Ireland must back May now in final battle

AS WE prepare for the Brexit endgame, the fate of the deal negotiated by British prime minister Theresa May and the European Union hangs in the balance. At home, Mrs May faces challenges from opportunists Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, who see in her difficulty the chance to advance their own careers, no matter what the cost to their country. The deal has to pass through the British parliament, and with DUP opposition also inevitable, the battle will be an uphill one.

That is why Ireland must support Mrs May in any way it can. We have, it seems, learned from the lessons of last December, when the agreement on the backstop was announced here with triumphalism that served only to inflame the anger of staunch Brexiteers. Dublin’s relative silence this week has been a better approach, and a necessary one.

The deal on the table is the best that will be offered to the UK, and that means it is also the best for Ireland. Faced with a toss-up between it and the nightmare of a no-deal exit from the EU, it must now be enthusiastically supported.

Mrs May might on occasion have seemed hesitant but there is no denying her integrity, and everything she agreed to in relation to this island is reflected in the final document. In the face of the preening self-interest of her detractors, not one of whom has offered any viable alternative to this deal, she has been resilient under extraordinary pressure.

For the sake of Ireland as well as the UK, we must hope her deal prevails and, where possible or requested, help her in any way we can, even if just through silence.