Actually the NI protocol is not a bad deal for NI - which gets to functionally remain in the single market.
It’s just that without the rest of the UK being in the single market there had to be a border down the Irish sea which the Unionists hate and it would all work better if we co-operated with the EU, which the ERG hate. All of which results in Boris having to disown his own deal to save his political bacon.
It often feels that we are being governed by a set of people whose parents failed to say “no” often enough or firmly enough.
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I think you are well up to speed Charles. 
Good synopsis.
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Actually the NI protocol is not a bad deal for NI.
Yes I agree Billy, but as you point out its become dysfunctional because nobody wants to be seen to be the one making a compromise to make it work…so Boris blames the EU for imposing the rules too strictly. Surely the whole point of the rules, which he ratified.
It often feels that we are being governed by a set of people whose parents failed to say “no” often enough or firmly enough.
I think the main problem there is the Douglas Bada quote, ‘Rules are for the obedience of fools’, which the tories seem to have made their mantra.
I have no words for how angry it makes me.
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It isn’t dysfunctional though - as this recent graphic from the FT suggests
Northern Ireland is the only area outside of London to have bounced back to/above pre-covid levels.
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Big increase in north-south trade. The NIP deal, with a few minor tweaks, is a winner for NI and the majority of people and businesses there know that. If and when Scotland breaks free they’d love a similar deal.
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I’m not sure I see how that would work.
NI has Southern Ireland and the EU on its border - a newly independent Scotland would have England.
Indeed not just England but an England which, under current management, would be quite likely to behave spitefully towards an independent Scotland.
I agree, and the land border between England and Scotland is much shorter than RoI and NI and easier to monitor.
I was really just reflecting a comment from someone in the SNP, maybe even Nicola Sturgeon, that they would love such a deal.
Did she mean within the union but with SM access?
I can see why each might go down their respective routes to EU membership (reunification for NI, secession for Scotland) but there are significant risks for both - political and the possible resumption of Unioninst violence in Northern Ireland and economic for Scotland.
Particularly perilous for the latter, in fact, as it might be several years before the EU welcomed them back into the fold.
Unfortunately they’ve gained some level of vicarious control of almost all mainstream media in the UK. I actively avoid BBC news, but my wife had the television on during an item on the rail strikes yesterday. All the ‘vox pop’ clips shown were against the strikes - but in fact polls late last year (from several sources) showed nearly three-quarters of the public either strongly or somewhat approved of ‘employees going on strike in support of better wages, benefits, and working conditions’, while just around 20% strongly or somewhat disapproved.
In this context, surely the BBC must be actively selecting and broadcasting views that support the government’s ideology?
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I stand corrected, thanks Billy.
Why are the politicians (DUP & Boris) making such a show of it? Is it just more posturing, pretending to need to show EU who’s boss?
Partly in that the area of UK not restricted by Brexit is thriving is an embarrassment to UK govt.
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Unfortunately they’ve gained some level of vicarious control of almost all mainstream media in the UK.
I agree. Real, indépendant and factual journalism seems thin on the ground these days, esp. with Baron Murdoch having a revolving door behind number 10.
I began to question the Beeb when it was proved/admitted that they manipulated the reel on the miners strike in order to say public opinion.
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All the left-leaning people I know in the UK changed to watching Channel 4 news to get some level of independence and objectivity. But of course this government can’t be doing with any real independent journalism. Or courts.
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The DUP are Eurosceptic and do not support the GFA, they would happily have a border across Ireland but have never been happy with any sort of customs border between GB and NI, but they were shafted by Johnson.
Johnson is stuck though - his basic modus operandi is to do whatever gets him out of today’s hole and keeps him in power. To that end he knows he has to keep the ERG happy, so has to take a hard anti-EU stance. In short Johnson is as he is because the ERG are keeping him in power and pulling his strings (to a greater extent than he realises, I suspect).
It’s madness, we could improve things with simple measures such as agreeing phytosanitary alignment with the EU but we won’t because the ERG is rabidly attached to the idea that we can diverge if we wish.
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All the left-leaning people I know in the UK changed to watching Channel 4 news .
Me too. I always found their journalists a lot more searching, persistent and thorough in their questioning, unmuzzled shall we say. Of course there is talk of CH4N being ‘purchased’.
Sad times, I never thought such a level of overt corruption would happen in Britain.
We have left, but I cannot ignore it because it is a global issue, and now more than ever we need good, sensible, forward thinking leadership, and to be able to hold them accountable?
Its become nothing more than an illusion of democracy.
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It’s madness, we could improve things with simple measures such as agreeing phytosanitary alignment with the EU but we won’t because the ERG is rabidly attached to the idea that we can diverge if we wish.
Thank you for explaining. It is total madness! It’s like being stuck in some kind of appalling black comedy.
Watching the mess and destructive, regressive behaviour unfold day after days almost beyond belief.
Meanwhile, the divisions caused are playing straight into Putins hands…surely there are greater things at stake than petty grudges. We need unity now more than ever before.
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Or recognised that the policies put forward b y the extreme right of he party were not workable in reality.
I see Johnson is now trying to pass scab enabling legislation. Are there no depths…? I wonder how agency signallers and train drivers will get on 
Maybe there are a few retired wheel tappers and shunters he can round up.
And what about him getting the Carrie story pulled in the Times? So much for the courageous free press. Luckily the Mail (of all rags) is still running it.
suggestions yesterday that his “nose job” minor op was to fix his “cocaine nose damage”…
and as for the Carrie story… well, the really hot one which has been pulled is where Johnson tried to get her a highly paid job at the Foreign Office whilst he was Foreign Secretary 
This couple have no shame…
I commented elsewhere that, after leaving office as Sarkzoy’s PM, François Fillon and his wife were prosecuted, found guilty of nepotism where Fillon spent over 1m€ of public money on a non-job and handed a prison sentence.
Now, the thought of this dreadful pair of no-marks being led out out of Downing Street in a police car in handcuffs is somewhat alluring 
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