Hardliners will blame EU intransigence if there’s no deal. But it’s their own recklessness which threatens chaos for the whole UK and peace in Northern Ireland.
The notorious “backstop”, which is designed to keep the Irish border invisible, will be at the heart of the blame game.
The groundwork is already being laid. Tory hardliner Peter Bone told Sky News: “Parliament has very clearly told the EU what we want, which is the backstop to go and that to be a legally binding commitment. Now if they decide not to talk to us about that and not to renegotiate, well it will be the EU that’s stopping us from having a deal.”
The DUP’s Diane Dodds accused the EU of “intransigence”, adding: “We say calmly and clearly to the EU leadership that we do not need the backstop. It is now time for a sensible and pragmatic renegotiation.”
But the backstop was a compromise between our government and the EU to honour the Good Friday Agreement. We agreed it because we have a historic responsibility to maintain peace in Northern Ireland. This month’s bombing in Derry/Londonderry is a reminder that violent terrorism is not consigned to Northern Ireland’s past.
Demand a vote on the Brexit deal
Click here to find out moreThe backstop is the direct descendent of a deal Boris Johnson and David Davis agreed in December 2017 when they were still in the Cabinet. Now those same Brexiters, and their fellow hardliners, are intent on making such big changes to it that it no longer fulfills its purpose.
The prime minister agreed to do their bidding this week and reopen the deal she herself agreed. But the EU will never agree to the changes Brexiters want: either a time limit on the backstop or some kind of escape clause. The backstop is an insurance policy. It doesn’t make sense if that policy can expire or be cancelled if talks break down later.
The people of the island of Ireland are on the frontline. A hard border means new physical infrastructure. The smart technology Brexiters say will avoid this simply doesn’t exist, not even on the most seamless borders elsewhere in Europe – between Norway and Sweden, or the EU and Switzerland. Any infrastructure – customs posts, security cameras or lorry parks – and the people manning them could become a target.
The whole of the UK will also be damaged if we crash out without a deal. We’ll find it hard to bring in vital supplies such as food and medicine. We’ll struggle to export to our neighbours. And our relationship with the EU will be poisoned.
If this is where we end up, be in no doubt: the Brexiters, not the EU, are the prime culprits.
