The Northern Ireland Protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement signed by Boris Johnson after a partisan vote in the House of Commons, introduces a customs border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Great Britian. Now that the Unionists have caught up with what the deal means, they are mightily unhappy; the problem is that many of them are armed and lethal violence was only expunged as a regular tactic in 1998. Here are my notes on the NI protocol.
- Brexit deal: the Northern Ireland protocol, an explainer, from the IoG
- Tear up Northern Ireland Protocol or risk return to violence, former first minister David Trimble warns, from the Indy 20 Feb 2021
- Brexit: DUP plans major legal challenge to Northern Ireland protocol, from the Irish Times 21 Feb 2021
- Inspectors pulled from Brexit checks at Northern Ireland ports over threats, from Politico 2 Feb 2021