That in turn throws into question whether the current legal & constitutional arrangements represent the settled “will of the people” in Scotland.
And, if they don’t, whether they’re sustainable. /2.
Brexit, the subsequent shift toward greater support for Scottish independence, the Scottish parliamentary majority achieved ob 6 May for an independence referendum, & the local rebellion against Home Office officials in Glasgow, all suggest not. /3.
Belarus today used its security agencies and a military fighter jet forcibly to seize an EU civilian airliner flying between two EU/ NATO capitals & abduct one of the passengers. /1.
The threat of devastating, fatal military force against the airliner is obvious & undeniable. (If you don’t believe me, ask any civilian pilot what the calculus is when faced with such a situation). /2.
The abducted passenger is threatened with extrajudicial execution. (Belarus has no credible judicial process). /3.
There are many & varied, often highly debatable, claims as to what Brexit’s “about”.
One point, at least, is beyond any reasonable challenge.
Brexit is & always has been necessarily, unavoidably about Ireland. /2.
The legal & political realities are clear. The only workable, sustainable Brexit for the UK of Great Britain & Northern Ireland is one in which it remains in (or now rejoins) the EU customs union & single market. Or substantially identical arrangements. All else is hot air. /3.
We don’t know who the “senior ally” of @BorisJohnson quoted by @Telegraph is. We can guess. @DavidGHFrost well knows that if the Northern Ireland Protocol is “dead in the water”, so is the “oven-ready” Brexit. Either that or the Good Friday Agreement. /1.
So, which is it, folks? The “senior ally” complains that the NIP breaks the GFA. That means Boris’ Brexit does. Recall: we’re talking about a legally binding international agreement. And we know @BorisJohnson@DavidGHFrost & the Cabinet would never break international law. /2.
Obviously that also means they would never countenance a border across Ireland. We all know the upshot of all that is the UK has to accept the need to return to the EU’s customs union & single market. Or substantially identical arrangements. /3.
Read @LordRickettsP’s book, “Hard Choices: What Britain Does Next”. You simply won’t get a better account anywhere of what it’s been like trying to guide the UK through the tectonic shifts of global power these last few decades. You’ll learn much. If you’re willing. /1.
No one who knows @LordRickettsP - considerate, calm, clear-sighted - would think of him as brutal. But don’t be fooled. His book isn’t for the faint of heart. If this extract strikes a chord with you, you’ll want to read more. If it doesn’t, you need to.👇/2.
As @LordRickettsP says, quoting Thucydides: “The strong do what they can & the weak suffer what they must”. And, as others have pointed out: on the global stage, all European powers are small. The difference lies between those who’ve understood that & those who haven’t. /3.
What’s fascinating about @lewis_goodall’s report👇of @ukhomeoffice reaction after a senior police officer in Glasgow decided to release people detained by UK officials is the begged questions.
Who are “the frontline”?
Which is “our country”?
Who’s in charge?
A🧵/1.
Clearly, there were two “frontlines” in this case (not counting what the HO described as a “mob”): UK immigration officials, & the (Scottish) police. /2.
And there are two countries. The UK. And Scotland. That’s far from a purely historical, emotional or cultural point. Although it’s that too. It’s a political, legal & operational one. As we saw in Glasgow earlier. /3.