It’s hard to know which to be more critical of – the British government or the media which fail to speak truth to power. The British government, in the person of Lord Frost, have declared their extension of the grace period for checks on good coming from GB-NEI – unilaterally. In other words, they are contemptuous of the terms of the deal they signed up to with the EU. Not just that, but they’ve made it clear, via the Loyalist Communities Council, that the unionist forces of violence are ranged alongside them. And Arlene Foster has welcomed the unilateral action by GB and has urged them to go further.
You’d be tempted to believe this was Trumpism in action, except that the British government and the DUP have made double-speak their trade mark for a long, long time.
So what to do? The EU and the Irish people will get nowhere clicking their tongues and appealing to GB and the DUP to think again. Like with hardened drink-and-drivers, it’s pointless to appeal to their better nature. They don’t appear to have one. These kinds of unilateral contempt for agreements can only be checked when there is a penalty for so doing that is strong and enforceable.
Which leaves us with just two questions: does the EU have sanctions it can apply that will make GB and the DUP suffer to such an extent that they’ll start living up to their commitments? And if they do, are they prepared to implement them?
We can only pray the answer to both is Yes. Because nothing else will work.
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