Well I suppose it had to come. The remainers and the RoI government argue that the GFA obliges the signatories to maintain an open border and that that means that NI, at least, and the whole UK (if we don’t want to separate NI off) has to effectively stay in the CU after we’ve left. Now the leavers, in the person of Trimble, argue that the GFA obliges us not to separate NI off and that since we are going to leave then effectively forcing us to behave as if we hadn’t (i.e. forcing us to accept the backstop) is ‘obviously’ inconsistent.
Only if you want to comply with international law. So Rees-Mogg is dead happy to have hard Brexit and no border (ie respect for GFA) because he doesn’t give two hoots about the law.
I think he’d also be content to have the border administered by some combination of remote technical and administrative processes. After all ‘taking back control’ does include the word ‘control’. It’s just a shame a) that adequate processes don’t exist and b) that the effective ‘distance’ that that would put between the north and the south would feel to the republicans like a backward step, and if anything really is going to restart the trouble then that’ll be what does it.
It seems to me that the whole Irish issue is the proverbial “immovable object meeting an unstoppable force”. There ISN’T a solution. No matter how much bleating about “technology” solving it, it can’t be solved, while meeting the obligations in both directions. Ergo, Brexit isn’t actually possible.
We need to be careful. Other countries will gather together & insist we hold elections in 8 days or they’ll impose a new leader of their choosing on us.
As much as I believe in the eventual peaceful re-unification of Ireland, I would be concerned that a substantial minority of the PUL community might want to relocate to the west of Scotland where their ‘culture’ still thrives to a certain extent. This would not be a good thing for the cause of independence in Scotland.
As a remainer and with strongly held beliefs in maintaining a strong EU relationship my preference would be a strong and lasting liason with Heidi Klum.
I think we’d have to start imprisoning and torturing political opponents before that happens. I have half an idea thta the international community would turn a blind eye if we placed BoJo on the rack
