Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #NIProtocol
Most recents (24)
So, what's 'extreme'?
Is it extreme to want for your kids to study and work in the EU? #ErasmusPlus
Is it extreme to want touring musicians to be able to travel and play in the EU without a carnet for every musical instrument and untold restrictions on shipping the kits? @eufestivaluk
Woke up early to read Raabās Bill of Rights Bill, wasnāt sure whether to laugh or cry when I started reading the dangerous tangle of incoherence, like some teenage anti-HRA wish list & then saw @ProfMarkElliott had written a blog. Read it. Itās brilliant.
publiclawforeveryone.com/2022/06/22/theā¦
publiclawforeveryone.com/2022/06/22/theā¦
One point that really struck me when I read this Bill was on international law.
We donāt seem to have a government that understands its obligations in international law at the moment - see NI Protocol, Rwanda, WTO scandals just from last week.
And now this Bill of Rights Bill.
We donāt seem to have a government that understands its obligations in international law at the moment - see NI Protocol, Rwanda, WTO scandals just from last week.
And now this Bill of Rights Bill.
However much Raab wants to constrain UK courts in their interpretation & application of the ECHR as a matter of domestic law, the UK is still bound by its treaty obligations as a matter of international law. That remains true so long as the UK remains a party to the Convention.
Tonightās ECtHR intervention is a measure granted only exceptionally where thereās a āreal risk of irreversible harmā.
That no removal should take place until 3 weeks after the final domestic decision is the common sense this govt so often mentions in the human rights context.
That no removal should take place until 3 weeks after the final domestic decision is the common sense this govt so often mentions in the human rights context.
On a day when the UK Prime Ministerās attacks on lawyers have led the leaders of the profession to issue a strong statement, where Johnson has unleashed at least a question mark over the ECHR itself, this is a confrontation his govt has brought on itself - perhaps foreseeably.
Where culture war meets Brexit goals, this is the day after the govt claims preservation of the Good Friday Agreement forms part of a barely plausible justification for its #NIProtocol Bill.
Meanwhile,the GFA expressly preserves the ECHR, & direct enforceability, as a safeguard.
Meanwhile,the GFA expressly preserves the ECHR, & direct enforceability, as a safeguard.
So, weāve had an initial look at the delegated powers in the #NorthernIrelandProtocol Bill. In short, they are quite breathtaking. š§µ #NIProtocol #NIP 1/
We make no comment on the Bill's legal/policy justifications - others are better-placed to do so. But on the scope of the powers & the scrutiny implications for Parliament, the provisions are on a par with - & arguably surpass - the broadest powers we saw in the Brexit bills. 2/
First, every regulation-making power in the Bill is essentially converted into a 'Henry VIII' power by clause 22, which says regulations made under this Act may make any provision that could be made by an Act of Parliament, including provisions modifying this Bill/Act. 3/
FYI, latest #PMI surveys undermine claims that #NIprotocol / SM membership is helping the Northern Ireland economy to outperform...
NI was the second weakest region In May, with the least optimistic outlook for the next 12 months... (1/3)
#BrexitReality
NI was the second weakest region In May, with the least optimistic outlook for the next 12 months... (1/3)
#BrexitReality
... detail shows Northern Ireland doing worse than the UK average on
ā activity
ā new business
ā backlogs
ā employment
ā input costs
ā prices charged (2/3)
ā activity
ā new business
ā backlogs
ā employment
ā input costs
ā prices charged (2/3)
... and this isn't a new development either š (3/3)
sources: pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/Prā¦
pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/Prā¦
sources: pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/Prā¦
pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home/Prā¦
You canāt unilaterally amend an international treaty by changing domestic law. If you could thereād be no point in having treaties. It get to the heart of the difference between two ideas of Brexit.
Thread.
Thread.
2/ One kind of brexit, letās call it Mayās Brexit, is about redefining the arrangements the UK has with the EU. Those different arrangements, agreed by the UK and EU would then be understood as binding on both parties.
3/ The other, letās call it Moggās Brexit, doesnāt actually approve of binding international agreements at all. It may seem to its British proponents that this gives the UK maximum freedom to do as it likes, but it actually just puts the UK outside international law.
@13sarahmurphy @Jesse_Norman is husband of Kate Bingham has no confidence in #Johnson's leadership or policies!
