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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Niall Carson/PA Images

Taoiseach is 'disappointed' with DUP's decision not to return to Stormont

Varadkar is in Brussels today for a meeting of EU leaders where the Windsor Framework will be discussed.

LAST UPDATE | 23 Mar 2023

TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that he is disappointed the DUP has chosen not to return to Stormont following the vote in the House of Commons yesterday on the Windsor Framework. 

Varadkar is in Brussels today for a meeting of EU leaders where the Windsor Framework will be discussed.

The leaders of 27 EU countries are also expected to discuss economic issues, energy and migration, and will meet the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

It comes after EU member states approved the framework on Tuesday, and after a key element of the EU-UK agreement – the Stormont brake – was endorsed by 515 votes to 29 in the House of Commons yesterday.

The DUP voted against it, with party leader Jeffrey Donaldson saying they wanted assurances that EU law could not impede Northern Ireland’s ability to trade with the rest of the UK.

Donaldson confirmed yesterday his party would not support the deal, adding this afternoon that it did feel enough progress had been made to return to government in Stormont. 

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Varadkar has said he is “disappointed to hear” the DUP was not willing to re-enter the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Varadkar said people in Northern Ireland need politicians in Stormont to tackle “big problems”.

“We will continue to engage with the five major parties in Northern Ireland and the British government to do anything we can over the next weeks and months to get those institutions back up and running,” he said.

“I don’t think all is lost yet. I’d really like to see the institutions back up and running as it should be. I think it is premature to be talking about direct rule, quite frankly,” he said.

He added it was the position of the Government that direct rule was not provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. He welcomed the result of a vote in Westminster on the Stormont Brake.

“It allows us to go on and implement it in good faith,” he said. He said he was confident the UK government and European Union would implement the Windsor Framework.

The Taoiseach also said that Russian appeasement has “failed”. 

“Putin was allowed to occupy part of Georgia, he was then allowed to seize Crimea. It’s clear that appeasement has failed,” Varadkar said. 

“What we now need to ensure happens is that this attempt to invade Ukraine, to take its territory, to overthrow it’s government, fails, and that means supporting Ukraine in its fight and talking to other European governments,” he said. 

“Part of that means increasing the supply of ammunitions, not just ensuring that Ukraine has adequate ammunitions to defend its territory and fight back against Russia, but also to replenish the stocks of European countries, too,” the Taoiseach said. 

“Because Ireland is militarily neutra, we’re in a different position. We’re not providing military aid to Ukraine in that sense, but we are contributing to the European peace facility to non-lethal equipment, and that includes armour, medical equipment, rations,” he said. 

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic is due to travel to London tomorrow, where he is to meet with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris as part of the EU-UK Joint Committee.

This was a body set up as part of the Brexit process to oversee the implementation of the protocol and facilitate any changes as may have been required.

With reporting by Press Association

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    Mute A Fenstivus for the Renst of us
    Favourite A Fenstivus for the Renst of us
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    Jan 6th 2019, 9:19 AM

    My problem with rebellion was not the historical inaccuracies, it was there complete lack of a budget, Dublin consisted of a few back alleys around Collins barracks, no shots of the GPO at all, and the entire rising was represented by booming noises in the background of some scenes. And when the rising was kicking off, where were we in the story? In a South Dublin drawing room with two ladies attempting to be polite to each other, they did get the odd telegram to let them know the city was at war. And if there was anything that could be considered an action sequence it took place on a staircase, sh*te

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Jan 6th 2019, 12:39 PM

    maybe a lot of the negative comments are from ordinary Irish people interested in the history and just think the production and story was a let down…as must see tv drama goes it had the makings of a great story but was just underwhelming to watch…some meaningless character sitting in a posh house in Dalkey while the rebellion kicks off was hardly ground breaking TV…..seems kinda arrogant to be saying well we got great reaction from some people so we value their feedback…. but we don’t want to listen to negative feedback that doesn’t think we are amazeballs….

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    Mute Colm Ó Broin
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    Jan 6th 2019, 12:39 PM

    “Rebellion” portrayed the National Volunteers as cartoonish ultra-Catholic fanatics – very similar to Roddy Doyle’s “A Star Called Henry”. It was a complete hatchet job and I expect “Resistance” will be similar enough

    26
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    Mute Ianmoone
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    Jan 6th 2019, 2:29 PM

    It’s an absolute disgrace to not be historical accurate to the people who give they’re life’s for to free our country.

    22
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    Mute Paul
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    Jan 6th 2019, 9:59 AM

    Why relate to boring fact when you can use poetic licence in a drama so it can be much more entertaining

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    Mute Clifford Brennan
    Favourite Clifford Brennan
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    Jan 6th 2019, 10:17 AM

    @Paul: “Get to the choppa” roared Plunket as he laid down covering fire from his trusty m60.

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    Mute Noel Doherty
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    Jan 6th 2019, 10:45 AM

    @Clifford Brennan: hahahahhah

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    Mute Before it's too late
    Favourite Before it's too late
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    Jan 6th 2019, 1:30 PM

    @Clifford Brennan: I love the smell of turf in the morning.

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    Mute Paul Comerford
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    Jan 6th 2019, 1:51 PM

    @Clifford Brennan: a little wee came out…. Thanks man

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    Mute Matthew Gorman
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    Jan 6th 2019, 3:17 PM

    @Before it’s too late: legend.

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    Mute Irish Housing Blogger
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    Jan 6th 2019, 12:13 PM

    Rebellion was an RTE drama, yes with an RTE budget – I’m sure Resistance will be the same. We are in an era of high quality and well funded tv drama. Our expectations have risen tremendously with what we want to see every evening. It’s up against some big hitters.

    On top of that it’s the period we have some discomfort with, and certainly the civil war. They’ll be the usual idiots on twitter of course. Looks like it will highlight the divide across friends and families which for too many years we disregarded. That’s good.

    Also every drama involves dramatic licence to tell an effective story. Not that that will deter the negative comments.

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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Jan 11th 2019, 1:26 PM

    Its amazing that RTE can get from 1916 to 1919 (so far) without once mentioning the name Sinn Fein. The STATE broadcaster’s attempt to whitewash our history and repaint it to suit our current corporate controlled state is a disgrace. How can they skip the sitting of the first Dail in a historical drama about the founding of the state. Skipped no doubt because it was Sinn Fein who won the 73 seats and Sinn Fein who created the provisional government and they knew they could not avoid Sinn Fein being mentioned.

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    Mute Christy Dolan
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    Feb 25th 2019, 12:35 AM

    @Martin Byrne: A very different Sinn Fein to what came later!

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