Jim Allister denounces ‘colonialism’ from the EU as News Letter sets out timeline of anti-Protocol battle

That is the view of Jim Allister, speaking in Stormont today on the topic of the NI Protocol.

Mr Allister was speaking as talks between the UK and EU lumber on with little end in sight.

Meanwhile, the DUP’s efforts to halt the current Irish Sea border checks have been thwarted by the courts.

Mr Allister made reference to the debate on human rights which was due to take place later in the same chamber (see page 13), and said: “There will be those who will have lots to say about that, but they will be the very people who have nothing to say about EU colonialism in Northern Ireland, which is presently the biggest travesty of political rights affecting Northern Ireland.

“Colonialism is often vilified as that which involves the imposition on a people of the laws, ways of life and ethos of others, whereby they are imposed upon the object or the subject.

“That, of course, is exactly the position that Northern Ireland is in under the protocol.

“The ill-gotten sovereignty of the EU over Northern Ireland must be abandoned if the matter is ever to be progressed: nothing else will do.”

TIMELINE OF WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE:

Action over the Protocol began ramping up in earnest on January 6.

At that time, loyalist activist Jamie Bryson produced a report which he claimed could hold the key to ending checks on GB goods entering NI, at least in the short term.

Published under the branding of his group “Unionist Voice”, Mr Bryson said the document had been drawn up with the help of lawyers and academics (but would not name them).

In short his plan was this:

Taken together, the Good Friday Agreement, 1998 Northern Ireland Act, and Ministerial Code offer a kind of loophole for unionists to kill off the Irish Sea checks.

He argued that their wording means any issue which is cross-cutting (that is, falling under the responsibility of more than one minister) and / or controversial must be brought before the full NI Executive for discussion.

But this never happened regarding the construction of sea border posts and the new cargo checking regime – meaning the checks which are now happening are effectively illegal.

If the idea of keeping these checks going did come before the Executive, unionists would reject it.

Edwin Poots said he agreed with this tactic and put it in motion by trying to get the matter discussed at January 27’s Executive meeting.

Sinn Fein vetoed it from being tabled, but ultimately the upshot was the same: it meant approval had been sought from the Executive for sea border checks, but none had been given.

Therefore Mr Poots, after taking legal advice, ordered an end to the sea border checks at midnight on February 2.

It did not last long.

On February 4, High Court judge Mr Justice Colton suspended Mr Poots’ order.

It came after an anonymous SF member and another person called Edward Rooney lodged a legal challenge, claiming Mr Poots’ move itself was unlawful.

Until a court can work out which side is right, the judge ordered officials to keep “maintaining the status quo, preserving good administration and good order” and keeping the checks going.

Separately, DUP First Minister Paul Givan resigned, as of one second past midnight on February 4.

Explaining the decision, party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said it was in protest at the Protocol.

“For our part, we have been patient and given space for negotiations to make progress,” he said, in reference to ongoing talks between EU supremo Maros Sefcovic and Lord Frost / Liz Truss.

“I have given the Government and the EU more than enough time to act.”

As a result, Michelle O’Neill no longer holds her post either.

Other Stormont ministers can remain in post, but the Executive can no longer meet and is unable to take significant policy decisions.

The TUV hailed the DUP’s actions, but said they should have come far sooner.

The UUP described it as an “act of self-indulgence to try and save the DUP from being overwhelmed at the ballot box; acting the ‘tough guy’ having brought most of this on themselves is outrageous”.

It said that “the way to resolve that is through negotiations and persuasion and putting forward alternatives; this is working”.

Whilst at the weekend the UK government’s NI rep Brandon Lewis said “we think there is a landing ground, we think there is a way of resolving this”, Sir Jeffrey said that the chances of this happening before the May Assembly elections are “quite small”.

MORE FROM THIS REPORTER:

Click here: Lawsuits against the state from people interned in Northern Ireland 50 years ago now number up to 400

Click here: RUC ‘collusive’ findings – WATCH as DUP man denounces IRA while speaker Alex Maskey tries to rein him in for ‘going off-topic’

Click here: Catholic / Protestant quotas now in force in 28 new housing estates – with 31 more to come

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