UK public discourse seems to be even growing in furore over the Art. 16 debacle. But even if you acknowledge the EU Commission made a mistake, it is time for much needed perspective:
https://twitter.com/MehreenKhn/status/1357036788179755008
The EU Commission got under quick pressure from Ireland and corrected the mistake within a few hours. Further internal pressure will now lead to safeguards around the NI protocol.
While the UK gov is today threatening to trigger art. 16, last year threatened to violate the NI protocol with the Internal Market Bill and got the House of Commons to vote twice for that explicit violation of the UK's legal commitments.
In the meantime, the UK prime minister never acknowledged that the NI protocol together with the hard #Brexit both of which he negotiated and the UK Parliament voted for invariably leads to trade frictions between NI and the rest of the UK. The choices made have consequences.
Finally, the EU as well has a responsibility to make the NI protocol work. It violated that on Friday but quickly reversed. This is however no grounds for the UK to walk away from the consequences of its choices nor a invitation to break the NI protocol again.
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