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GylesNaMopaleen

@gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social

2.1K followers 2.5K following 16K posts

Irish migrant living in Switzerland.. Post mostly about brexit with an Irish/European slant. Pseudonym is a deliberately misspelt hat tip to Brian O Nolan, the Irish novelist, playwright & contrarian.

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1d

quick thread on how Ireland joined the EEC around the same time as britain but went on a very very different journey 👇

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · Mar 5

I've noticed a few people quote Yeats recently on here - in the context of the boris johnson, brexit & trump phenomenon, which are, for me, all related & intertwined.

No harm in quoting Yeats, of course. Any excuse, for that, is a good excuse and I am going to do the same.

A short 🧵

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Gleniff Horseshoe - Yeats Country - Sligo - Ireland

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/gleniff-horseshoe-yeats-country-sligo-ireland--73957618858186892/

quote from “The Second Coming” by WB Yeats 1919.

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.”

Reposted by GylesNaMopaleen

Alexander Horne @legalmusings.bsky.social · 8h

I agree with Joshua that this intervention is by the Human Rights Commissioner is spectacularly badly timed.

At a moment where two of the four largest political parties in the UK are advocating an exit from the Convention system, his criticisms seem tin eared.

Joshua Rozenberg @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 10h

The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner has intervened in a series of criminal prosecutions currently before the courts of England and Wales.

rozenberg.substack.com/p/policing-p...

Policing protest prosecutions

Council of Europe human rights commissioner seeks to lay down the law

rozenberg.substack.com

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 27m

jesus wept.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 29m

Dublin spotted the direction of traffic a few years ago - the truth is London doesn't want NI. it's a £13b p.a. drain on the economy and a massive pain in the arse.

The problem with a Border Poll is it will start the mother of all arguments about what colour the front door of this new house is.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · May 4

Post brexit, reunification is already sorta happening.

Trade, tourism, sport, all major infrastucture projects like Rail, Energy & health are "Shared Island" in scope now.

What worries us (Irish) is RFM, CON, LAB screwing up a very delicate situation, economically & culturally on the Island.

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graphic outlining a new 2030 proposal for rail across the whole Island of Ireland.

https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/265178/a839ee26-16c4-407d-bd5b-327ce0e067f5.pdf

Stormont health chiefs welcome Irish government funding 250 student nurses

"This planned one-year funding arrangement will be an important practical step in fostering future collaboration across the island of Ireland"

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/health/stormont-health-chiefs-welcome-irish-27097287

Reposted by GylesNaMopaleen

Moose Allain @mooseallain.bsky.social · 7d

The sort of cartoon you'd expect to see from me

www.worldofmoose.com/products/con...

Cartoon showing a man reading from a dictionary to another. He says "So, it turns out confirmation bias means exactly what I expected it to mean|"

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 37m

as an aside...we use direct democracy a lot in Ireland.

step 1 is for the Gov to tell YES/NO sides to produce a doc explaining what it means to vote.

step 2: fact / legal check the doc.

step 3: referendum vote can happen.

none of the above was done for brexit.

joke "that's not my brexit" book cover. featuring unicorns, rainbows and other fantasy imagery with the slogan "the anti-migrant rhetoric is too harsh".

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 41m

yeah...that's what I meant:

Reunification will mean a new "transformation agreement" to replace the GFA.....that needs to be produced before the border poll (Vote on reunification).

That will outline precisely what reunification means for pensions, health, education etc.

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 46m

I heard sprinkling panadol on your cornflakes makes you like jazz music.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 46m

I heard sprinkling panadol on your cornflakes makes you like jazz music.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 5d

Besides linking Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, RFK Jr. now says circumcision is part of the reason why kids are autistic.

"Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it's highly likely because they're given Tylenol. None of this is positive..."

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 50m

I agree. As an outsider looking in, he's the only political leader arguing to pull everyone into the 21st century.

tories, reform & labour with their pro brexit stance & "concerns" over ECHR want to drag britain back to the 19th century.

Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (5-6 October 2025)

Reform UK: 27% (-2 from 28-29 Sept)
Labour: 20% (-2)
Conservatives: 17% (+1)
Lib Dems: 17% (+2)
Greens: 12% (+1)
SNP: 4% (+1)

Reposted by GylesNaMopaleen

Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 7h

🚨🚨Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledges she is looking at potential tax rises and spending cuts to fill a black hole in her Budget which she said was partly due to the lingering impact of #Brexit. 🧵
www.independent.co.uk/money/rachel...

Reeves eyes tax hikes as economy suffers ‘severe and long-lasting’ Brexit impact

Rachel Reeves said ‘austerity, Brexit, and the ongoing impact of Liz Truss’s mini-budget’ had weighed heavily on the UK economy.

www.independent.co.uk

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

that's the point I'm making. there's political value in removing the GFA (and those ties to the ECHR) by pushing for reunification.

(Reunification will mean a new "transformation agreement" to replace the GFA which will also need the ECHR but the tories/reform don't think that far ahead.)

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

don't forget. the DUP actually, incredibly, amazingly, held the balance of power in the UK, briefly, when theresa mays snap election backfired.

Let that sink in.

Diplomats in Dublin still refer to it as the "milk, no sugar days" of brexit.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

true, but, there is now political value for Tories & Reform, who both want an ECHR exit, to push for Reunification in Ireland.

i.e. it will be easier than renegotiating the GFA/BA.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · May 4

For the uninitiated, the Good Friday Agreement 1998 is overseen by the ECHR.

And the only way for the UK to exit that agreement is if the NI SoS calls a border poll, which is held in both North & South of Ireland and voters decide for reunification.

