Jolyon Maugham’s Quixotic challenge to the progress of Brexit in the High Court in Dublin has been struck out. Jolyon’s plan was hard to comprehend, he was seeking a ruling from an Irish High Court Judge to refer issues in the case for determination by the Court of Justice of the EU. Why in Ireland? Because he knew he had not a hope in the English Courts.

He was seeking a reference on the grounds that his rights under the Anglo-Irish Common Travel Area Agreement and the Belfast Agreement were being compromised.*  In addition the “Irish people, and, in particular, in so much as the provisions of the Belfast Agreement and Common Travel Area will be affected and does so without seeking the views of the Irish citizens by way of referendum.” He was arguing that Irish voters somehow had a veto on the sovereign right of the British people expressed by the referendum. There was more of this nonsense line of argument in his claim. 

Guido understands from his sources in Dublin legal circles that the consensus view was that he was “p***ing in the wind”. This did not stop Jolyon crowdfunding £70,000 in fees, then dropping the fight as soon the Irish Attorney General indicated she would challenge the case on the grounds of jurisdiction. Jolyon folded claiming it would be too expensive to fight the matter. So the £70,000 of donor’s funds will be wasted without even a proper fight…

*The only people who claim there will be a hard border are remainiacs. No Irish party wants a hard border, not Sinn Fein not the Ulster Unionists. Nobody in the Dublin or Westminster governments wants or expects a hard border. There will not be a hard border. It is a figment of extreme remainers’ imaginations.