Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NOT FOR THE first time in the Brexit process, there’s a strong sense of ‘déjà vu’ in the air.
Also familiar at this stage is the accompanying feeling of bewilderment.
In this case, it is the Northern Ireland-specific backstop. Except we’re not going to hear it called the ‘backstop’ – if anyone wants it to have even a glimmer of a chance of getting across the starting line when it comes to getting support from the MPs (when and if they have a chance to vote on it).
And we can be pretty sure what this Northern Ireland-specific arrangement will entail.
Why?
Because this is what the EU had proposed over a year ago (in March 2018). And it is what Theresa May had then rejected in the most forceful terms.
“No British Prime Minister could ever agree to it,” she complained.
Put simply, the backstop meets the need to avoid a hard Irish border after Brexit by avoiding the need for checks and controls on goods moving across that border. Those checks and controls are necessary if the UK and Ireland apply different rules in relation to customs and standards for goods.
The Northern Ireland-specific backstop, as was proposed in the early version of the withdrawal agreement, managed this by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s customs union and in the EU’s single market for goods.
It also has Northern Ireland in the EU’s VAT and excise regime, to keep things as smooth as possible on that front too. No declarations, no tariffs, no quotas, no new checks, no new controls across the Irish border. But the flip side of this is that these things would apply to goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The reason May gave at the time for objecting in such forceful terms to this proposal was that it undermined the ‘constitutional integrity’ of the UK. Given that the security of Northern Ireland’s place in the UK is the very essence of unionism, it is unsurprising that the DUP quickly followed her out in virulent opposition to it.
As May’s team went back to Brussels to continue to work on the withdrawal agreement, the DUP continued to feel unnerved by the very premise of a backstop for Northern Ireland/Ireland.
By the time May and Juncker shook hands on the withdrawal agreement – and its all-UK version of a backstop – the DUP were far from ready for compromise.
The all-UK version of the backstop was clearly intended to reassure unionists. It did this by lifting the possibility of a customs border in the Irish Sea by constructing a shared UK-EU customs territory.
In so doing, it disgusted hardcore Brexiteers in Britain as it contradicted a primary reason for Brexit in the first place. If the UK was in a customs territory with the EU then it was constrained from jetting off to make its own trade deals purely on its own terms.
For many other areas of the backstop, however, things remained as originally conceived: Northern Ireland in the single market for goods (including agriculture) and the EU’s VAT and excise regime, with state aid rules applying.
Circular debate
The degree to which differences between Britain and Northern Ireland expand after Brexit (including in the rather specific areas of toy safety, exhaust emissions or beef
quality) was always going to depend on how close London was willing to stay to the EU.
Hence the nervousness of unionists on the very notion of a backstop.
Whilst this all-UK backstop gained broad support from the public, business and civic community in Northern Ireland (all of whom are keen for certainty as the UK leave the EU), many unionists remained firmly unconvinced.
Even though the backstop was stressed to be an insurance policy rather than a landing point, in essence it seemed to prioritise keeping the region close to Ireland over that of its closeness to Britain.
In the win-lose logic of Northern Ireland politics, the whole debate has thus become less about the technical gains and risks of the legal clauses of the Protocol concerned and much more about the sovereignty and integrity of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Hence the circular debate.
So why is a Northern Ireland-only backstop once again in vogue?
Partly it is because of time.
Johnson’s plan of forcing an election prior to Brexit day has been kiboshed. He has hung his reputation on getting the UK out of the EU on 31 October.
If this is without a deal, the ensuing economic and political upheaval could well see his premiership be one of the shortest in British history.
If it is with a deal, he needs to go for one that the EU could agree to quickly – and it is more than ready to blow the dust off its original backstop plans.
The bigger question – as always – is whether UK MPs would be prepared to vote for it.
Key to this is whether they agree with (or even care about) the previous Prime Minister’s assertion that a customs border in the Irish Sea is incompatible with the union.
The DUP’s choice would be to own it or to swallow it.
Either way, they may well be wondering how much of a difference their opinion could
possibly make amid the current maelstrom of Westminster.
Katy Hayward is a senior fellow of The UK in a Changing Europe centre based at Queen’s University Belfast.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
It would be helpful if there was more detail as to location and description of individual .
@Honeybee: Maybe there isn’t any…..it’s breaking news……
@Honeybee: He’s the man with the gun; seeing as this isn’t America, anyone walking around with a gun is going to stand out.
@Honeybee: And if you read the article
“No description of the man is available at present.”
@Paul Furey: If he’s been involved in a number of incidents then they must have some information and Tallaght is vast in size, so some indication of where the incidents occurred would assist people to be on the lookout otherwise Do the Bort Mans description below is as good as it gets.
@Joe Bloggs: If he was waving the gun around, I think there would be no need to issue an appeal, he would already have been located, they said a gun not a larger weapon, guns can be hidden in clothing.
@Joe Bloggs: in Tallaght, so not really.