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photo of the original GFA with signatures from politicians & representatives to who agreed to it.

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Reposted by GylesNaMopaleen

Oliver @oliver48.bsky.social · 1h

via Brexit Means, Brexit Memes

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

for those interested...a quick thread on the lack of any SPS deal.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · Jun 30

Incredibly, the ukgov scrapped planned checks - which are dependent on a SPS deal with the EU - before any deal was done. Now we know that deal isn't happening soon.

January 2027 is the latest date for checks to start now.

The sunlit uplands vibe on the UK customs website is hilarious.

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https://www.customs-declarations.uk/uk-scraps-planned-sps-checks-on-eu-fruit-and-vegetable-imports-a-360-degree-analysis/

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

joking aside. the lack of a SPS deal with the EU is putting british consumers at a high risk over food safety.

brexit was a marketing boon for traffickers: "EU Asylum application failed? No worries, just head to brexit britain!"

Ditto for smugglers. There are no real brexit checks folks.

Over 10 tonnes of illegal meat seized in just two weeks – a 324% surge compared to last September.
Published on: 16 September 2025, 13:37

Over 10 tonnes of illegal meat seized in just two weeks – a 324% surge compared to last September.

Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) continues to seize unequivocal volumes of illegal meat, including over 10 tonnes in the last two weeks—a staggering 324% increase compared to the same period last year. This substantial and ongoing rise signals a growing crisis at this critical border.

That is why Dover District Council's (DDC) Port Health Authority is calling for immediate government action, following the release of two damming and powerful reports from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee. The Committee's relentless work to engage, understand, scrutinise and unpick the position, and provide recommendations to mitigate the threats we face at the border is commendable.

https://www.doverporthealth.gov.uk/news/over-10-tonnes-of-illegal-meat-seized-in-just-two-weeks-a-324-surge-compared-to-last-september

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

I fear the "EU? not in my lifetime" speech last year from starmer suggests labour still have 19th century notions of sovereignty James. As Tony Benn did, 50 years ago, before the 1st brexit referendum in 1975 👇

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · Jun 5

Tony Benn, whom I would rank as a principled person & politician - as opposed to a grifter - outlined labour's stance against the EEC on brexit 50 years ago.

TL;DW: "our rules, our laws, sovvringty, innit?"

They failed. Brits voted remain.

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 1h

interesting. As an European, I don't see it as an extremist view - I see it as a 21st century view.

The UK seems stuck with 19th century notions of sovereignty alongside curtseying, raw sewage in rivers and an aristocracy that owns all the land. It feels almost feudal.

photo collage of unelected members of UK parliament, in full 19th century regalia, at work in the house of lards. including michelle mone, lord lebedev and two other unelected members appointed by johnson. One rumoured to be his daughter.

from 2022 and prince charles, in full disney style regalia, sitting beside a crown on a plump red cushion at the opening of UK parliament.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 2h

I'm not so sure.

just one food safety issue will be enough to spark a furious reaction from british consumers and force GB into some form of customs union with EU.

brexit was a marketing boon for traffickers: "EU Asylum application failed? No worries. Go to brexit britain".

Ditto for smugglers.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 2h

The space required to implement checks is simply not available around ports. Unless they flatten the port towns to build the facilities needed.

re: TCA, the EU offered simplified border controls – but Johnson insisted UK be treated as a “third country”.

The minister for brexit benefits explains.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 2h

he's actually ahead of the game.

the life expectancy of the UK is less than 10 years now around Europe. NI leaving to reunify with Ireland brings an end to the UK of GB & NI and will likely see a greater resurgence of "englishness" and indyref2 in Scotland.

No fan but Osborne called it in 2021.

Quote from George Osborne, Jan 2021: "By unleashing English nationalism, Brexit has made the future of the UK the central political issue of the coming decade. Northern Ireland is already heading for the exit door. By remaining in the EU single market, it is for all economic intents and purposes now slowly becoming part of a united Ireland. Its prosperity now depends on its relationship with Dublin (and Brussels), not London. The politics will follow.

Northern Irish unionists always feared the mainland was not sufficiently committed to their cause. Now their short-sighted support for Brexit (and unbelievably stupid decision to torpedo Theresa May’s deal that avoided separate Irish arrangements) has made those fears a reality. It pains me to report that most here and abroad will not care. "

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/nationalism-union-brexit-b900299.html

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 2h

I think you're right but an even bigger problem is the consequences of brexit are largely ignored.

e.g. brexit checks on EU imports to GB are physically impossible & financially impractical to implement and have been postponed so many times, they are largely forgotten.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · Jun 30

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 2h

Road age. well done that biker. kid won't forget that and always give a double look for bikers now. 👏

Reposted by GylesNaMopaleen

IndyCelt @indycelt.bsky.social · 3h

@greenparty.org.uk @zackpolanski.bsky.social good to know your on board!
Independence now for Scotland and Cymru/Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and a United Ireland 🇮🇪 #IndyCymru #IndyScotland #YesCymru #YesScotland ✊✊✊ good to know you recognise that the UK union has no future or purpose, nations deserve TRUE self rule.

Green leader Zack Polanski backs Scottish and Welsh independence

ZACK Polanski has backed Scottish and Welsh independence, The National can reveal.

www.thenational.scot

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GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 3h

it emerged that 80% of the parents & guardians at Bangor School voted in favour of integration.

"not enough catholics" seems like an odd argument in 2025.

GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 4h

His argument was that there was "not enough catholics".

For the uninitiated, the demogs of some areas in NI, like North Down, has very few people with a catholic heritage.

Even the NI border was deliberately designed to ensure there was a certain majority, as this BBC journalist explains.

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