1. "You have presided over a culture of casual law-breaking in 10 Downing St in relation to #Covid."
"To describe yourself as vindicated is GROTESQUE."
1. "You have presided over a culture of casual law-breaking in 10 Downing St in relation to #Covid."
"To describe yourself as vindicated is GROTESQUE."
@13sarahmurphy @Jesse_Norman 2. "in the Queen's Speech & elsewhere, your current policies are DEEPLY QUESTIONABLE.
Breach of the #NIProtocol wd be ECONOMICALLY VERY DAMAGING,
POLITICALLY FOOLHARDY
& almost certainly ILLEGAL."
Breach of the #NIProtocol wd be ECONOMICALLY VERY DAMAGING,
POLITICALLY FOOLHARDY
& almost certainly ILLEGAL."
@13sarahmurphy @Jesse_Norman "#Rwanda policy is UGLY, likely counterproductive & of DOUBTFUL LEGALITY.
Privatisation of @Channel4News is UNNECESSARY & PROVOCATIVE..at significant cost to INDEPENDENT UK film & TV industry"
"NO genuinely Conservative govt should have supported the recent ban on noisy protest"!
Privatisation of @Channel4News is UNNECESSARY & PROVOCATIVE..at significant cost to INDEPENDENT UK film & TV industry"
"NO genuinely Conservative govt should have supported the recent ban on noisy protest"!
The EU's response to the UK's unilateral plan on the #NIprotocol has been one of "disappointment rather than anger," @JamesCleverly told MPs. The government has followed "a policy of no surprises" in regards to the UK's negotiations with the EU, he said.
The government wants "to move quickly" with the legislation on the protocol. The earliest date to table the bill is the "first week back from recess," but ministers want to get it right, Cleverly adds.
The government's priorities are fixing disruption to East-West trade across the Irish Sea and the re-establishment of the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland, the UK's Europe minister says.
1) Section 13.8 in the #NIProtocol makes it very clear that both sides are committed where necessary to 'replace either in whole, or in part' if it doesn't work or areas cause trade diversion and/or political instability which is damaging for the Good Friday Agreement.
2) Any agreement signed under Article 50, cannot be forever it's a temporary arrangement, this was always going to be a transitional agreement. The EU should have been sitting down properly to discuss what was necessary, but they have been intransigent from day one.
3) There's an alternative to the #NIProtocol; it's called āmutual enforcementā (originally proposed by a member of the commission). Itās the idea that you both take responsibility for what crosses your border for each other, if somebody sends goods across the border that are not
ā In #LordsQs from 2.35pm:
@mritchiesd presses government on negotiations with the European Commission regarding the #NorthernIrelandProtocol #NIProtocol following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections #AE22.
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
1/4 š½
@mritchiesd presses government on negotiations with the European Commission regarding the #NorthernIrelandProtocol #NIProtocol following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections #AE22.
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
1/4 š½
Next @danielmgmoylan quizzes government on the economic situation in Sri Lanka and support for the country in #LordsQs from around 2.45pm.
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
2/4 š½
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
2/4 š½
Then Lord Wallace of Saltaire questions government on the new model history curriculum as #LordsQs continues from around 2.55pm.
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
3/4 š½
šŗ Watch #HouseofLords online parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08ā¦
3/4 š½
You know when the Govt finally start taking an issue seriously because they let John Bew write an article about it. #NIProtocol
John is the No 10 foreign policy adviser, heavily involved in developing our position on Ukraine, historian, and author of the best biography of Attlee, amongst other things.
Relevant here because he's from NI and wrote his thesis on unionism. And his Dad, Paul Bew, now a cross bench peer, is one of the major historians of Ireland and Northern Ireland and was involved in the GFA.
š“ BREAKING | @10DowningStreet says: 'Let's fix the protocol and not scrap it' - Writing in tomorrow's @BelTel @BorisJohnson calls on the DUP to restore devolution and on the #NIProtocol, he says it should be fixed and not scrapped.