@Nick Allen: Thanks Nick…….umm is Thursday your day for doing business as well……
@Honeybee:
I do all mine online
@Nick Allen: Reminds me of a story I once read, two poorly educated guys robbed a bank in America, they rushed home with the sacks of money, you grab a sack and start counting says one, nah, grab two cans, we’ll watch the news later on, they’ll tell us how much we stole says the other.
@Honeybee: Funnily enough, most people who commit crimes don’t tend to hang around to be caught. If the Gardaí give a description then every crank, nutter & a$$hole will ring in with false reports; it happens every time. Better to keep it vague, look for any suspicious activity & filter out the rubbish.
@Paul Furey: relax it’s grand – we have a local councilor on the case
@Dave Hammond: OK standing down :)
@Honeybee: Well done to gardai on the arrest, good news to have this man off the streets.
@Paul Furey: theres a vid of him being arrested on fb
@Honeybee: Why not just thank the brave Gardai ?
SUSPECT IS HATLESS. REPEAT HATLESS.
@Do the Bort man: Luas must be off
@john g mcgrath: madman on the Luas
@Do the Bort man: I hope they throw his hatless butt in jail.
I have arms and I’m in Tallaght. Perhaps I should turn myself in
An armed man on the loose in Tallaght – I heard that he’s a member of the Tallaban.
@Ciarán Masterson: And they are asking people to become the AyesATallaght
Tallaght-the new Johannesburg.
@Kieran Conroy: why is it the ones with no faces are the ones with the most idiotic statements?
@alan scott: Also,Jo’burg is famous for car-jacking.
@Kieran Conroy: yes but no one laughing wNkstsain.
@Mrs. Nugent: I laughed a little bit..
If they do a proper search I suspect they may find more than one
I’ve long said these people should be prevented from breeding. Then in a generation we’d have completely bred out the criminal element, reduced the prison population and solved the housing crisis not to mention reducing the dole queue
@Kevin Slater: absolutely agree. Waste of oxygen. And fair play to the guards today, a very professional and prompt response.
@Fake Avast: Its mostly Bono’s fault to be fair.
whenever i read a story like this, i feel for the lives of our gardai. All of them must be given firearms.
@Annette:
Why stop there. Give every man, woman and child in the country and we could get rid of the Gardai, save a fortune in tax revenue and simply self regulate
@Annette: Really? Let’s arm all the police?
Do the officers get a say?
One of my best friends is a police officer, I asked if they’d any interest in the armed response unit and their answer was “you have to be prepared to kill someone and I don’t want to be in that position”.
So, before you unilaterally decide you want to give all police guns maybe ask yourself do the actual police all want to be armed? Not to mention, if you make it a fully armed force, the people that don’t want to kill people would never sign up. I’m not okay with that.
@Nick Allen: Brendan Grace I hear is looking for new ways to make people laugh I will pass on this comment as the joke of the day.
@Alan Scott:
It was intended as a joke, I think arming all of the Gardai is a really stupid suggestion
@Annette: they’re bad enough already with biros and calculators.
@Nick Allen: you think 175 countries are stupid arming their police force and you are only one genius left on the planet?
@Annette:
Are you really that limited in your thinking. It’s not exactly a black or white question and because I suggest your recommendation is stupid you assume I am saying I am a genius. Try opening your mind a little more and try to understand why a country would need to arm their entire police force or not and also what the implications would be.
@Nick Allen: I don’t want Irish Gardai armed. I say this as a Garda and I have been armed (though am not presently). We manage very well with the resources we have (in this regard). There are plenty of armed Gardai around from ERU, RSU, detectives, drugs units and so on. We aren’t stuck for guns. There is a lesser chance of getting shot on the nod if unarmed as has been shown time and again. And in the last few Garda killings only Tony Golden MAY have been saved by being armed. No we’re far better with the model we have, correctly used. It’s not like the movies when you walk into an incident. Everyone thinks they know it all when you’re actually relying on training and instinct. Irish people in the vast majority are decent and wouldn’t dream of shooting a Garda. Well up until recently lol
@Mick Murphy:
Thanks for sharing a first hand opinion. I am absolutely in agreement that we do not need all of the Gardai armed.
@Mick Murphy: ok you don’t need a essay we get your point
@alan scott: am I supposed to edit my posts down for your convenience now Alan? Or am I as entitled to write what and as i choose like everyone else? If you’ve a chip on your shoulder take it to someone who gives a f$#k…
@Mick Murphy: Can’t be trusted with breathalysers. No way could the entire force be trusted with guns.
@Mick Murphy: Mick, i respect your opinion as garda but i am sure there is another garda who wants gardai to be armed , it is your personal opinion and not of the masses. You opined that so far gardai were good without having firearms that does not necessarily mean that they would have been worse ‘having’ firearms. May be Tony would have been amongst us today without anything changing.
@Mick Murphy: when will you lot stop taking things personally.
