Thread by @AnnaJerzewska

Solving the NI border was always going to be technically challenging and politically sensitive.

Instead of working on these issues in advance, the UK and the EU signed a Protocol that was a high-level legal framework only.

/1

https://twitter.com/DavidHenigUK/status/1400703991588311043

Some of the practicalities were to be solved by the Joint Committee.

Here again - a patch-up job at best while it was becoming increasingly clear that the two sides have a different vision of how it should work

/2

The UK's Command Paper was a clear sign that the UK's view on its obligations differed from that of the EU.

Were these differences addressed at the time? No, of course not.

/3

Continous refusal to address the problem or to admit that there is still a long way to go before we have a stable, workable solution is making what was already a challenging situation - worse.

/4

Plus, on top of the actual technical difficulties, you have politics and various stakeholders using the Protocol as part of their own narrative.

/5

It's frustrating cause it was so predictable.

It's frustrating cause it was so mishandled.

It's frustrating cause if there is one area where a workable solution depends on goodwill, compromise and trust - it's this.

/6

There are no shortcuts here cause there are no off the shelf solutions to the problem.

So I look forward to the day when we start thinking about an actual compromise and accepting the consequences of all our previous decisions.

7/7