Restoring Northern Assembly could avoid a painful BrexitThe government has boxed itself into a corner on the backstop - but a fresh approach on devolution might help
A dangerous time for Ireland, and it’s partly our own faultThe backstop was never a runner. Now our bluff is being called and our Brexit policy is in tatters
Ireland must blink first in game of chickenWe were wrong to insist on the backstop - and softening our stance is the only way to prevent ‘no deal’
Ray Bassett on BrexitNow that Europe has shown its hand by rejecting the Chequers White Paper, we must go our own way or face the consequences
It’s time we helped Britain to get a good deal on BrexitOur politicians should be putting the country first, and stand up for May and her vision of what Brexit means
A hard Brexit looks even more likely now, and we have contributed to itIreland has now lined up with the EU Commission to increase the EU budget. If the intention is to curry favour for an undeliverable Brexit backstop, it is very bad policy
British paper marks crunch time in Brexit processOur government must now search for a workable – possibly messy – solution to the border dilemma
Italy’s anger with the EU needs to serve as a major wake-up callWith Brexit on the horizon and the Italian people growing disillusioned with Brussels by the day, the time has come for a major rethink of Europe-wide policy
Mind the gap between the Brexit ‘backstop’ and our national interestThe EU is not prioritising the border for Ireland’s benefit. It is using the country to play a high-stakes game of bluff
When everyone was on the same teamRay Bassett played a key role in the Irish government’s talks team during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations. Here, he recounts the view from inside the negotiation room
Ireland’s welfare should be our priorityFree trade between North and South and across the Irish Sea is vitally important for Ireland. We must put this first, rather than automatically supporting the EU line on the border
The Good Friday Agreement is in danger, but all is not lostAs tensions grow, Irish negotiators must keep the border issue at the forefront of their minds
It’s crunch time: Ireland must chart her own courseAfter months of negotiations, both Britain and the EU appear to still believe the other is bluffing. But something will have to give
Ray Bassett: We’ll soon be picking up the real bill for BrexitBrexit is quite likely to result in Ireland paying far more money into the EU budget, so we must keep all our options open with Britain
Is playing hardball on the border in our best interests?We share these islands with Britain, so we should not allow ourselves to be weaponised against them by an angry EU
Forget worrying about the loss of our corporate tax regime, the European heavyweights have much bigger fish to fry
EU has to stop digging in its heels and give Britain a breakTheresa May laid down an upbeat marker in Florence. Now it’s up to the European Union to reciprocate. And if that doesn’t happen, then Ireland has to assert itself
EU paper comes up short on issue of Irish borderA new EU paper on the Irish border manages to state much while saying nothing - except that it expects Britain to figure it all out
Brexit, Brussels and the BorderUnlike Ireland, the British actually have a bottom line. If the terms offered are bad enough they will decide no deal is better than a bad deal, writes Ray Bassett
Leaving Brexit negotiations in EU hands is a very bad ideaCan we really rely on Michel Barnier to put Irish concerns above those of the EU’s institutions?