The Government will be seeking an Irish answer to the particularly Irish dilemma of the Mercosur trade deal in the weeks ahead. It should be interesting to watch.

The idea of a State that makes its living from trade opposing such a deal with all the opportunities it would bring is bizarre, particularly given the backdrop of the trade upheavals caused by US president Donald Trump.

For the moment, that is where we are. But senior Ministers will already be quietly looking for ways to wriggle off the hook they created when they promised Irish opposition to Mercosur in another one of the “regret at leisure” commitments in the programme for government, alongside the one promising to reconsider the hospitality VAT issue.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris said when the European Commission published its proposals for the deal this week that the Republic was against the agreement. This is because of the risk to the beef sector via........

© The Irish Times