Brexit dubbed ‘a unionist own goal’ amid Stormont clashes

It came during a specially-convened debate in Stormont about the new EU-UK trade accord, which guarantees a largely tariff-free and quota-free trade system after 11pm tomorrow, when the Brexit transition period formally ends.

However, much of the debate focussed on the Northern Ireland Protocol – the agreement which was in place well before the latest trade accord, and which guarantees an open land border in Ireland.

Arlene Foster opened the debate by lamenting the existence of the Protocol, which she said was thanks to a “skewed” interpretation of the Belfast Agreement that emphasised no border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Caoimhe Archibald of Sinn Fein spoke of how the Protocol “provides protection for the all-island economy and North/South cooperation... we need to build on that”.

She added: “Brexit brings the gift of friction, and that friction is in the Irish Sea.”

SF leader Michelle O’Neill likewise said: “This is not the end of the road; it is a turning point... I want to see, and will work every day to see, all of Ireland, once again, back within the European Union.”

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin told fellow MLAs: “It has to be recorded that the DUP’s support for Brexit was the biggest own goal for unionism... The reality is that Brexit will be the basis of much greater all-island cooperation and partnership. We will increasingly have a much stronger all-island economy, and that is to be welcomed.”

Jim Allister of the TUV said nationlists will “salivate” over the opportunities for more all-island ties, and laid the blame for the Protocol at the door of “nationalism, aided by their little helpers in the Alliance Party and some useful idiots in commerce”.

He added: “I say this to the DUP, pretty directly: there is a huge onus upon you to ensure that the ambition of this protocol, of building an all-Ireland economy, is thwarted at every turn.”

UUP leader Steve Aiken said of Northern Ireland’s current Brexit position: “This is not the best of both worlds.

“It is not even the least worst option. It is an EU/Boris Johnson-created potential economic depression.”

A number of DUP figures rose to sound more optimistic notes, such as Mervyn Storey, who invoked the words of Winston Churchill: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Colleague Paul Givan meanwhile declared: “I am confident that Northern Ireland’s future is very secure for many generations to come within the union that matters — the United Kingdom.”

At the end of the debate, a symbolic vote was taken.

Despite nationalists/republicans having spent much of the debate stressing its importance for re-unification, they backed a motion which “rejects Brexit in line with the democratically expressed view of the people of Northern Ireland”.

The Alliance, SF, and SDLP were arrayed against the unionist parties; the final vote was 47 Ayes in favour of the motion, against 38 Noes.

Read more on Brexit from this reporter:

Click here: Major UK retailer Dunelm halts home deliveries to NI sparking Brexit speculation

Click here: IN FULL: DUP spurn Brexit deal ‘on point of principle’ and will vote it down on Wednesday

Click here: GB-to-NI potato blockade ‘will hurt quality of Ulster chip shops’

Click here: Ian Paisley: Unionists need to drop wrist-slashing pessimism over Brexit

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor