‘More to come’ says Irish politician as Wales is bypassed with Irish-French sea routes
A prominent Irish politician has said there is “more to come” amid Wales being increasingly bypassed by Irish-French sea connections.
In a post on his social media, Neale Richmond, a Teachta Dala and spokesperson on European Affairs for the Fine Gael party, posted a picture showing ferry routes from Ireland to the continent which are bypassing the UK.
Richmond said: “Powerful visual from Ireland’s development office of the ever-growing state of direct shipping to our largest market, continental Europe, post-Brexit. More to come…”
Irish-French sea connections reached 44 in October with a new terminal in the ferry port of Dunkirk. It is part of a post Brexit move to avoid the UK land bridge through Holyhead. Ireland-France sea routes have risen from 12 before the UK left the European Union to 44 now.
The UK land bridge through Holyhead is now associated with delays and customs formalities and the importance of Dunkirk has become the latest outworking of Brexit and reflects the growing need for direct sea routes from Ireland to the continent.
Powerful visual from @IMDOIreland of the ever growing state of direct shipping to our largest market, continental Europe, post #Brexit. More to come… pic.twitter.com/rzUC74gCgU
— Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) November 22, 2021
‘Diversion of trade’
The Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney has previously said that diversion of trade from Ireland away from Wales is a “consequence of Brexit”.
He told PA news agency: “It was primarily focused on looking to the future and not allowing the frustrations of Brexit, or the barriers that Brexit create, to undermine the core relationship across the Irish Sea between Wales and Ireland.”
One the diversion of trade away from Wales, he said: “This is unfortunately part of the disruption of Brexit. I don’t think that there’s anyone in Wales that is blaming Ireland for that. But I think many are certainly questioning the consequences of Brexit.”
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bUt wE tOoK oUr cOuNtRy BaCk!
Yep. You took it back to 1970.
I expect the ferry companies to expand on this trade to, perhaps, encourage car-bourne tourists turning the journey into a mini cruise like Brittany Ferries do to St Malo and northern Spain. Lucky Ireland !
Ireland has got to do what its got to do. They owe the British sh1t all after the damage they did to Ireland. Our ports will suffer, but on the other hand that means less traffic on our roads, less pollution and a massive bloody nose for the English government and far right supporters who brought this on themselves. I can’t be pissed off with the Irish because this is what I would expect our government to do if we were in their position. Why should Ireland lose out because the British had a brain fart?
I don’t blame them at all but they may also be doing us a favour in the long-run..
The increasing isolation of Britain, along with increasing resentment in Wales towards the British Government, might encourage us to forge our own path 😏
Sitting in a Dublin restaurant some years ago I overheard enough to understand that Irish snobs see Welsh people as thickoes in the same way that English snobs think of the Irish and the Germans think of East Friesians.
I have been to Dublin a few times and they have always been really cool with me. They understand we were the ones invaded by the English the same way they were.
Of course, because they all walk around in the past all day waiting for some insecure Welsh nationalist to go : “please don’t think I am English!”
They don’t care. Their nationalists at least had b******s.
Yes, Dubliners don’t have jobs or lives to attend to, nor do Welsh tourists and day-trippers have booze cruising and sightseeing to do, they’re all waiting round with bated breath, to partake in this charming little ritual. What a moron.
No we dont. We see southern English as thick tw4ts. Nobody else.
They don’t owe us anything, especially as it would cost their businesses way more because of brexit. This is just cutting out the pointless middleman.
The middle-man wasn’t always pointless. Until quite recently it was quicker and cheaper to drive continental goods destined for Ireland across Britain, linking two short ferry journeys. The same was true of goods travelling the other way. Now, it’s quicker and cheaper to make a single long ferry journey. Given relative speeds — 25 mph on water or 50 mph over land — and the vastly longer distance, that’s a damning indictment of Brexit. Sadly, road freight, taken out of context, is still cheap and fast so our most lucrative trading partner is over the eastern border. I wish it… Read more »
Those aren’t just car ferries.
Dublin to Bremerhaven? That is a 3 day journey.
What on earth does liking have to do with this? The routes were diverted because the landbridge is no longer tenable. They’re longer and more expensive, so no-one one is doing this for fun : they’ve doing it because it’s not viable to randomly get caught up in customs paperwork and be delayed by days or be turned back.
Welsh Brexiteers only have themselves to blame. The Irish are just doing what’s in their own best interest, unlike Welsh Brexiteers that is , who put England interests first over Wales. 😤
Hi there – we love the Welsh – great rugby players, great singers and – like us, have long suffered discrimination by the English.
As others have said – we don’t want this – we didn’t want Brexit, which hurts our economy and cuts us off from our main markets – but it is the only way we can survive.
Don’t believe the haters – you are most welcome here (and we will beat you again in rugby)!
Diolch, John
Maith agat!
You do realise Irish HGVs also did multiple drops crossing GB and is another factor why there is a massive hole in the UKs logistics capability.
And yiu do realise Irish HGV drivers speak English and drive on the same side of the road. You’re a lunatic man.
Then they can walk across the border using the Common Travel Area system. No more pumping up lilo’s in Le Havre or paddling canoes from Calais.
Remember Y Fro Gymreig didn’t vote for Brexit. The part of Wales that did is the one where the angloid incomers are the majority.
Oh yeah. Blaenau Gwent is full of them.
The English if anywhere they are in Ceredigion and Gwynedd. That is what you are all complaining about.
As didn’t The Most Cymric parts Monmouthshire and The Vale of Glamorgan vote for Brexit!!!
I’m willing to accept that the Brexit vote was swung by incomers, James, but they were backed up by a large number of Welsh voters, especially outside the Bro.
On that basis, we can all look forward to the Welsh leaving Wales…leaving pure Welsh air. I wonder where they would go. Europe perhaps?
You can blame Piri Pratel for this mess. She was the one who brought up cutting off food supplies to Ireland as a negotiation tactic. It’s coming up on the third year anniversary of that statement. Which resulted in all these routes being created. It was a pretty moronic statement, as Ireland is ranked as one of the most food secure nations on the planet. It was however a threat that the Irish government could not ignore, and it was in there interest to remove that tactic from the playing field.
Great relief on our roads.
O joy my local Tesco have “got Brexit done”. “Easy peasy”, said the manager….. He just emptied half his shelves…. Lovely pictures where the fruit and veg used to be.