I don't think we are seeing a return to sectarian violence, thank God, but I honestly don't think the rioters are going to be satisfied with a few assurances from the prime minister or Brandon Lewis. They have used up any possible goodwill by repeatedly giving false statements about the new border - including whether there is one or not.
The Police federation for NI are blaming a lack of political leadership and are appealing for public representatives to weigh their words carefully. The situation is terribly volatile. Politicians should know how difficult this behaviour is to control once it takes hold and becomes almost normalised.
This is all down to Johnson. He "got Brexit done" alright but only by forcing an arrangement onto NI that the majority do not want and which a minority are prepared to demonstrate forcefully about to change. This was all foreseen. He has no excuse.
Neither does he have anywhere to go. He cannot impose a land border, the Americans won't allow it, and he cannot reverse Brexit. The only option is to try and get the protocol to work without causing too much disruption to trade within the UK and without appearing to be a border. All this while satisfying the EU that the single market rules are being respected. He has a real dilemma.
I don't entirely rule out that there is, somewhere along the scale of measures that he, or rather civil servants, might be able to come up with, which satisfies all of theses competing interests. And, more importantly, is sustainable into the future when regulations begin to diverge. However, it is not going to be easy and in my opinion, impossible.
I would also speculate that this is one of those problems that can't be resolved at all by the man who created it. The architect is so closely connected, one might say he invented it and it has his finger prints and DNA all over it. He can't distance himself from the NI protocol without admitting to a huge mistake, one which plenty of people publicly and privately warned him about.
Can anyone imagine Johnson admitting he didn't understand what he was signing up to? Or even that he did understand it and knew it would spark off violence?
I think the NI protocol may be Johnson's poll tax with bloodstains. The Tories are notorious for dumping leaders when there is a groundswell of opposition and it is worth keeping an eye on Ulster over the next few months. Which leader would take over and how they might resolve the problem is another matter. Brexit is the cause and it's hard to see who in the current line up isn't tainted by it. They all stood on Johnson's "oven ready" deal after all.
Next, to continue the sleaze story currently sweeping through the Conservative party, The Guardian reveal that Richard Drax, the multi-millionaire MP for South Dorset, has four companies which have failed to publish any accounts since 2009. But that's not all, Drax, whose real name is Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, comes from a family that were slave owners from 1640 to 1838 and still have a sugar plantation in the Caribbean. I assume he didn't attend any Black Lives Matter demos then?
He had also not declared an entire estate in Swaledale, or that he owned a £4.4m holiday let on The Sandbanks near Poole, one of the most expensive areas for property in the UK. Well, blimey, who hasn't at one time or another forgotten they owned an estate in North Yorkshire or holiday home in Dorset? I know I have (?).
Drax is a well known Brexiteer by the way - so is effectively in my eyes, a self-declared half wit.
Finally, talking of half wits, here is a a tweet for John Redwood which I think is interesting:
Challenge to Ministers - what have you done to take advantage of our new freedoms out of the EU? When do we get the tax cuts, the rebuilding of the UK’s fishing and farming Industries, the intelligent use of U.K. public sector buying and policy to create more jobs in the U.K.?
— John Redwood (@johnredwood) April 3, 2021
What I think we can conclude is that he genuinely thought that Britain has an advantage being out of the EU, the single market and the customs union. In spite of all the evidence of business and businesses shifting IN to the EU as we come out, he still thinks there is some advantage to it all. I wonder what the fishermen think about Brexit being an opportunity of "rebuilding" their industry?
It's a bit like a passenger on The Titanic telling Captain Smith to look on the bright side.
So, it confirms my suspicions about him. He is quite mad.
