IN recent days, more than 40 police officers have been injured in violent scenes across Northern Ireland. Dozens of individuals, including children as young as 12, have been arrested in riots that have seen cars hijacked and firebombs thrown with reckless abandon.
These scary scenes have provided a chilling reminder of the fragility of peace in Northern Ireland; a peace that has richly benefited everyone across the UK and Ireland for more than 20 years. The reasons cited for this recent upsurge in violence are manifold and underline the many societal problems that exist in Northern Ireland.
Loyalist unease with the Northern Irish protocol is given as the main reason but before focusing on that it is also important to note that some of the violence is similar to anti-lockdown protests seen across Europe. Some of it has been orchestrated by criminal elements seeking to display influence, some of it is a frustration with the lack of any prosecutions following a Republican funeral attended by more than 2000 people in the summer that breached Covid restrictions, while some of it can be attributed to general socioeconomic deprivation in certain parts of Northern Ireland.
Since Brexit has come into force, the issues around the Northern Irish protocol have been well aired. The majority in Northern Ireland are unhappy with the protocol but then again, the majority in Northern Ireland, like Scotland, didn’t vote for Brexit.
The difficulty is that in order to have the sort of hard Brexit pursued by this British government there need to be checks somewhere, the fact that the only land frontier between the UK and the EU is the border in Ireland provides the greatest difficulty.
This issue was flagged, loudly, by the Irish Government and others during the Brexit referendum. This was ignored by the Brexiteers in England, primarily, and the politicians that led the Leave campaign. Those who highlighted the very clear damage Brexit could pose to the Good Friday Agreement were simply labelled as fearmongers. Well, like in so many cases, project fear has become project reality.
READ MORE: Stormont recalled for emergency debate as as violence in NI escalates
Northern Irish politicians that pushed Brexit bear sole responsibility for the disturbances that we see on the nightly news now. After playing their part in the referendum, they had the opportunity to shape a solution as they uniquely held the balance of power in Westminster. No proposals were forthcoming and eventually the protocol was devised as a compromise between the EU and the British government.
There must be checks somewhere and the checks required at two or three ports of entry by the protocol are manageable, particularly when the alternative is checks along a 500km frontier with more than 200 crossings; a frontier that was central to decades of political violence. The protocol isn’t the problem, Brexit is.
Certain politicians have ratcheted up the rhetoric in recent months, demanding the protocol be abandoned, blaming every problem on Dublin and the EU while still offering no alternatives. The rhetoric has provided the cover for dissidents to send impressionable young people onto the streets.
What is unfolding is truly worrying and feeding into an already tense political situation in Northern Ireland. Just two months ago the House of Commons Intelligence Committee declared the dissident paramilitary threat in Northern Ireland to be severe.
If the recent violence is to continue, is to escalate then it poses very serious problems for everyone; those of us who grew up in the shadow of the Troubles have no desire to see them return but there are those who have no problem risking a return and sadly others who simply deny anything untoward is happening.
What is needed now is cool heads and genuine efforts to engage in dialogue. The protocol is here to stay but the concerns and problems that it presents can be worked on. The folly of Brexit is unfolding all around us, its time for those who pushed it to take responsibility for their actions and work towards normalising matters. It is in everybody’s interest.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel