Until Death do us Part

The Issue of Northern Ireland has been at the center of British domestic politics ever since its creation exactly 100 years ago. From the 30-year period of violence and guerrilla warfare dubbed “The Troubles” — which claimed over 3,000 Irish and Northern Irish lives — to the more recent riots caused by the post-Brexit trading arrangement that the United Kingdom agreed to sign, it has become clear that Northern Ireland’s socio-political situation has again become extremely precarious. Many believed that the Good Friday agreement of 1998 had resolved the issues, however, the rapid reemergence of tension post-Brexit show that the Good Friday agreement was a ticking time bomb.

The violent nature of the recent protests in Northern Ireland has prompted the UK Government to seek a renegotiation of the Northern Ireland protocol with the European Union. The protocol prevents checks on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and instead introduces checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, thus maintaining the soft border which has played a key role in maintaining the fragile peace between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The EU has since stated that it has no intention of renegotiating the protocol. However, it believes a solution can be found within the constraints of the existing protocol, thus creating a new de facto border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The protocol aims to protect the integrity of the EU’s single market, whilst avoiding any form of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which was the central point of tension during The Troubles. Therefore, checks on certain goods, including chilled meats and eggs, were instead introduced between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

While this deal may have appealed to nationalists and republicans, who favor a united Ireland, it simultaneously created a feeling of marginalization and frustration among unionists and loyalists, who believe that Northern Ireland should remain a part of the UK. According to 19-year-old Joel Keys, an emerging loyalist figure, the violence is “all about maintaining [the] right to remain British,” and the physical barrier created by the checks on certain goods passing into Northern Ireland from Great Britain is representative of British feelings towards Northern Ireland. This sense of having been forgotten by the British Establishment is what sparked many of the riots across Northern Ireland.

As the EU continues to reject the UK’s renegotiation offers, many Brexiteers have used this as an excuse to blame the EU for what is happening in Northern Ireland. However, this blame is misplaced as the EU has a duty first and foremost to its own members so maintaining a strict policy regarding its high food standards is essential, both for the safety of its citizens and the maintenance of its reputation as a major international player.

Any relaxation of custom checks on goods going into Northern Ireland from Great Britain would make it far easier for banned goods, such as chlorinated chicken, to make its way into the European Market. This is a particular risk if Britain agrees a trade deal with the US, which would undoubtedly result in lower food standards in Britain.

The EU has, however, made it abundantly clear that it is willing to open a dialogue with Northern Ireland. For instance, it has halted the legal proceedings it had launched against the UK for unilaterally extending the grace period (a period of transition before the EU’s tougher customs checks come into existence) which was originally meant to finish in March.

The demonization of the EU by certain members of the Conservative Party is simply an attempt to distract the British public’s attention from the strain and tension that the Union is currently undergoing. The apparent stalemate between the UK and the EU threatens to engulf the two into a full-scale trade war in which the UK would undoubtedly come out worse. Furthermore, the increasing tension inside the UK, as a result of the disaster that is Brexit, threatens the very existence of the United Kingdom as a political and economic union. One wonders, during this year that celebrates 100 years of union, how much more can such a fragile union endure.

- Hugo Lagergren