Brexit will make Britain poorer; the British government’s own analysis predicts as much. As a European state, it will be affected in one way or another by EU policies in almost every key area. For Ireland, a Brexit negotiation process in which it had more power than its neighbour has been a useful reminder of the EU’s genius. But for the EU and for Ireland, Brexit is, inescapably, a terrible loss. There are two kinds of EU states, a recent Danish foreign minister observed: small states and those who do not yet realise they are small states.

Source: The Irish Times January 30, 2020 17:55 UTC