HEADLINE: NI is divided over the subject, believe it or not.
47% think Protocol is appropriate; 47% disagree.
What's interesting is that this split hasn’t changed much since last poll in March.
Most think NI needs specific arrangements but they disagree over the Protocol.
2/8
The majority (57%) think there are economic opportunities for NI from the Protocol, but right now, the predominant view of its current impact is negative.
This graph shows positive-minus-negative results 👇
41% say Protocol has a positive impact on NI economy, 48% disagree. 3/8
7 out of 10 respondents are (very) concerned about the impact of Brexit & the Protocol.
This is as much about democratic implications as economic ones.
Indeed, checks & controls GB-NI is the least of their concerns.
57% also say UK should align with EU rules to reduce those 4/8
As in last poll, trust in actors to manage NI interests re: the #Protocol is low...
With notable exception of business reps who are trusted by the majority🤝
Levels of trust in the UK Govt rose since March... from 5% to 6%😬
Trust in the EU is 40%, but distrusted by 48%.
5/8
8/10 said candidates' positions on the Protocol will determine how they cast their votes in the next Assembly #election.
Looking ahead to the 2024 '#consent vote' on the Protocol, we see that voters are evenly split as to whether they want their MLAs to vote for or against.
6/8
As a sign of quite how exercised people are on the topic, over 500 people went to the trouble of adding written comments at the end of the poll.
These are harder to depict in a tweet, but powerful to read.
Overall we see strong divisions of opinion over the #Protocol.
Most think #Brexit is not a good thing for UK.
Most (2/3) respondents think NI needs particular arrangements through Brexit.
But then they're fairly split over whether the Protocol is appropriate or good.
A 4-tweet thread for every person living in N.Ireland who might well wonder what #Brexit means in practical terms.
Travelling, studying, working, driving, shopping, roaming in the EU after 1st Jan... & what will change on the island of Ireland too.
1/4
Those born in N.Ireland have a birthright to Irish citizenship, & Irish citizens retain EU citizenship rights.
Because Brexit means #Brexit, British citizens no longer have those rights, & there will be a change in visiting, staying and working in the EU after 1st January.
2/4
But regardless of citizenship, there are big changes ahead in practical matters.
Those in NI are affected by the terms of the UK-EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement...
But there are also some differences for those in NI.
💳🧑🎓🐕🐈⬛
A very brief thread on how the #deal looks from N. Ireland.
In NI we're looking both east/west & north/south, as well as across to the wider EU.
[It is brief because I'm just going on the ltd EU info that we have👇
And because it's Xmas Eve, obvs 🎅] 1/6 ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf…
You know this already, but:
The #Protocol means NI-EU mvnt of goods remains as it is at the moment in terms of paperwork.
But it also means GB-NI mvnt of goods is like a mini version of what happens GB-EU.
ie. ⬆️ GB-EU friction/divergence, the ‘harder’ the Irish Sea Border
2/6
The #Deal means fewer goods considered ‘at risk’, which is a huge relief re: tariffs GB-NI.
🛃
But the ‘friction’ arising from SM rules, esp agri-food, is not much relieved by this deal.