The EU has not acted in good faith over the Northern Ireland Protocol
SIR – Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister, says the Northern Ireland Protocol was “freely chosen and jointly designed by the British Government and the EU” (Comment, May 15). He then disingenuously suggests that if the UK disapplied any part of it, this would be “breaking international law”.
He disregards the fact that the very same Protocol allows for either side unilaterally to suspend parts of it, if it is leading to the kinds of serious practical problems we can see today.
Mr Coveney also seems to overlook the part of the Protocol which requires both sides to act in good faith. There is a strong argument that, by insisting on the letter rather than the spirit of the agreement – for example, by refusing to remove checks on own-brand items destined for supermarkets that do not even have stores in the Republic of Ireland – the EU has itself already breached the Protocol.
Mark Lichfield
Blandford Forum, Dorset
SIR – For those on both sides of the
Irish border who, over the years, have quietly forged joint ventures in agriculture, security, tourism, sport and many other fields, with the hope of one day creating a truly united Ireland by consent in some form or other, it is a tragedy that current relations between North and South are so bad.
Fashionable though it is to blame the Democratic Unionist Party for all ills besetting the Northern Ireland Assembly, in my view it is politicians from outside the UK – particularly in the Irish government – who are playing a very dangerous game with the Good Friday Agreement.
Anyone with knowledge of Northern Ireland sees that, although it certainly could provide opportunities for those businesses with a foot in both the UK and the EU, the NI Protocol in its present form can never work while its administration is so heavily biased towards trade with the EU, to the detriment of trade within the UK.
Still intent upon revenge for Brexit, the EU has instructed its spokesperson to thwart any reasonable proposal for reform from Britain and is now refusing to negotiate. Although friendship between Britain and Europe must be restored as soon as possible, pressure must be put on the EU to accept that Brexit is here to stay and Britain will never return to the fold. Petulance and vindictive behaviour, together with a worrying vacillation over Ukraine, have put paid to that.
Politicians from all sides must grow up and behave in a statesmanlike manner. If not, we might really see Northern Ireland descend once again into violence which, in all sensible minds, should be unthinkable.
Tessa Lefroy
Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland
SIR – If the NI Protocol is not working, surely this is the fault of Boris Johnson and his Government, who negotiated it. It is concerning if they were so anxious to sign the agreement that they did not read or understand it. What were the Government’s lawyers doing?
Chris Austin