The status of Northern Ireland, which is part of Great Britain, was one of the most thorny issues of Brexit. In Belfast, it is argued that the future of the island is not the biggest concern of the next British prime minister.
BELFAST No one is spared a joke in Northern Ireland’s razor-sharp humor, at least no living person.
– You can and should make fun of everything, except dead relatives. And Boris Johnson is already a political body, laughs Pat his friend Steven with on the way home in north Belfast.
The Conservative Party will elect a new prime minister from among its ranks in September. Britain’s new leader is either the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak. Pat and Steve are not very interested in politics.
– Brexit left a mess here, hardly anyone in London will clean it up, says Pat.
In Northern Ireland, attitudes towards the EU and Britain are often defined by religious denominations. Loyalists, i.e. those who support belonging to Britain, are mainly Protestants. They oppose the unification of the island of Ireland.
Those who support Irish union are mostly Catholic. They have a more positive attitude towards the Union.
Both prime ministerial candidates are already in favor of Brexit due to their position and stand behind the decision made.
In Northern Ireland, London is perceived as far away. Pat and Steve refer to the mess in the interim that Northern Ireland was in in January 2020. It remained in the EU’s internal market in terms of trade in goods, and products imported from the parent country are cleared at its ports.
A new customs border was created in the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and the island of Ireland. They wanted to keep the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland open.
No clear favorite
Nurse Caoimhe McConnell has popped out during his lunch break and will soon return to work in the children’s ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
– The skin dries out and cracks from the constant use of protective helmets and masks. It will continue regardless of the prime minister, McConnell says.
He hopes for more pay for the hard work.
– We have been on the front line of the corona fight for the third year already. Everyone gets tired and many are thinking about changing fields, says nurse McConnell.
The Prime Minister will be elected in September by 200,000 members of the Conservative Party by postal vote. Of the remaining two candidates, McConnell has no clear favorite.
In addition to the change of prime minister, Britain also wants changes to the Brexit agreement.
Britain wants to partially dismantle the Northern Ireland Protocol, an additional protocol that allows for freer movement of products.
In particular, Foreign Minister Truss has been ready to make changes to the law on trade in goods and value added tax, among other things.
The EU, on the other hand, has been reluctant to make changes to the painstakingly negotiated agreement. According to its interpretation, Britain cannot arbitrarily change the agreement. The twists and turns of trade policy are therefore waiting for Boris Johnson’s successor.
Voters in Northern Ireland appear to be increasingly supporting the current trade regulations. According to Gallup conducted by Queen’s University, the popularity of the Northern Ireland protocol has increased from 50% in February to 55% in June.
Port traffic blocked
Doing voluntary work Martin says he doesn’t want pictures, even though politics in itself interests him.
The Belfast man in his fifties says he watched a clip of Monday’s televised debate between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
– Northern Ireland was not mentioned once. You’d think the Mr. and Mrs. candidates would have more to discuss than the price of a suit or earrings, wonders Martin, referring to the candidates’ mutual bickering about the price of clothes.
He sneers at the political legacy of the outgoing Boris Johnson.
– The ports are in a knot and blocked. There shouldn’t have been any border, but it came to that sea anyway. Johnson is a cheater who doesn’t care about promises. I hate him so much I can’t really look at him anymore, says Martin.
The popularity of the British government is quite low in Northern Ireland. In the same university poll, four percent of voters trusted the government.
According to Martin, the Tory party, the Conservatives have little interest in Northern Ireland. Martin thinks Rishi Sunak would be a better choice because he is the less right-wing of the two candidates and perhaps more flexible than Liz Truss.
The economy of Northern Ireland has recovered more than other parts of the island kingdom, Wales, Scotland and England. Many companies benefit from strengthening trade ties with Ireland and the Union. According to Statistics Finland, the gross domestic product grew by 1.6 percent in June-September 2021.
For others, such as freight companies, the change means a paper war and prolonged transport times. The industry is also being disciplined by the rising cost of fuel.
Self-government cooperation has become more difficult
If the trade dispute causes thinning hair in Downing Street in the Prime Minister’s official residence, then in Northern Ireland it has paralyzed regional government.
The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party DUP refuses government cooperation with the republican Sinn Féin, which is pushing for the unification of Ireland, until the trade dispute can be resolved. This increases the pressure for increased volatility.
We don’t want a repeat of the violence of the 1970s and 1980s – the open hatred of Protestants and Catholics. Although smoldering under the surface, the Northern Ireland peace agreement achieved with hard work, or the so-called Good Friday Agreement, is wanted to be preserved.
Confidence in the survival of the resilient islanders is at least firm.
– We’ve endured the heat here, yes, it takes another prime minister, sighs Pat as he hops on the bus.
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