Boris Johnson urges unionists and Republicans to unite
Northern Irish companies are currently at a standstill following the blocking of the trade union DUP from Sinn Fin’s victory in the local elections.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Belfast on Monday, May 16, 2022.
Keystone / Liam McBerney / Pool via AP
This Monday, Boris Johnson urged unionists and Republicans in Northern Ireland to come to an agreement, without a firm decision. This is to put an end to the political stalemate caused by the post-Brexit restrictions in the context of tensions with the EU.
Ten days later The historic victory of the Sinn Fin Republicans In the local elections, the British Prime Minister met with the leaders of the political parties of this British province at Fort Hillsboro, a suburb of Belfast.
“Back to work”
His aim was to persuade people to “go back to work” to solve the everyday problems of the people as the Northern Irish companies came to a standstill.
The DUP’s trade unionists actually refused to participate in the local administration, although it was to be shared under the terms of the 1998 peace agreement, which ended three decades of bloody conflict. They have also blocked the functioning of the Northern Ireland Assembly by not allowing it to elect a new speaker.
Customs border
The agreement signed between London and Brussels to answer the subtle question of the border between British Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic of Ireland after Brexit seeks to protest against the Northern Irish protocol, which is organically aligned with Great Britain. This text creates a practical customs border in the Irish Sea with Great Britain and, in their opinion, threatens the location of this province within the United Kingdom.
Referring to this protocol, Boris Johnson explained on television that the government “does not want to remove it” because “we hope it can be fixed”. The leaders of the five parties he met each time on Monday ruled that he “should be reformed” “further.”
After chatting with Boris Johnson, he was boiled over by the sight of 200 protesters, and Sinn Fin leader Mary Lou MacDonald described a “very difficult” meeting that did not bring “clear answers”. For his part, DUP President Jeffrey Donaldson called for “action”, not “words”: “I want to see the government pass legislation that will give us the solution we need.” Foreign Minister Liz Dres is due to present the government’s “rationale” in parliament on Tuesday, stressing the need for “urgent progress” in Downing Street.
Legal plan
The British press is pushing for a possible bill that would allow the government to unilaterally suspend certain parts of the protocol using Article 16. It will take weeks to accept and pave the way for a long-term crisis between the EU and London but also in the north of Ireland.
On Monday, Boris Johnson said he would like to see tensions resolved in the EU “by consensus with our friends and partners.” But he said Britain needed a “commitment” to a “legitimate solution at the same time”.
Defend the peace treaty
Provoked by political tensions and trade disruptions in Northern Ireland, the British government wants to reconsider the protocol with the EU, saying it is only ready for adjustments.
London is threatening unilateral action to violate the agreement. Such a position is unacceptable to the EU, which, despite violating international law, accuses Boris Johnson of deliberately going back to the treaty he signed and threatening a severe trade retaliation. “I hope the EU’s position will change,” Boris Johnson wrote in an edition of the Belfast Telegraph, “otherwise it is necessary to act” to defend the Good Friday Peace Accords since 1998.
Previous freeze
Northern Irish companies had already experienced a three-year freeze in the wake of the financial scandal before a deal in January 2020 allowed them to resume their operations.
When he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Irish diplomat Simon Covini warned against “unilateral actions or threats of unilateral action” in violation of international law.
He further added that such actions in Ukraine were “the last thing Europe needs when we work together against the Russian occupation” and were “linked” to the Northern Irish Protocol and the free trade agreement concluded between London and Brussels. .
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