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The gears are slowly turning on Brexit, Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 last month even though reports have surfaced that foreign hackers may have manipulated the vote by crashing registration sites. Now, Ireland’s top Brexit official has gone on the record to call Brexit a mistake and “an act of great self-harm.”
Speaking at a Brexit seminar held by trade unions, the official, John Callinan, who works under Ireland’s prime minister, said that the focus of upcoming negotiations between the E.U. and the U.K. should be limiting the damage Brexit will have on the country. Callinan also said that inside the British government there was “no single, settled position” with negotiations set to begin in a matter of weeks.
Callinan continued, speaking about how he has been working with British foreign ministers in order to limit the damage Brexit will have on Ireland while at the same time not appearing to ignore its obligations to the E.U. He said discussions have centered on travel and the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Callinan’s comments come shortly after May reversed previous comments and said that even with Brexit, Great Britain may still participate in certain E.U. programs.
(Via Irish Times & U.S. News & World Report)