Bobby McDonagh

Because as Mark Carney said, if the international order is rebuilt, it won't come from the United States, it won't come from Russia, it won't come from China.

There are some countries, of course, that have good values like we do, like Norway and Australia and so on.

But the only part of the world that has both the values and the heft to provide leadership with all its imperfections is the European Union.

I think they do.

I think there are good things that happen and bad things that happen.

And I think if Britain is moving closer to Europe, that's a very good thing for Europe, for Britain and for Ireland.

I would love to see them back in.

And I believe that the European reaction to an eventual British request to rejoin would be more positive than is being said in the British media.

And I think this is important because if people think that Europe would force Britain to join the Euro, for example, it may prevent the debate getting off the ground.

I don't think that they would be given a special deal, but I don't think they would be given a significantly worse deal than they had already because of the geopolitical situation.

It's so immensely important for all the countries of Europe that we work together because, as I say, there are good things happening and bad things happening.

And one of the bad things is that the Putin aggression in Ukraine is not only a threat to Ukraine, it's a threat immediately to Poland and the Baltics and ultimately to us as well.

So, you know, the big problem, if Britain applied to rejoin, in my view...

is that there would have to be some system that would prevent them from pulling the Brexit stunt again.

It would have to be marriage for life.

And a British journalist said to me that it was more like Taylor and Burton without the diamonds.

So some sort of major prenup would be required if Britain was to rejoin, but I'd be very much in favour of it.

Well, that's true.

But, you know, optimism is a policy in life.

And we certainly can't sit back and wait for these potentially bad things to happen.