There will be EU, UK and DUP fudge this Christmas over the NI Protocol but no-one will be buying it

As someone who buys the News Letter every day it has become an almost daily or weekly occurrence to see a statement from a DUP politician complaining about the continuing ill effects of the protocol.

Latest is Carla Lockhart in last Saturday’s Farming Life (September 18).

Carla is unhappy that among other things Marks and Spencer’s won’t be able to offer the same range of service here as to the rest of the UK this Christmas.

She goes on to say that we have waited long enough for these issues to be addressed. She is spot on there, we have waited nine months for her party leader to state that he may collapse Stormont in another 40 days or so if things don’t change.

I need hardly state that Carla’s unionist colleagues (with two exceptions) voted to implement the protocol in Stormont January past.

So it has taken Carla nine months to cotton on that this may have been a mistake and ‘issues need to be addressed’, issues she herself agreed to implement!

But I suppose Boris Johnson and the EU have another 40 days to address Carla’s issues or the DUP will pull the plug on the Stormont republican concession factory, or not. Maybe more time will be needed.

I am certain that the one thing that will not be in short supply come November or into Christmas will be fudge.

There will be fudge a plenty in all kinds of flavours, EU fudge, Westminster fudge and best of all DUP Victory fudge.

DUP fudge will be sold exclusively to the unionist community but unfortunately for them — no one will buy it.

We’ve had enough.

Harry Patterson, Castlecaulfield

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