Niall Ó Conghaile
banner
nialloconghaile.bsky.social
Niall Ó Conghaile
@nialloconghaile.bsky.social
🇪🇺
European.

Views my own; RT = interest, not endorsement.
Pinned
I understand. We understand.

We understand the importance that Europe had in your lives and the sense of biting loss for many of you.

We understand what Brexit has done.

2
Varoufakis was useless, not a serious politician.

And at a time of absolute crisis for Greece and Europe when the situation was crying out for honesty and sobriety

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Former Greek PM Tsipras savages ‘celebrity’ ex-finance minister Varoufakis in memoir
Alexis Tsipras says that during debt crisis Yanis Varoufakis was more interested in promoting his books
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Yes, they simply assume they *have* to be at the table. It's exceptionalism and it's anti-European
November 24, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
They see the situation NI is in and don't understand why it is specific to NI & it's location on the island of Ireland...... They assume because one has it anyone can...... Ignorance is bliss!
November 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Meanwhile ... the EU is making progress in building up a common EU Defence strategy and industrial capability 👏
... without the Brits of course, who want their cake and eat it too, and not contribute fairly to the European Defence Fund. Too bad.
bsky.app/profile/pres...
It's done.

@europarl.europa.eu has just approved Europe’s first-ever European Defence Industry Programme.

This will:
• strengthen the EU’s defence industry
• boost joint procurement
• ramp up manufacturing
• step up support for Ukraine
November 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
That the UK had more opt-outs than any other EU member, yet still claimed shackles is indisputable.

Brussels didn't constrain Britain, but Britain’s inability to imagine itself beyond exceptionalism.

Privileges were mistaken for burdens.
November 25, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Where is Britain?
The second day of the #AUEU2025 summit has just started.

The two regions celebrate 25 years of a close and comprehensive alliance based on:

🔹 shared values
🔹 cooperation for peace, prosperity and multilateralism

More facts and figures ⬇️
link.europa.eu/fgCDfr
November 25, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Ireland - “an international liability”

Reference to Ireland’s Blanche Dubois defence policy - relying on the kindness of neighbours.

on.ft.com/49F90VY
How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences
With few ships and limited intelligence-sharing, some say the country cannot hope to protect itself or its infrastructure
on.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Yeah but look at what we have…..bluish passports and the option of wine-by-the-pint.

Win-win I say.
November 25, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Francia ha entrado en un clima prebélico desde hace algunos meses. El país galo estudia desde hace más de un año recuperar un servicio militar voluntario destinado a acoger durante 10 meses a 10.000 jóvenes, hombres y mujeres, en una primera fase, y hasta 50.000 para 2035
Francia estudia reimplantar el servicio militar voluntario ante la amenaza rusa
Macron planea anunciar la nueva medida, que ya han puesto en marcha países como Alemania y Bélgica, y busca aumentar el número de reservistas a cambio de 2.000 euros mensuales
elpais.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Also important that everyone understands: a CU is valuable means giving up CPTPP and maybe other deals.

And it means being exposed to Europe's deals

(worth asking to be included in Europe's trade umbrella. I am confident Europe would be interested)

Jon Freedlamd in the G.

Are these on offer?

The customs union is reserved for members. Full stop. So not that.

And SM for goods only? Europe will wanr ita own say in how the UK integrates. It won't just allow cherry-picking.

1
November 24, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
On display is not analysis but a masterclass in not understanding basic EU reality.
November 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Well well. Look who's in my replies supporting negotiations as 28, treating third-country UK as a member, sidelining Bxl, and taking the anti-🇪🇺 stance

The Emir of Exceptionalism himself, @andrewhesselden.bsky.social

Tell me, have you ever taken a pro-🇪🇺 position?

November 24, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
I expect so

If or when we accept the inevitable and start to decisively move closer to the EU the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people will be back on the table
November 24, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Is the Count of Majorca suggesting that the UK should have "talks" with each of the 27 EU member states *first* before negotiations should commence? Like what that Blond Tramp and that Creasy Piglet unsuccessfully tried to do?
November 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
EU membership cost the Brits about a whopping £118pp per year. Money that gave them invaluable benefits they no longer have, like FoM. But also saved them money (roaming charges, lower prices in shops, lower taxes).

4
November 24, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
You only need to see a story like this to understand how the community works, making weaker members stronger is beneficial to the entire community
November 24, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
They see the situation NI is in and want that, without any assessment of why NI is not Britain and who advocates for NI in the Council
November 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Yet, the EU following its rule book is the only reason why the UKG has any wiggle room in negotiations w/ the EU.

Without it, and their comparable decency, the EU could really put UKG over a barrel in negotiations.
November 24, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Many forget it's not the dictatorship of the majority.
November 24, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
He is anti EU and should always be treated as such.

He also drastically overestimates the importance of the UK.
November 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Absolutely.

Still, the more affluent nations do make a net contribution, if you only consider the money put in and the money coming back, in various ways, from the EU.

By the same token, I keep losing money buying food.

But I'm bright enough to appreciate the utility of not dying by starvation.
November 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
What is, even, "the SM for goods"?

There's just the SM, whole kit and caboodle, with no open path by which the UK could join, even if it wanted. It'll be enough of a negotiation slog just to open a path, but to also convince the EU to radically altering the SM, too?

Seems optimistic.
November 24, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
I think this is fair. I mean, what is even the point of the EU if it isn't to do nothing and just leave all member states negotiating with any new candidate without any centralised effort to negotiate on the EU's behalf? 🤷
November 24, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Typically the people who blithely say we should rejoin the customs union (other than the obvious fact we can’t) always fail to mention that in order to achieve the £30bn economic benefits that they claim, we would need to cancel all our separate agreements and come under EU agreements

If we are
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM