Here is a problem with the DUP wanting 'no special arrangements for Northern Ireland': until Brexit they've been demanding nothing but that for decades (thread)
In 2011 at the Treasury, I worked on the announcement of the reduction of long haul APD and it's devolution to Stormont. It temporarily kept a symbolic but unprofitable United airlines belfast-NY route open...
At the forefront of that campaign were DUP politicians who rightly pointed out the Uk's higher rate of APD made Belfast's airports uncompetitive against Dubln. Northern Ireland therefore had 'special' and 'unique' needs that HMT had to meet...
The geographic fact of the island of Ireland had economic consequences which the DUP was willing to ham up. It still does. Leaving aside GFA, for the DUP to now say economic divergence is a constitutional outrage is... inconsistent. At best.
