Timing of Brexit could not be worse with so much political instablity

WE are rapidly approaching the time when Britain will invoke Article 50 and the process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union will officially begin with the clock counting down the two years in which the process will have to be complete.

This process will commence during a time of serious political uncertainty on this island, as the Northern Ireland Assembly elections take place and a new Taoiseach is likely to take over the running of the Government in the Republic.

There is no guarantee of what will happen in Stormont post those Assembly elections and whether there will be a restoration of a power-sharing administration, while in Dublin, the shadow of an election will loom on the political landscape as a new Taoiseach settles in and speculation will surely continue on whether Fianna Fail will continue to support the minority government or seek to take maximum political advantage from the change in Taoiseach and force a snap General Election.

This political instability could not come at a worse time in terms of the Brexit situation.

Here in the border region, Brexit matters, much, much more than it does in Tralee, Waterford, Athlone, Galway or Dublin. We are nervous about what the final shake up will be.

Last weekend there was a protest on the border at Carrickarnon to highlight the chaos that will ensue if a hard border and customs posts are re-introduced.

The protest didn’t block or interfere with traffic on the motorway, but imagine the chaos, frustrations and tailbacks if such measures are the end result of Brexit.

Additionally organisations such as Dundalk Chamber of Commerce are working very hard to highlight the opportunities as well as the challenges that the new scenario will mean for this region.

Foreign journalists from major European TV networks visited the area last week at the invitation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and trips such as these will help in educating the wider European population of the unique circumstances Brexit will offer along the border.

Whether people in France, Germany and our other 24 fellow members of the European Union will give a damn about our particular circumstances is very doubtful. They all have their own domestic issues and economic challenges to spend time concerned about the impact of Brexit their fellow EU citizens along the land border with the UK.

The worst scenario for Ireland will be a macro-solution, a one size fits all remedy in which the unique challenges for Ireland are ignored.

We may be one of the smaller member states in the European Union but we deserve to have our voices heard and with a change in Taoiseach, a political stalemate in Northern Ireland, a Prime Minister in London not particularly in- terested in Irish affairs and a President in the White House who is not showing any affection for the EU or Ireland, we are facing an uphill challenge in getting a fair never mind a good deal for ourselves.