Not even Britain seems to be clear on its Brexit position

As scheduled, the Brexit negotiation process between the EU and the UK got under way this week, despite the continued political uncertainty following Theresa May’s disastrous election performance and her subsequent less-than-convincing behaviour.

These talks are of vital interest to Ireland and it is incumbent on Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with Special Responsibility for Brexit Simon Coveney, in particular, to exert as much pressure and influence as possible over the whole process over the next couple of years. Giving him responsibility for Brexit was a good move by the new Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, particularly given his experience in — and intimate knowledge of — the sector of the Irish economy that is most vulnerable to a bad Brexit outcome, namely the agri-food sector.

The EU’s chief negotiator began the week by stating categorically that he was not in a frame of mind to make concessions to or ask for concessions from the UK. He also said there would be substantial consequences from Brexit, which is pretty much stating the blindingly obvious.