Comments by "Taint ABird" (@taintabird23) on "The Brexit deal explained: is this the end of seven years of political mayhem?" video.

  1. Firstly, Staying in or leaving the EU is not even a question in the Republic of Ireland - only in the UK, specifically among the English. In Northern Ireland, there is no majority for leaving the EU and the DUP are unrepresentative of the population in the stance they have taken. Secondly, the DUP cannot admit to wanting a hard border in Ireland as the GFA is based on the idea that NI remaining in the UK is counterbalanced by there being an open border with the republic, for nationalists. However, they were fine if a hard border on the island was a consequence of Brexit and they worked towards that. Dublin, Brussels and Washington could all see what the DUP were up to and in the end it backfired on them. The EU 27 all recognise that NI is a special case because they understand the complexities of the peace process. There are zero grounds for member states seeking unrestricted access to the UK market as NI is actually part of the UK. It would only apply if the Republic of Ireland suddenly got this special access while not being part of the UK. That's not what is happening. The British government has acknowledged that since the GFA was adopted in 1998, NI is in the waiting room to exit the UK in the future and to unite with the republic. It is simply recognising reality and getting on with its own agenda.
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