Anti-British Biden backs Sunak’s EU sell-out in briefest possible visit to UK soil

One speech today in Belfast, three whole days including tree-planting in the Republic

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2023

And yet he won’t even attend the coronation of King Charles III

Shortly after 9pm last night US President Joe Biden’s ‘Air Force One’ touched down at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland. It deposited the President onto the tarmac for a handshake with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before they left in separate cars. Today the President will make one speech on British soil before heading south to the Republic of Ireland, where he will spend three days.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org compares and contrasts the US President’s dismissive treatment of the United Kingdom – the US’s most important ally – with his love-in with the Republic of Ireland.

Biden congratulates “Rashid Sanook” on becoming PM

Things did not get off to a flying start last October when Rishi Sunak was elected by Tory MPs to replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister.

”Who loves ya, baby?” - UK buys nearly 5 times more US goods than Ireland buys

The US-UK relationship is not only built on world diplomacy, a (relatively) common legal system, and shared NATO defence values, but also on trade.

The US sells nearly five times as many goods to the UK as it does to Ireland, by value. It sells more to the UK than to either Germany, France or Italy – the EU’s top three economies. And on top of this, the United Kingdom represents 11% of the USA’s total imports of services.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

US goods exports to UK and Ireland, 2022

US goods exports to UK : $77.3bn
US goods exports to Ireland : $16.0bn

[Source : The US Census Bureau’s ‘International Trade’ is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States.]

President Biden’s lack of understanding of UK-EU relations and peace in N.I.

Immediately prior to his departure for Ireland yesterday, the President was asked about his visit to the United Kingdom and (mostly) the Republic of Ireland.

Q : “What’s your top priority on this trip, sir?”
A : “Make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor agreement stay in place, to keep the peace. That’s the — that’s the main thing. And it’s look like we’re going to — keep your fingers crossed.”
- Statement President Biden before Air Force One departure, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 11 Apr 2023

The ‘Windsor Framework’ is not acceptable to Unionists in the province and self-government from Stormont has been made unattainable by it. The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement has been damaged severely and peace is at risk. Furthermore, the Windsor Framework places Northern Ireland permanently under the yoke of EU law – the law of a foreign unelected body over which N.I. citizens have no vote and no say.

The only thing the US President got right was when he added “fingers crossed”.

When Irish eyes are smiling… Don’t say this out loud, but Biden’s ancestor was born in England

The great-great-great grandfather of Joe Biden was William Biden. He was born in 1787 near Chichester in Sussex, in the south of England. It was this English great-great-great grandfather who emigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

What is the point of this visit? Here is what was said on the plane

Facts4EU.Org has obtained the verbatim transcript of the words of President Biden’s National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, on board Air Force One last night. Below we present our edited highlights.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Highlights of briefing by President’s National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications

“Q : What’s the President going to do to try to break the impasse in Northern Ireland?
"MR. KIRBY: So, look, the President’s message — he’s going to have a chance to engage tomorrow with the political party leaders.
"And really, the message is twofold. It’s congratulations on 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, which has brought unprecedented peace and prosperity. And — and that kind of goes to the second goal, which is to talk about the importance of trying to work on trade and economic policies that benefit all communities, as well as the United States. That’s really what he’s focused on.
Q : What’s he going to say at Ulster University? What’s his message there?
"MR. KIRBY: I think his message, again, is going to be sort of threefold. I don’t want to get too far ahead of the President’s speech, but one is, again, putting the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement into some sort of historical context, talk about the importance of that.
"And that kind of leads to a message about the youth generation in Northern Ireland and how they are literally just changing the face of high-tech innovations in Northern Ireland and the impact that they’re having economically and domestically, politically inside their own country.
"And then the third thing kind of gets back to what I said before: He’s going to talk about trade and economic prosperity in Northern Ireland and all the opportunities that opens up between our — you know, between the United States and the UK.
Q : Will he meet with the DUP leaders? Will he ask them to return to governing?
"MR. KIRBY: So, he’s going to meet with the political party leaders of all the parties, all together in an engagement. And, again, the message is really: congratulations on this anniversary, and a focus on trade and economics and improving that across the board.
"But, look, you’ve all heard him say — in fact, he said it on St. Patrick’s Day: We’d like to see the National Assembly returned, clearly.”
- John Kirby , National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, on board Air Force One, 11 Apr 2023

Observations

The ignorance, the futility, and the insult to the British people of President Biden’s visit to the Republic of Ireland – with the briefest of stopovers in Northern Ireland - is clearly not understood by the President nor by his team.

To fly across the Atlantic – at his age – is a major commitment. Did he make it for the 25th anniversary of the peace agreement? No. Is he coming for the coronation of the Monarch of the US’s most important ally? No. Is he spending more than a few hours on UK soil? No.

Is he going to be grandstanding for three days in the Republic of Ireland? “You betcha.”

It’s all about green votes, and by that we don’t mean environmental ones. Green in many conurbations in the US (mostly in the north-east) is about American voters who claim some degree of Irish ancestry.

As with the US President himself, the genealogical links back to Ireland can be extremely tenuous. This doesn’t matter to many Americans who feel some form of emotional bond, even where one really doesn’t exist. When it comes to US Presidents, the Irish politicians themselves bend over backwards to dream up some form of connection.

Doubtless the BBC, Sky News and ITN will be running continuous, rolling news coverage of Biden’s visit. We will not be watching.

