The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
Frank has previously written they might. She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
The peace process was achieved and has survived so long because the Good Friday agreement guaranteed "equality of esteem" for those who aspired to Irish unity and those who aspired to British union, and was conceived in the context of both Ireland and the EU being in the EU and of national borders and differences becoming ever less significant in the context of "an ever closer union."
In that context 56% of the people of N. Ireland voted to remain in the EU. Instead, with Brexit, they are out of the EU and its ever closer union between states.
What they get instead is a free trade deal on goods, some regulatory alignment, and a customs union with the EU.
Nothing on services, and everything else the EU stands for is gone. No Fundamental Charter on Human rights, no recourse to the ECJ. As the UK and EU diverge in the future, so too will N. Ireland and Ireland. Erasmus is gone too unless N. Ireland citizens opt for Irish citizenship. and apply through the Irish scheme.
So basically a unionist minority got the Brexit they wanted bar some compromises on trade in goods - which is a far cry from equality of esteem in all its respects guaranteed under the GFA. Instead there will be all sorts of divergences between the rights of Irish and British citizens in the North.
So I don't count this as a win for anyone in the North - just another element in a long, slow and painful economic and political decline. Index of Frank's Diaries
by ATinNM - Jan 26 2 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 24 24 comments
by Oui - Jan 26 2 comments
by Oui - Jan 20 56 comments
by Oui - Jan 23 30 comments
by gmoke - Jan 24
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 14 58 comments
by gmoke - Jan 22 2 comments
by Oui - Jan 27
by Oui - Jan 262 comments
by ATinNM - Jan 262 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 2424 comments
by Oui - Jan 2330 comments
by gmoke - Jan 222 comments
by Oui - Jan 2110 comments
by Oui - Jan 2056 comments
by Oui - Jan 2013 comments
by Oui - Jan 172 comments
by Oui - Jan 1610 comments
by gmoke - Jan 16
by IdiotSavant - Jan 1521 comments
by Oui - Jan 1453 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 1458 comments
by Oui - Jan 1390 comments
by Oui - Jan 1177 comments
by Oui - Jan 1061 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jan 877 comments