Merkel call was indeed a disaster, as others have reported. But worse even than briefings I’m told. She essentially instructed Johnson to tell NI to accept full alignment on customs and regulation. Ordering either side in NI to do stuff is usually a good idea I’m told... 1/4
Reminds me of a complaint from a Merkel-friendly v senior member of Theresa May’s team who said the German chancellor applied her own experiences of borders to Ireland, but could only see North-South, not East-West 2/4
This speaks to a wider point about Ireland’s diplomatic success. Unionist Northern Ireland has few friends or sympathisers. Irish nationalism has many. But Ireland works its diplomatic network. Britain has been useless—and so has unionism 3/4
One example: Ireland has been taking groups of European journalists on tours of the border. I went on one. They’re good, balanced, serious—and reinforce the point about the land border. What has British diplomacy achieved re unionism? 4/4
