If the UK and EU recognise and deal with the flaws in the protocol – Slugger O’Toole

Good spake from Newton Emerson which (like Brian Feeneys piece on Wednesday) highlights another trapdoor in its rejectionist rhetoric around the Protocol

The cynically engineered electoral competition between Sinn Fin and the DUP ratcheted their votes up together, then down together as despairing voters deserted them in the Alliance surge, until the implosion of the DUP over Brexit suddenly left Sinn Fin polling 9 percentage points ahead.

This is the safety margin for the nationalist electorate the extent to which Sinn Fin can be punished for failure without putting unionists back in the lead. Although republicans will never adopt the SDLP slogan of making Northern Ireland work, they have been given a tremendous incentive to make Stormont work.

Beyond Conor Murphy and Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fin has drifted into controlled co-option of loyal but relatively unknown junior figures. That safety margin may allow a slowly expanding SDLP to build on its gains from December 2019.

Regarding the DUP, Newton notes that its previous out and out oppositional rhetoric is changing almost before our eyes

How do you make the protocol work, then go to the polls telling people this is their chance to scrap it?

Semantic distinctions are being carefully noted. Calling for the protocols abolition is hopeless belligerence. Sounding just tough enough, while welcoming whatever compromise might be offered, is the only way forward.

In his leadership campaign against Poots last month, Donaldson vowed to vigorously oppose the protocol both in principle and in practice and to boycott North-South institutions even if this threatened to collapse devolution.

This week, on becoming DUP leader, he said I will play my part to bring stability if the UK and EU recognise and deal with the flaws in the protocol.

Thats pretty much now where everyone else is (and where Arlene was in the first couple of weeks in January). Its fate lies in the willingness (or otherwise) to put his trust in the hands of the British Prime Minister and the joint committee.

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

See original here:

If the UK and EU recognise and deal with the flaws in the protocol - Slugger O'Toole