Read his message:
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/commenā¦
Read his message:
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/commenā¦
@10DowningStreet @BorisJohnson š“ BREAKING | Sam McBride on @BorisJohnson message ahead of his visit to Belfast: PM indicates to unionists #NIProtocol will not be scrapped but must be fundamentally altered, regardless of whether the EU agrees
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ā¦
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ā¦
What Boris Johnson says about @moneillsf:
āI think it is testimony to the path that Sinn Fein have taken from 1998 that Michelle OāNeill is now awarded the position of First Minister. I have no doubt we will work together well.ā
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/commenā¦
āI think it is testimony to the path that Sinn Fein have taken from 1998 that Michelle OāNeill is now awarded the position of First Minister. I have no doubt we will work together well.ā
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/commenā¦
A few points on the #NIProtocol that some U.K. commentators would do well to reflect on š§µ
1) the NIP was signed as part of the WA alongside the Political Declaration before the trade deal was agreed
It was agreed before the 2019 GE under conditions of Benn Act
Signed post GE
1) the NIP was signed as part of the WA alongside the Political Declaration before the trade deal was agreed
It was agreed before the 2019 GE under conditions of Benn Act
Signed post GE
2) The PD states that any future trade deal should protect the internal markets of both the EU and the UK
The current implementation of it by the EU is only protecting the internal market of the EU and undermining the UKs
The current implementation of it by the EU is only protecting the internal market of the EU and undermining the UKs
3) The NIP contains within it article 16-which allows unilateral safeguarding action
Implementing it IS NOT BREAKING INTERNATIONAL LAW
Both the EU and U.K. agreed to the clause being contained within
Implementing it IS NOT BREAKING INTERNATIONAL LAW
Both the EU and U.K. agreed to the clause being contained within
I spent some time in Washington DC in March speaking to a number of Irish-American figures about Northern Ireland and #Brexit. Thread 1/5
'We don't need lectures' on peace process, says Frost rte.ie/news/2022/0513ā¦ via @rte
'We don't need lectures' on peace process, says Frost rte.ie/news/2022/0513ā¦ via @rte
US support for upholding and implementing the #NIProtocol is resolute. It is also *bipartisan* at a time when few issues in US politics enjoy bipartisan support 2/5
And that support exists at the *most* senior levels across the White House, Senate and Congress theguardian.com/politics/2022/ā¦ 3/5
MaroÅ” Å efÄoviÄ: The EU doesn't work with threats and blackmail. Every time we make new proposals, the UK bats them away. Start negotiating with us, he pleads. @MarosSefcovic. #NIprotocol #brexit @Michael_Ellis1
Without resolving protocol issues, "Northern Ireland is split off, it's split off from the rest of the United Kingdom...causing tensions, threatening the peace process", says British minister @Michael_Ellis1. #NIprotocol #brexit
UK minister @Michael_Ellis1: Must end role of EU court as #NIprotocol final arbiter.
@MarosSefcovic: Arbiter over EU's single market rules, not the whole agreement, but if you don't agree "there's a huge question mark over access of Northern Ireland to the Single Market" #brexit
@MarosSefcovic: Arbiter over EU's single market rules, not the whole agreement, but if you don't agree "there's a huge question mark over access of Northern Ireland to the Single Market" #brexit
Foreign Secretary @trussliz told @MarosSefcovic that EU proposals to resolve Northern Ireland protocol problems "would take us backwards" and lead to "more checks and paperwork" #brexit #NIprotocol
"As a responsible government" the UK would have "no choice but to act", if the EU refuses to show "requisite flexibility", @trussliz threatened @MarosSefcovic, according to the statement from the Foreign Office. #brexit #NIprotocol
EU is convinced the UK intends to "embark on the path of unilateral action", says @MarosSefcovic following his phone call with @trussliz this morning. #brexit #NIprotocol
UK needs to show "determination and creativity" if we are to resolve Northern Ireland difficulties, says @MarosSefcovic in statement. #brexit #NorthernIreland
"Unilateral action by the UK would only make our work on possible solutions more difficult." #brexit #NIProtocol
BREAKING. EU Commission: "The decision by the Northern Irish Minister for Agriculture is therefore unhelpful. It creates further uncertainly and unpredictability for businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland"
#Brexit #Poots #Checks #NIProtocol
#Brexit #Poots #Checks #NIProtocol
EU: "The European Commission will closely monitor developments in Northern Ireland pursuant to this announcement. It recalls the responsibility of the UK Government for the respect of the international obligations it has entered into"
#Brexit #Poots
#Brexit #Poots
EU:"Vice-President Å efÄoviÄ will speak to the UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss on Thursday afternoon to continue our discussions on finding durable solutions for the people of Northern Ireland. He will recall that controls on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain..."
