#Brexit: ‘A hardening of the Irish border would be damaging to the peace process’ #NorthernIreland

Dr Katy Hayward of the Queen’s Universtiy of Belfast explains how EU membership was a fundamental baseline for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). A recent study carried out by Hayward of the mid-border region found that people surveyed would find a hardening of the border as damaging to the peace process and undermining to the 1998 (GFA) agreement.
When asked about whether Northern Ireland could return to a conflict situation, Hayward said she was cautious about dramatizing the situation even though there was clear evidence of ongoing paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, Hayward said that the uncertainty about Brexit and devolution – with no current devolved assembly in place – has a day-to-day impact on trust and cooperation. In particular, tensions between the British and Irish governments in public have a negative impace on relations between unionists and nationalists.
Hayward said that the EU is trying to achieve an agreement on principles. For Northern Ireland this is not just about trade, but a whole range of areas of cross-border cooperation from road safety to health care. Hayward emphasised that Northern Ireland will need a special arrangement and that regulatory convergence in certain sectors would be a requirement, she added that this would require having a new assembly in place.

[herbert]

3:30
Interviewer: "What do you think a satisfactory solution to the Irish border question would be?|

Dr. Hayward: "That's a big question. It's important to note that the EU has said they're not looking out for solutions here ..."

Indeed. If the EU were to act on the simple solution they have tucked away in their back pocket (i.e.a free trade deal with Britain) it would create internal conflict with their strategy of demanding huge sums of cash. It's important to note that the EU are brazenly touting a precarious peace along the Irish border as a bargaining chip. Make that ransom note.