Border threat is very real - A quickly changing Europe

THE relief felt that Hungarian prime minster Viktor Orban’s campaign to reject a European Union refugees’ quota system has failed must be tempered by the fact that, of those who voted, 98% rejected the EU policy and supported the anti- immigrant Orban. 

However, Hungarian law decrees that more than 50% of voters must endorse any decision before it can be made law. Only 45% voted in Sunday’s referendum.

That welcome must be tempered, too, by the darkening clouds encouraged by the announcement that Britain will trigger article 50 in late March. Yesterday, sterling fell to a three-year low against the euro, but British shares reached a 16-month high. Sterling’s slide will put further pressure on Irish exporters selling into Britain — in July, alone, we sent goods worth €1,075m to Britain.