You starter for ten, which country of the UK enjoyed the highest growth rate in Q3 last year?
The answer is, of course, Northern Ireland with 1.4%. Scotland managed just 0.9%, England 0.6% and Wales was in negative territory. Northern Ireland also came second in the list of regions, beaten only by London.
What could have gone so right for the province?
Might staying in the EU’s Single Market have been a wise move? When you look at the devastating hit to trade between the UK and the EU since Brexit, it makes sense that the one area with unchanged access should have done best.
But wait, this will of course have to go. Don’t you understand the DUP and the government will have nothing to do with the Northern Ireland Protocol? It is treason, a disaster, an insult to loyal protestants, a border between them and the rest of the UK which is politically and economically damaging.
It has to go.
Having lost their first election in 100 years the DUP is refusing to even form an administration or take up their seats because of this gross insult to everything they believe in.
They might want to remember that they lost the election to parties which support the protocol, and they might want to talk to their many members who run businesses and are prospering at the moment.
It reminds me of that great speech by Neil Kinnock, when he explained to Trade Union leaders that telling their members “Comrade let me lift you out of your misery”, didn’t really work when their members had holiday homes in Spain.
Unfortunately this time the UK government is backing the losers and also claiming to want to lift NI out of its misery.
The more obvious response would be, what have we done to the rest of the country? What fools we have been.
No wonder there are now more people in NI with Irish passports than UK ones.
PS
You have all been very kind not to mention that there was no such thing as the Salome witch trial. Thinking about it, it would have made more sense than the Salem witch trials, spell check wins again.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
I emigrated from Newry N. Ireland in the 1960’s partly due to the unemployment and discrimination against Catholics caused by the partition of Ireland in the 1920’s. This happened largely because of the threat of armed rebellion by Ulster Unionists. It saddens me to see this scenario repeated.