INEVITABLY, Irish people have reacted unfavorably to the British politician's comments.
UKIP Member of the European Parliament for London and Brexit spokesman, Gerard Batten, has launched a scathing Twitter attack on Ireland, referring to it as a "tiny country that relies on UK for its existence".
The comments come in light of the announcement that a final decision on the Northern Irish border cannot be made until a UK-EU trade deal has been agreed.
Batten, who also believes the European Union was conceived by Nazi Germany, suggests the Bilderberg Group is a “shadow world government”, and wants to ban the building of new mosques, made the imperialist comments on Twitter and insisted the country “relies on the UK for its existence”.
Considering Britain's imperialist history with Ireland, the tweets drew widespread criticism and condemnation.
Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney dismissed the claim that Ireland was threatening the UK, but insisted his country must be protected in the Brexit process.
He said: “Ireland is not threatening anybody, least of all a friend, but we remain resolute in our insistence on a sensible way through Brexit that protects Ireland.”
MEP Batten has an entirely different idea on the matter.
Ireland's most famous drag queen and gay rights activist Panti Bliss had this to say:
Only an ASTOUNDING ignorance of Irish history could produce this tweet. Thankfully, the Irish aren't so willfully insular and so tend not to produce the kind of ignorance you seem oddly un-embarrassed to display
— Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera (@PantiBliss) November 27, 2017
Well said Panti.
In response to Mr Batten's tweets, UKIP head of delegation Ray Finch MEP said:“Mr Batten’s late night tweets do not reflect UKIP policy or sentiment on this issue.
"We wish to maintain free trade and free movement between the North and South of Ireland, full stop.
"All political parties, North and South, in Ireland and in Britain wish to continue free movement and free trade within and between these islands.
"The only people looking to impose a hard border are the European Commission.
"Outside the EU, Ireland would once again operate as a sovereign self-determining State with the opportunity for global Free trade, and an independent foreign policy without membership of an EU army.
"The best way to avoid the European Commission imposing a hard border is to create an equal partnership of independent states outside EU," Mr Finch added.
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