Seeing some comments, Remain needs to be sharper on Northern Ireland and the deal /1
It's really not okay to say that this deal or any like it would 'sell out' Northern Ireland or give it to the EU. Northern Ireland will need to have a special position if we leave the EU and that is a good thing, there is no sense in arguing against it /2
Indeed, part of the point that should be made is that NI has a special position now and that this is exactly what we are trying to preserve /3
NI's place in the union is at risk but not because we're weakening the direct rule of Westminster - it's because we're throwing a difficult compromise up in the air /4
In an eagerness to oppose Brexit, we should not fall into the trap of excusing betrayal narratives and even threats of violence in NI /5
The issue at hand is real but it is sensitive and the last thing we need to be doing is encouraging sectarianism. We therefore need better framing - less on the dangers of this Brexit deal and more on the essential role the EU plays in allowing for NI's careful balance /6
We can still make essentially the same point - only EU membership allows for a real compromise between nationalists and unionists - without suggesting anything about loyalist violence /7
For NI to be preserved in the union, any Brexit deal would need cross-community support /8
In this regard we don't need to focus on the extremist groups or the potential for a border poll, we can quite simply say that this is a deal that is opposed by the overwhelming majority of NI's parties and this, the discontent from the moderate majority, is the real concern /end
