So what's with all the posts complaining about not being kept informed? Admittedly, not from you.

I don't know, but I was just just chatting to a guy from Yorkshire who lives over here and he said he has a bet on that Brexit won't actually happen. I think his guess is as good as anybody's.

If it doesn't, they'll be civil war here.

There would be a few hundred whingers we'd have to inter for a while but we're used to that by now.

Main thing is to make the announcement in bad weather. The English only really riot on a hot summer night when the wolf with the red roses is on the prowl

The EU shouldn't have bailed out the banks owed money by Greece.

Nor does the EU. Nobody expected a leave vote, and while the failure of the British government to have a plan for Brexit ready was a serious omission, that's also true of the EU. The loss of Britain is serious, we are the second or third largest economy in the EU, have extensive trading with many member states, are a member of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor to the EU budget. But they have no plan. The loss of British budget payments, assuming that happens, will have serious consequences for Ireland.

That's all very well, but my original question was how has this been possible, given that 7 or 8 years ago the Irish economy was in a terrible situation. To my memory it was mired largely by a property bubble which exploded, leaving half built houses across the country and German banks owed billions which were likely to take generations to pay off. I'd really like to understand how your miracle has happened.

Ireland can't plan for life post-Brexit if the British side won't reveal anything to them about their plans and won't even indicate whether they intend being inside or outside the Single Market or Customs Union. This paranoia about the British not revealing their hand ahead of negotiations is starting to become ridiculous : so far, they have revealed absolutely nothing bar empty slogans like "we won't be providing you with a running commentary" and "we will be seeking the best possible deal for the UK".

The British don't know what they're going to get. It's all very well saying they want this and that but it's all about negotiation so they're unlikely to get all or even anything they ask for. There's no point raising hopes and expectations because we have to await the negotiations between Britain and the EU and see what materialises.

We know Britain can't ''have its cake and eat it'' but its opening strategy will probably be to ask for just that. The ''plan'' will have to be flexible so that a satisfactory compromise will eventually be reached.

That all depends if you define being in the EU as having cake. I certainly don't.

There are advantages to EU membership, of course there are - why else would nearly half the population vote to stay?

Britain wants to retain the good things and lose the bad things. A compromise will have to be reached.

That's fine in theory but it sounds like their stonewalling on this issue is starting to rub people up the wrong way. Nobody is asking to see a 20 page document on plans for Brexit : even a few sentences on what they might like to see happen in general would suffice. The idea that saying 'we would like to remain in the Single Market' or 'we would prefer to leave the Single Market' as a stated objective would be a devastating blow to their negotiating hand at the table is just laughable.

You don't give any indication of what you want before the negotiations start. That's just idiocy. And the EU will bluster and say they won't give us anything, but they will in the end. They are not going to risk their biggest market for goods and services not buying their stuff.

Well being inside or outside the Single Market is a 50-50 thing. Saying you're in favour of one or the other is hardly a devastating gaffe and something that would leave the UK seriously compromised.

More Brexit delusion re Ireland:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38421769

He highlighted agricultural reform and a developing relationship with the Republic of Ireland as areas where the UK could be positive. After Brexit, the Irish border will be the only EU-UK land border.

"I think the challenges we face mean it's not a bed of roses, no one should pretend that, but equally it is not the end of the world and there are some real opportunities that arise from the fact of Brexit we might take," he said in an interview with Radio 4's Today programme

It's all a bit 'Croppy lie down', isn't it? Brexit could inflict a lot of damage on the Irish economy yet is expected to just do as it is told by the UK. The relationship with RoI is deteriorating, not developing.

I guess Ireland is viewed as just another ex-colony to exploit?

I'll try to clarify it. We want access to the single market, not be in the single market. Let me know if you can't see the difference.

Only the very latest set of figures has shown a jump. But if you want to argue that a closely federated union is the way to go, be my guest.

The trouble is that the official Leave campaign stated "There is a free trade zone from Iceland to Turkey and the Russian border and we will be part of it", not "we will have access to it".

Rather like the infamous NHS promise, they'll be denying that soon.

nothing was promised re the NHS

That's my Brexit bingo card filled in - where do I get my prize?

Are you Aurichie in disguise? You have a very similar tone.

Your friends in government seem to have problems clarifying it when questioned about the subject by other European leaders : when asked if they want access to or to be inside the Single Market, the reply is "We will be seeking the best possible deal for the UK".

Perhaps showing the uselessness of so many politicians so I'll say, again, the best solution is access to the single market.

Norwegian-style access, or a Swiss-style deal - we're probably the EU country that most wants you to receive a good deal, but it's hard to defend you if you won't even tell Dublin about your intentions?