. politicians (especially the late Lord David Trimble and the late John Hume) and under the chairmanship of the late and respected US Senator George Mitchell.
“The EU Commission played no substantive part at all. Despite this, the EU Commission has for years attempted to claim credit.”

Who is this grand panjandrum and potentate?

In our next report we will provide information on the troublesome background of this EU official, whose visit to Belfast yesterday commanded the presence of two UK Ministers, the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, and a gathering of the world’s media.

Observations

Even the pro-EU press could not spin yesterday’s events in a positive way. Here is The Irish News :-

“Historically, the Special EU Programme Body (SEUPB) has been responsible for overseeing the fund, and despite a greater proportion of the money now coming from London, it remains in place to distribute the latest tranche, which extends to 2027. To some degree that explains the prominent EU branding and the equal billing given to the fund's minority contributors…”

“The launch itself was rather uneventful. A series of underwhelming speeches from the above dignitaries were punctuated by music and highland dancing, alongside videos highlighting the PEACE fund's previous successes. It was all a bit toe-curling and self-congratulatory but nothing out of the ordinary.”

In our next report on this issue we will reveal the background of Northern Ireland's new colonial master. Not to be missed!

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: EU Commission | NI Office ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 12 Sept 2023

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Reader Comments 12

1. Sparky , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 07:31:

It would appear that the UK Govt is pushing NI toward the EU. Has the UK Govt accepted Unification as an acceptable consequence of Brexit?
.
The EEC as it was had little to do with the GFA, the USA were much more influential, but it is no coincidence that the signing of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty undermined the IRA cause and led to the IRA calling a ceasefire in 1994.
.
Fascinating documentary and insight by Laura Kuenssberg “Sate of Chaos”.

2. Gazzablack , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 09:13:

1 sparkless
But it absolutely IS a coincidence.
High profile atrocities such as the Omagh bombing shaped public and political opinion, and galvanized the movement for peace.
.
Membership of the EU changed the cross border relationship not one iota.
We already had ,the common travel area, long before Shenghen was a twinkle in Sefcovic's eye, and the UK has always treated those from the ROI as if they were British.

3. terence patrick hewett , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 10:43:

NI is going nowhere, until its people vote to leave the UK: and the overwhelming majority of N.Irish want to stay in the UK. It's simple self-interest: the health service in the Republic is appalling in comparison to the much maligned NHS, and that's just for starters. Sorry fellahs: you are living in dreamland if you imagine NI is leaving the UK. Ain't gonna happen.

4. Gazzablack , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 13:22:

"Were you surprised that the economic predictions didn't come true?"
.
"No, I never believed they would. It was project fear and it didn't work."
.
So says the chairperson of the remain campaign.

5. LuxuryBalloon , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 14:36:

4 Gazza …I wonder though if the chairperson of the remain campaign would be surprised that NI has now become a colony of the EU.

6. terence patrick hewett , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 16:30:

How the English view Ireland, is a constant source of amusement in both of the Irelands. The British certainly respect Ireland's martial and intellectual talents, if not their honesty. The British and Irish way of looking at the world is not the same: the EU however, have not even got to first base in understanding Ireland. Ireland can, and one day will, turn on a sixpence. The shock will be profound in the Berlaymont: that is if the EU still exists after the Roosians have finished with them.

7. John Hardman , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 16:34:

EU built on lies continues to build its empire with non elected so called leaders
Who in the right mind would want to rejoin
Only the ones that have money and not the people at heart
They disgust me

8. jon iivesey , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 16:47:

1. Sparky "It would appear that the UK Govt is pushing NI toward the EU. Has the UK Govt accepted Unification as an acceptable consequence of Brexit?"
It is obviously not the UK Government's decision to take. Under the GFA it is up to the people of NI to vote to decide their own future, and the conditions under which such a vote would be taken are laid out. Right now, support for reunification runs at around 30%.
You know, Sparhy, your contributions here would be a lot more valuable if you were only twenty years out of date. Not knowing the terms of the GFA makes you look like an out of touch antique.

9. jon iivesey , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 17:00:

4. Gazzablack , "Were you surprised that the economic predictions didn't come true?" I think that is a key issue and one we should all note. Press and politicians always did use sensation and exaggeration to manipulate the public, but it used to be a dirty secret. Now we live in an age when "activists" of all stripes shamelessly use lies because "effective" is openly acknowledged as more important than "true". The techniques we used to think of as those of "Soviet" propaganda are now used by every pressure group.
Right now, the activists temporarily have the whip hand because ordinary people are just getting used to "in your face" lies and, and they are not quite sure what to make of it, but a society can change under pressure, and if the activists manage to make the majority accept the idea that truthfulness is just a joke, and that an endlessly repeated lie is just as good as truth then they may come to regret it, because if you put that kind of society in the hands of amoral authoritarians, you really do start living in 1984.

10. NH , Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 17:28:

Isn't the whole point of colonisation economic exploitation either by looting or by imposing taxation? If this is what the EU is doing to Northern Ireland, as some people seem to believe, they are doing it very badly. All the EU are doing is giving Northern Ireland funds for domestic projects. If this leads to taxes being paid the UK receives these, not the EU, for spending on Northern Ireland. If the EU's intention is to manipulate the people of Northern Ireland it does not seem to be working. Early claims that this is "EU funding" have quickly been corrected by Unionists and this just seems to be creating new frictions between the two sides.
.
Stuart Rose (Chairman of Remain Campaign) seems to be missing all those cheap EU workers. He has always paid himself a huge multi million pound salary while keeping his supermarket or retail staff on minimum wages. Now, because of Brexit, he his having to pay his staff a fair wage to keep them. This seems completely reasonable to me.
.

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