BREXIT : IRISH BORDER NOW THE ISSUE.

There have been conflicting reports today regarding the latest Brexit negotiations but one thing is clear. The Irish government is hell bent on using Brexit for its own ends.

At one point it was reported that the UK and EU had reached an agreement over the question of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It was said that the UK had agreed to some sort of arrangement whereby Northern Ireland would be more closely tied to the EU than the rest of the United Kingdom, allowing for the retention of the current very loose border between north and south. However, it soon became apparent that either this story was wishful thinking by those on the EU / Eire side or that it was true but completely unacceptable to many on the other side. Whatever the truth, there appears to have been a degree of backtracking.

Arlene Foster, leader of the  DUP, has made it clear that no such arrangement would be acceptable to them while representatives of the administrations in Scotland, Wales and even London, have asked that if Northern Ireland can have a special relationship with the EU, why can't they ? Some Conservative 'Remainers' have also been upset by this proposal, fearing that it could, indeed, lead to a break-up of the United Kingdom. Conversely, the government of the Irish Republic was all in favour but is no disappointed that the proposal has struck the rocks; from their point of view, nothing could better suit their aim of establishing a united Ireland than to create a rift between the North and the rest of the UK.

That this issue has been given the importance which it has is nonsensical. The UK government has made it very clear that it does not want  a so-called 'hard border' and yet it is the UK which is being held up as the 'bad boy' in this argument. It is actually the EU which is causing the difficulty by demanding that there is a 'soft border' across which all of its rules and regulations must also apply. It's crazy.

Theresa May seems to be bending over backwards to accommodate the demands of the bureaucrats of Brussels and it's time that she stopped. Tell them, in clear terms, that the UK will not impose a 'hard border' but that  Northern Ireland will continue to operate as a fully integrated part of the United Kingdom, whether the EU likes it or not. If they don't like it, they're at liberty to institute whatever border controls they like or they can just accept things as they are.

Come on Theresa, show some steel and stand up for your country.