Is see the wonderfully named European Research Group is back in the news. This time calling for an end to the Northern Ireland Protocol its members voted for in December, which they approved because it was better than Theresa May’s NI deal and which they fought and won a general election on.
Imagine a political movement that's entire existential philosophy is the maintanence and preservance of one statute - that is literally what Unionism is. At this point is it only pathological stubbornness that keeps Northern Ireland aligned in any way to Britain - we have a completely different legal system, healthcare system, education system, transport (still publicly owned), cash, insurance offers, delivery expectations. We are taxed more to fly to London from Belfast than a traveller from Dublin is. The border on the Irish Sea has been in effect for decades, it's just that now its directly and painfully affecting the DUP's precious farmers (Google RHI and DUP, a corrupt scheme created to pacify the farmers who were about to lose their Common Agriculture Payment).
The DUP took the money to promote a Brexit that they probably only supported because they assumed it would lose, in a jurisdiction where they don't stand candidates, to Take Back Control of the borders. Borders that they have now surrendered to criminality.
We are talking Latin today are we Jonty? Ergo, therefore ergonomics etc. The NIP was always in my book a land grab and an obvious one too! It was always in my book on the too difficult pile for the UK government. It didn't take the EU too long to blunder in with both feet, oh dear! The Conservatives and Unionists have always loosely aligned, the clue is in the Conservative name. The NI unionists need to be one political organisation right now and align more closely to the ERG group within the Conservatives. As a block within Westminster they can work together on common anti EU issues and strategies. Therefore the ERG are finding themselves a new "raison d'etre.
Imagine a political movement that's entire existential philosophy is the maintanence and preservance of one statute - that is literally what Unionism is. At this point is it only pathological stubbornness that keeps Northern Ireland aligned in any way to Britain - we have a completely different legal system, healthcare system, education system, transport (still publicly owned), cash, insurance offers, delivery expectations. We are taxed more to fly to London from Belfast than a traveller from Dublin is. The border on the Irish Sea has been in effect for decades, it's just that now its directly and painfully affecting the DUP's precious farmers (Google RHI and DUP, a corrupt scheme created to pacify the farmers who were about to lose their Common Agriculture Payment).
The DUP took the money to promote a Brexit that they probably only supported because they assumed it would lose, in a jurisdiction where they don't stand candidates, to Take Back Control of the borders. Borders that they have now surrendered to criminality.
We are talking Latin today are we Jonty? Ergo, therefore ergonomics etc. The NIP was always in my book a land grab and an obvious one too! It was always in my book on the too difficult pile for the UK government. It didn't take the EU too long to blunder in with both feet, oh dear! The Conservatives and Unionists have always loosely aligned, the clue is in the Conservative name. The NI unionists need to be one political organisation right now and align more closely to the ERG group within the Conservatives. As a block within Westminster they can work together on common anti EU issues and strategies. Therefore the ERG are finding themselves a new "raison d'etre.