[0762]

I still think NI is gonna be the big political minefield for Brexit - another devolved country with none of the political parties supporting the Withdrawal Agreement!!!! They all know it is gonna be a practical nightmare regardless of Johnson's assurances that there will be no checks on goods coming across the sea, no tariffs, no nothing - bullshit!! And to the MLAs, Johnson's "charm offensive" will not "wash" as it looks like the PM's great(?) Brexit recipe is more spatchcock than "oven ready"!! Also the Irish govt has already said that it is under no pressure to comply with Johnson's timetable to conclude by the end of 2020. The hard truth is that nobody but no-one in the EU is taking Johnson's "bluff n bluster" seriously. And the Institute of Government agrees, reporting that the government's short timeline for sorting out the border issue is "undeliverable. News from the IFG also reveals that Westminster could face legal action from the European Commission if they fail to deliver the necessary computer systems in order to implement the NI Protocol which involves highly complex customs arrangements and regulatory and customs checks between the North and the rest of the UK. This could take up to 5 years to commission and set up properly, making Johnson's 11 month target totally unrealistic and foolhardy - something many of us suspected all along!! In the report it states that "failure to comply with the Withdrawal Agreement could see the Euro Commission begin infringement proceedings and the UK ending up at the European Court of Justice". Oh dearie, dearie me!