@Ronan Gallagher: lol Ronan….true that
@Annette: Annette…absolutely. it is only my opinion (and most guards I know). Going into a row is harder because you could be disarmed etc. But you’re right… maybe it is the future. And I would gladly take up arms to have Tony back.
@Maire: Seriously Maire.
Some unfortunate ppl in Tallaght suffer with poverty and MH issues, like most places also lots of brilliant hard working people just living their life’s.
I bet your a judgement passing biddy. Bless You in ur glass house throwing stones.
@Eyesplat Jon Franjewel: have to agree with you, coming from another area with a bad name myself, so many nice people living there as well as the feral ones. It’s a shame all people have to be lumped in together, both anecdotally and physically!
I. Love the comments section so much I often skip the news part. great sense of humour well done everyone thanks.
Wonder if he has legs too
Is it mild enough for shorts??
@paul kelly: does he sound sane enough to care?!
Not known as the ‘Wild West’ (of Dublin) for nothing!
@Maire: ? Look at your own back yard before you make idiot comment
@Maire: you are right it is not known as the Wild West .
@Maire: Something like that can happen everywhere @Maile – in Dalkey, in Donnybrook, even in Foxrock. Tallaght is lovely and peaceful area and decent people live there.
@Alan Scott: i checked hes not there
@Maire: You don’t know where he’s from. Anyone notice that he threatened the owner to get the car keys? I thought thieves knew how to hot wire cars, is that out of date now?
@Maire: Cant say i have heard it called that , maybe that’s an in joke among superior people like youself ,God love ye .
@Alan Scott: Actually, it is in my own back yard! And, I’v been victim to being burgled by Locals, twice!, Oh sorry, three times!
Well they still haven’t got him, The police helicopter is still over The Area!
That’s some domestic row! A machine gun?
He started off rampaging in jobstown, so he will get off, Paul clown Murphy will ensure it, he has rights. Bail probation etc.
One man with a gun three hijacking lucky he not shooting people god help us if was
@Noel: does he sound sane enough to care?!!
@Noel: sorry my comment wasn’t aimed at yours it ended up in response by accident!
He is known to gardai so why can they not give a better description or release a photo of him. The papers troll through peoples Facebook pages to get photos of them especially when whey just died
No Idiots breaking the reds this am because there’s a Garda Q7 parked on the road no doubt waiting for this gunman I would love to see the Gardai here every day to put manners on some of these drivers who think they have a Devine right to break the reds.
@Alan Scott: I know….and the ones hooring up the Bus lane till they realise there’s a garda car 200m in front and indicating back in and looking sheepishly at you to let them back in….
@A H: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever let these people back in to the traffic.
@A H: Its great to watch them sweat for someone to let them out
Well that’s like looking for a haystack in a needle
..
No they have no human rights once they’ve impinged in someone else’s rights
Garda car and helicopter chase currently underway in Citywest.
@Michelle Cronin: It has come to an end, thankfully the gardai have him in custody.
Careful!The easily offended Journal are deleting big-time on this.
Took over 7 hours to find an armed man on a rampage in a major European city?
Where are all the fluffy liberals singing the completely inept Gardai’s praises now?
@ I dunno. Fu(k off troll.
Oh look, somebody on the internet with a fake profile called me a troll and told me to f’ off, seriously?? poor likkle snowflake, did my comment upset you chuck? Go to your safe space for an hour, you’ll be fine.
@I dunno The person with two tweets on their blank profile is calling me out. Go away you absolute misfortune. Your carers will be looking for you by now.
@FlyB: Does your Mommy know you’re online?
a bloody Renault kadjar wow he feels the need for speed
Brookview is nowhere near the centre of Tallaght, just saying.
It is good that we don’t have alarmism in Ireland over such incidents that they are Jihadist terrorist related. Now we routinely see on other stories the reassurance that it was not terrorist related.
@Fiona deFreyne: I think you know when you know….don’t you?
@Fiona deFreyne: We know it’s not a Muslim terrorist because his not actually killing people.
Only in America? Well holy God.
Love the comments section. Very difficult to register though
Can’t blame a man out walking his dog on this one.
Relax he here in Killarney clay pidgeon shooting he just had a bad morning ..
He is here clay pigeon shooting in Killarney seems to be in a calm state so everyone relax he had a bad morning
And he’s not even Muslim what are all the racist bigots going to talk about now ?
@Chris Turner: Well its wide open for the Tallaphobes , Journal must be deleting most of them though, poor gits ,
Is this real life or a ‘Grand theft Auto’ mission on the PlayStation? Hard to tell.
Hope they shoot the fool!
Heil Kevin !
‘It’s believed the series of events may have begun as a domestic row.’ When will the media stop peddling the belief that male violence is caused by, and is a valid response to, ‘domestic’ arguments?
When you are playing grand theft auto on acid and suddenly sheet gets real
F*ckin hell, Robo-scober
Up the dubs
Ah here leave it out. Oh mammy.
have your say