Clear that @MarosSefcovic+@EU_Commission are digging in, ignoring fundamental facts: that the #NIProtocol cannot be a permanent agreement any more than the rest of WA; and it is not protecting the peace process, but destroying it. telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/ā¦ā¦ 1/12
The#NIProtocol does not carry the support of both communities in NI and is therefore undermining the #GoodFridayAgreement and the peace process; and is leading to the end of power sharing in NI (āsocietal dislocationā)ā¦ 2/12
The#NIProtocol is also causing substantial ādiversion of tradeā; and both āsocietal dislocationā and ādiversion of tradeā are grounds for perfectly legal exercise of Art 16 of NIPā¦ 3/12
@DavidGHFrost ON EU-UK relations reached a āLow equilibrium, a somewhat fractious relationship...it need not always be like that. Fixing NI protocol is a prerequisite for getting to that better place.ā
Linkage with NI Protocol fix and better relations../2
Linkage with NI Protocol fix and better relations../2
@DavidGHFrost Despite problems with Paris: "Always look to have a constructive relationship with France"/3
The European Commission is preparing for a partial suspension of the Northern Ireland protocol by the UK. But such a move could pose a major test of European unity.
Hereās a long thread on what might become the bumpiest months yet in the EU-UK relation:
pro.politico.eu/news/141246
Hereās a long thread on what might become the bumpiest months yet in the EU-UK relation:
pro.politico.eu/news/141246
The Commissionās formal response to the UKās proposal to change the #NIprotocol is due Wednesady and will include an exception for ānational identity food products,ā allowing sausages and other products to enter NI from GB after the end of previously-agreed grace periods.
But in a speech in Lisbon Tuesday, @DavidGHFrost will warn that the EU proposals are insufficient. He will press the bloc to scrap its ban on British chilled meats entering NI from the rest of the UK altogether and remove oversight of the European Court of Justice in the region.
#NIProtocol
Macron: that Boris Johnson was āwell awareā of āincoherencesā in the Northern Ireland Protocol when he signed up to it (which is an implicit admission that the NIP is a logical mess).
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/ā¦
Macron: that Boris Johnson was āwell awareā of āincoherencesā in the Northern Ireland Protocol when he signed up to it (which is an implicit admission that the NIP is a logical mess).
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/ā¦
What incoherences? The NIP states that NI is an integral part of the UK Customs territory (art 4) and of the UK internal market (art 6). So, why do we hear about a (customs and/or regulatory) border on the Irish Sea? Why does Macron say NI is not fully a part of the UK?
Because other NIP provisions are ā in effect ā inconsistent with the two principles set out above, as they require NI to apply some EU Sigle Market rules and the UK to apply customs checks (EU Customs Code) to goods moving from GB to NI "at-risk" of end up into the EU.
Iām late to this, but here is aš§µabout just how non-trivial the #sausagewars / wider #NIProtocol food supply issues are. At its core is an illustration just how far down a rabbit hole we are and how poor our understanding of what 'freedom to trade' actually means in practice 1/
Reminder @ColdChainFed represents logistics businesses. our membersā job is to get product from A to B, the more freely they can do that, the more responsive the market is to demand, the more open the market is to competition and the lower the cost of goods is to consumers. 2/
So far we have not seen the full effects of the NI Protocol because (a) gov secured and extended massive temporary concessions for āsupermarketsā from the rules and (b) the hospitality trade in NI has been coincidentally shut for 6 months since the protocol came in to being. 3/
Quick update thread on the status in Parliament of #LordFrost, as there have been developments this week & there'll be more tomorrow (Mon 15/3). #Brexit #NIProtocol 1/7
To recap: House of Lords rescinded Lord Frost's leave of absence, early, when he started his ministerial job on 1/3. There are Qs re: process (behind-the-scenes agreement not publicly-taken decision of whole House) but this allowed him to participate in HoL business, so: good. 2/
Since 1/3, Lord Frost has been answering, for the gov, relevant Qs in HoL as they've come up: on 4/1 on the space industry; & on 10/3 to a Private Notice Q (Lords' equivalent of an Urgent Q) on the Northern Ireland Protocol/Grace Period. 3/7
