Irish Taoiseach,today, telling Boris Johnson some hard truths about Brexit, to his discomfort.

[bronxiteforever]

Link to tweet

?s=20

For non twitter users

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-49608822?__twitter_impression=true

[Anon-C]

1. "...to be your Athena if at all possible..."

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. The Athena allusion analysed:

In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena did assist Hercules as an ally during the performance of his 12 labours. She provided, for example, bronze krotala – noise-makers similar to castanets – to help him scare off the flock of Stymphalian birds. And in some versions of the tale she was also of service to him by returning to their rightful place the golden apples of the gods that Hercules had been asked to obtain.

But it is perhaps her most dramatic intervention in the life of Hercules that Varadkar was obliquely referring to.

Hercules was obliged to perform the 12 labours as an act of penitence after he had descended into madness and murdered his wife, Megara, and his children. At the moment he was about to go on and kill the man who had fostered him, Amphitryon, Athena intervened. Seeing that he had gone mad, she struck Hercules down and knocked him out to prevent him causing more bloodshed and doing more damage than he had already done.

Very much what you would hope for from a friend and ally, but maybe not what you would want to hear on the international stage at a moment of tense diplomacy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/09/leo-varadkar-athena-hercules-boris-johnson-why

[Denzil_DC]

2. Among the many things I've yelled at the TV over the last couple of years,

that key point ranks highly (and is among the most printable).

The hardline Brexiters seem to imagine that "leaving" is a finite event rather than an extended process (and one during which we're going to need all the friends and allies we can muster), and we'll all be wallowing in ambrosia the second it's done.

We'll be wallowing in something alright ...

[bronxiteforever]

3. +1 Brilliant points. It is not a finite process.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. I think Brexit will serve as an example of what life outside the EU will mean to the UK.

Getting out was easy....the post Brexit reality, not so much.

[stopdiggin]

5. they will, in fact, be out of the EU

(and much the worse for it). Ireland will be IN (but under strained conditions). And Northern Ireland will be in in no man's land (behind a wall, or ditch, or some such). Details to come later (which is what the sh** show has been running on for 3 years!!)