The new Irish Sea border is worrying but we need to deal with reality and be positive and try to minimise the harm caused by the barrier

I disagreed with those business people in Northern Ireland who argued that staying in the EU single market would offer the Province unique opportunities.

I was, and am, more worried about the Irish Sea border. When Michael Gove made the same “best of both worlds” argument for NI, I knew that vigilance was even more essential.

But, we must deal with reality. It should be possible to minimise the harm done by that new border, whilst benefiting from the returning stability that the finalised trade deal with the EU brings to the whole UK, and the unique, separate arrangements bring for NI specifically.

So, let’s be positive. Vaccines will end this pandemic, though we are at the darkest point now. The economy will pick up, significantly. Sinn Fein longed for a ‘no deal’ Brexit, the SNP too. Chaos is their natural constituency. Instead, we have a return to order after a five-year long national psychodrama.

The prime minister is now in ‘levelling up’ mode, just what we need. Interventionism is winning, not free-market mayhem. We can expect to see massive infrastructural investment, and investment support for businesses.

Even a new foreign policy is emerging, recognising the importance of new diplomatic networks, as well as new trade deals. We have many friends. A few of them are more precious, and many of them more steady, than some of our immediate neighbours.

Sir Keir Starmer has rightly moved on from Brexit to argue for national renewal, saying now is not the time for a second Scottish independence referendum. We must reform the constitution first. He appears unafraid of the word ‘federalism’ in a UK context.

Lastly, the present Taoiseach seems reasonable, though the bar was not set high by his predecessor. We can do business with him, but not via his Shared Island Unit, I would suggest.

We have done ourselves immense damage since 2016. But, our shapeshifting PM has played his populist card, he knows he can only retain power through economic results, and will evolve into something more acceptable, for a while.

Let’s go with that now, then remove him at the next general election.

John Gemmell, Wem, Shropshire

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