The statement shows the UK Internal Market Bill was only the half of it...
At the end it promises more such moves to come in the Finance Bill,
"inc. the same Parliamentary process that the Govt has committed to for the UKIM Bill" to related to "tariffs on GB-NI movement"...
2/
This is a statement for those not familiar with the NI/IRL Protocol - i.e. it is aimed at MPs who may still have niggles about the whole 'putting law-breaking into law' thing.
It is certainly not one intended to address the key matter, or to rebuild necessary trust with EU.
3/
The hope, I guess, is to assure the fainthearted by mention of the fact that, in parallel with law-breaking, the govt would 'activate appropriate formal dispute settlement mechanisms'...
Silent on participating fully in them or abiding by the outcome of those mechanisms.
4/
Worse - much worse -
The justification for the powers they seek to take is a completely inaccurate presentation of what the NI/IRL #Protocol is & does.
There's a hell of alot of drum-banging & scare-mongering here for a statement purportedly intended to calm the waters.
5/
E.g.
- "GB-NI" tariffs are not a thing. Tariffs will be paid on GB goods going into EU if No Deal, inc. if they go to EU via NI.
- There's no threat of export declarations on NI goods going to GB. (Shorter) Exit summary declns are subject to negotiation. UK cd yet 'win' that.
6/
- EU waiting on UK to give the necessary info to have 3rd country listing. It's not really in any doubt.
- The state aid point? Well if that wasn't there, it would mean more difference btn NI & GB. And if there was a UK-EU agmt on state aid, this Art.10 wdn't be an issue.
7/
Fuelling heat & ire over the #Protocol is the v. opposite of what's needed
NI has no choice but to sit at UK/EU nexus long-term
Setting fire to trust & good faith around this is so irresponsible
The damage will endure here long after England forgets what the fuss was about
8/8
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It would be weird if a political sociologist in N.Ireland didn't have something to say about the #NIcensus2021 results released today, wouldn't it?!
& a pity if there weren't slides to go along with those comments...
NI population is up, more households with fewer people in each (2.44 ave).
There is more ethnic and language diversity than before but, oh my, it's still not very much. 2/9
"How would you describe your national identity" - a comparison here between 2011 & 2021.
A drop in British only (down 8 percentage points), and a rise in Irish only (up by 4 % points). 3/9
Predicting the outcome of the Assembly #Election in N.Ireland is straightforward enough if you know how.
There are a handful of key factors to bear in mind.
Nail all of these & you’ll be way ahead of the game come results day 🤓 #AE22 🏖️
1/8
#1: the Issues 📝
What concerns are raised on the door steps? On the airwaves? Social media? Street demos?
What real life problems are addressed in the manifestos?
What policies are dissected in political debate?
Find the common thread across these & ... oh 😶
Moving on💨
2/8
#2: the Parties🥳
What do the polls say [& do they tally]?
How trusted are their leaders, & how secure are they?
How did they perform in the last mandate?
Have they made major blunders?
Are they running too many or too few candidates?
How transfer-friendly are they, to whom?
3/8