You can’t always get what you want

IF we saw one thing on not-so-super Saturday, our day of destiny on the sporting and political fronts, it was the pragmatism of the Irish.

For four years, up to about 10 days ago, nothing would do us only that there would be no Brexit — or at least if there was, that it would be the softest of Brexits. Two weeks ago, Boris Johnson was public enemy number one in this country.

But somehow, yesterday, many Irish people were rooting for Johnson to get a hard Brexit through parliament. We had finally succumbed to Brexit fatigue. Just get Brexit done, was our attitude. Indeed, before Brexit was even done, we were looking to the next phase, how to fix our relationship with our English brethren. A lot had been said that could not be unsaid. It was a bit like when someone tells you they’re breaking up with their mad boyfriend or girlfriend and you join in with a bit too much gusto about how you never liked them and how crazy they are. A week later your friend tells you sheepishly they’re getting back together and, what’s more, they’re getting married. And everyone just has to move on and agree to forget all the bad things that were said.

And somehow we’ve decided the sooner we move on now, the better, so let’s get Brexit done, whatever Brexit is any more. And, let’s face it, fewer and fewer people know what Brexit is now. At this point perhaps the only people who understand the detail of the latest Brexit deal are Tony Connelly and maybe Tommie Gorman.

You can just see future taxation exam questions now: “An egg from England is sent to Northern Ireland, it hatches into a chicken, grows for a few weeks, and is then sent to the Republic to be processed. The chicken meat is then sent to England to be cooked and put into chicken sandwiches with English bread and Irish butter. These sandwiches are then packaged and sent to Ireland. Who pays the VAT and who do they pay it to?”

Not only do we not understand the deal, we’re confused too about whose side we’re on. Two weeks ago, Oliver Letwin would have been a hero in this country for delaying Brexit. But now, exhausted by the roller coaster, we aren’t sure. Brexit was not ending how we might have wanted it to, but for a few precious days there, at least it was ending. And we were strangely on top of the world about that.

After all, you can’t always get the ending you’d like. Just ask Rory Best and Joe Schmidt. And you can go very quickly from being on top of the world, number one, to being an underdog again.

But the great thing about us Irish is that even when we’re at rock bottom, we always keep our mad belief we’ll be back on top again soon. Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach. Second referendum, anyone?