The future's not Orange
Well, well, well, the Northern Ireland Protocol proposed, negotiated, agreed, signed, and passed through Parliament by one B. Johnston and his chief negotiator one L. Frost is about to be reformed.
Doubtless, as extensively leaked, it will involve fewer checks, more trust and no border between N. Ireland and Ireland. It will also, as it always had to, leave the ECJ with the last word on the legality of the Protocol.
This is a line in the sand for the DUP and the ERG, who will be appalled, with the raging protests being led by one B. Johnson and L. Frost, no doubt.
The baying mob of Brexit ultras will scream betrayal, treason and claim the UK is still shackled to the EU. But can they out vote the government and kill the deal, the very deal they were elected on the back of?
The government may well depend on Labour and other parties to get this through, but what happens if it makes it a vote of confidence, in order to try to force its own MPs to support its own policies?
Labour could not support that or miss the opportunity for a General Election.
There is therefore the rather interesting prospect, a remote one I admit, that the DUP could end up with the ability to bring down the government, in order to kill this deal and if the polls are right, end up with a much more pro EU Labour government.
Which is the kind of heads I lose, tails you win situation that the DUP always seems to end up with, especially over Brexit. I wonder why?
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.