We must get reports like this out there

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Facts4EU.Org needs you today

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[ Sources: The White House | The US Census Bureau (Trade stats) | Sky News Australia ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Wed 12 Apr 2023

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Reader Comments 26

1. Sparky , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 07:02:

Brexit has caused a mess in NI and moved Ireland closer to unification by threatening the peace in NI.
The solution is the Windsor Framework which provides joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland.
The Maastricht Treaty and single market removed borders across Europe diffusing the need for a United Ireland and made the Good Friday agreement possible.
Brexit hardly considered Northern Ireland.
Farage was blinkered by his hatred for the EU and even had the front to suggested the RoI should leave the EU in an interview on RE. (search YouTube)
The Cons were blinkered by the threat of UKIP and decided to hold the referendum to defend against UKIP, not in the interests of the UK.
Johnson agreed to the WA to get Brexit done but had no intention of keeping to the agreement, lied about the outcome and did not understand what he was agreeing to.
.
The response of Brexitears is to blame Biden and say he doesn't understand UK, EU relations and peace in NI. Brexit didn't consider or understand NI.

2. Sparky , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 07:07:

Not covered by Fact4EU today is the IMF.
IMF have upgraded their economic forecast for the UK!
The UK is still forecast to shrink by 0.3% this year and increase by 1% next year and will be worst performing economy in G7.
What are the reasons, Brexit and Liz Truss.
Jeremy Hunt bravely tried hard to put a positive spin on it.

3. RW52 , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 07:27:

Biden is embarrassing, to think he is the leader of one of the most influential countries in the world is FRIGHTENING.

4. Mike S , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 07:51:

Sparky, wrong, I'm afraid. Brexit did not cause a "mess" in NI. The losers of the referendum absolutely refusing to accept the result & aiding & abetting the EU in weaponising the island of Ireland & blatantly trying & wanting to overturn the result by ANY means necessary is what has caused this completely unnecessary 'issue'!
As for Biden, just who the Hell is he to come over 'here' & " make sure" we comply with the EU & do as he decrees?! His own variation of 'MAGA' , that's: 'Make Afghanistan Genocidal Again!' didn't go too well, did it!! He/you, Biden, did a REALLY good job in maintaining the peace & more settled era they were in, didn't he/you! Remember the scenes on the airport runway!? YOU Biden caused THAT!
You, Biden don't want to come to the UK mainland? Good! You/he is/are nothing more than yet another dodery old fool of a foreigner who appears to be of the opinion that he can dictate to the UK people. Shame on our government for allowing foreigners to assume that they can call the shots over us!
We have the EU from the east, Biden from the west, who next? The penguins in Antarctica from the south & the aliens under ice in the North Pole? Given our politicians, it wouldn't surprise me.

5. Gazzablack , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 08:21:

Sparky Macsparkface
I'll go one better than Farage and suggest that all 27 EU colonies should leave.
.
A reminder dimspark, the common travel area between the UK and Ireland means there has been no physical border for persons since 1922.
We were always able to travel between the two countries without showing a passport.
I did so myself long before the EU, and long before the GFI
.
I forecast that the IMF forecast will bear no more reality to actual growth than it's previous forecasts for the last few years were.

6. Sparky , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 08:39:

4 MS. Leaving the EU and single market has placed a border between UK and EU, the border is in place at Dover, Heathrow etc. The CT allowed free movement between RoI and UK but we still had the Troubles under the CT. Both UK and ROI in the EU created a structure that allowed the GF to be reached.
.
RoI and UK joined the EU around the same time, now we have left the EU, where does the border go?
.
The Windsor Framework has provided the most practical answer. What is the alternative that will keep peace in NI?
.
5 G. No other country will leave the EU when they hear reports like the one from the IMF. (How does Tom Cruise find the time?)

7. Catherine , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 09:01:

@6 Sparky. Firstly, perhaps you can confirm the accuracy of IMF forecasts? (granted, they're not as poor as the OBR.) Secondly, there is nothing about no border in the hallowed GFA. Thirdly, the WF is in no way a practical answer. The pretence of what it really is is already being revealed.

8. LuxuryBalloon , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 09:13:

Many unionists don’t like the GFA and hoped Brexit would have resulted in the end of the GFA. They won’t like an American president visiting Belfast to celebrate 25 years of GFA.

9. Captain Thunderbolt , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 09:27:

@Sparky
Repeat after me, there is no joint sovereignty, There is no joint sovereignty, There is no joint sovereignty
-
Fixed that for you......
The Maastricht Treaty and single market removed borders across continental Europe
-
RoI and UK joined the EU around the same time, now we have left the EU, where does the border go?....
Sparky you do realise that even when the UK was a member of the EU there was an electronic border between ROI/UK for the difference in tax and VAT
-
The Windsor Framework has provided the most practical answer. What is the alternative that will keep peace in NI?
Sparky the Windsor Agreement has done no such thing it actully is contravenes the Belfast Agreement.
For someone who claims to be British you don’t know much about your own country

10. Sparky , Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 09:34:

7 C. No border is the objective of the GF which maintains peace. GF was agreed when ROI and UK we’re both in the EU with no borders between EU members.
.
What is the alternative to the WF and border effectively in the Irish Sea?
.
UK rejoining not for a generation or more if at all.
RoI leaving EU, not happening (watch Farage interview on RE)
.
8 LB. I think you’ve got a good point, would explain why they supported Brexit.

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