DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Judge Rishi’s settlement is based on merit, not emotion
Let’s be clear. The search for a solution to the Gordian problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol must transcend petty rivalries and the vanity of politicians.
The stakes here are much higher than factional feuds, or the simmering dispute in the Tory party between supporters of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
It is about the fate of Northern Ireland and the integrity of the United Kingdom. Therefore, the fine details of any proposed agreement must be studied in a calm and measured manner.
No one should underestimate the difficulty of Mr Sunak’s task in negotiating a deal that satisfies Brussels but does not weaken the province’s status within the union.
In fact, some will think it was reckless and politically dangerous of you to force the issue now, instead of trying to put it off until after the next election.
No one should underestimate the difficulty of Rishi Sunak’s task in negotiating a deal that satisfies Brussels but does not weaken Northern Ireland’s status within the union.
But the Mail understands why it is impatient to clean up this mess, which is causing genuine distress and difficulties for businesses and reviving old sectarian tensions.
The Democratic Unionist Party withdrew from Stormont because of it, with the result that there has been no devolved administration in Northern Ireland for over a year.
Unfortunately, the negotiations have already been subject to too many twists. It is deeply unfortunate that the King is being dragged into this highly charged process, with reports that the revised protocol could be called the Windsor Agreement to incorporate it.
Similarly, we have reservations that his first foreign visit as head of state will be a “talking” trip to Germany and France, rather than a tour of Commonwealth countries. The monarchy must be above such obvious politicking, especially when feelings run so high.
Of course, there are several unanswered questions about the new protocol. Will manufacturers in Northern Ireland, whether baking pies or building boats, comply with UK or EU regulations?
What about the supply chain of ingredients and components for such products? Would those items also have to comply with EU regulations before being allowed to enter from mainland Britain unchecked?
Then there is the thorny issue of the European Court. Will you have the final say in any future disputes over the protocol, or will there be a separate arbitration system?
It is deeply unfortunate that the King is dragged into this highly charged process
These are not matters that can be easily evaded or dismissed and Sunak must make that clear to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during their meeting today.
Northern Ireland politics has always aroused powerful and deep-seated passions.
But we urge all parties to read the proposals carefully and think through them with their heads and hearts.
A hasty judgment based on emotion instead of reason and facts would not help anyone. And it could cause untold damage to lives and livelihoods.
criminal intervention
In December 2020, 23 Jamaican criminals were blocked from deportation after a protest by Labor MPs backed by self-righteous celebrities, including supermodel Naomi Campbell and television historian David Olusoga, led to a successful legal challenge on human rights grounds. .
The Mail can now reveal that six months after being released, one such criminal, Ernesto Elliott, stabbed a man to death on a London street and is now serving a life sentence with a minimum sentence of 26 years.
Are those virtue-pointing luvvies proud of themselves? Your reckless intervention has contributed to at least one death and probably other crimes.
They also gave the taxpayer a £1.3m bill to keep Elliott in prison until he completes his sentence.
The next time they, or any other celebrity, are tempted to defend violent criminals, they might think twice.