Sir,- I would like to thank you for publishing the letter from Paul Johnston, UK ambassador to Ireland (Letters, March 5th).
I needed a good laugh. – Yours, etc,
CIARA FARRELL,
Howth,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Paul Johnston, the UK ambassador to Ireland, says of his government’s unilateral decision to break the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, “These measures are lawful and consistent with a progressive and good faith implementation of the protocol”.
There is absolutely no reason to doubt the sincerity of Mr Johnston’s statement.
Except, perhaps, that the British government had already once before threatened to break international law by introducing the Internal Markets Bill.
Also, one cannot ignore the fact that his ultimate boss, Boris Johnson, has a well-earned reputation for having a notoriously loose relationship with the truth.
In the past, for instance, Mr Johnson was fired as a journalist and as a minister specifically for lying.
Indeed, Boris Johnson became British prime minister after winning the Brexit referendum on the back of a campaign based on lies.
It’s hard not to feel a smidgeon of pity for the UK ambassador, a no doubt honourable man whose job has been sadly reduced to defending the indefensible. – Yours, etc,
JOE McCARTHY,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – It has been obvious to many of us that since Boris Johnson became British prime minister that his grasp of what is a truth is very loose indeed. His promises mean nothing, he is quite without a moral compass, and he has filled his government with people of the same ilk.
It should not surprise anyone that his word is not only not his bond but that he would not recognise what it is to give one’s word . – Yours, etc,
DEREK SKELTON,
Basingstoke,
Hampshire, UK.
Sir, – Regarding the very dangerous breach of good faith by the British government on matters to do with the Northern Ireland Protocol, have those negotiating on our behalf never heard the truism, “The trust of the believer is the beguiler’s most useful tool”? – Yours, etc,
JIM O’SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.
A chara, – At first glance, the UK ambassador Paul Johnson’s justification for the UK breaking the Northern Ireland protocol seems reasonable. It is, allegedly, trying to provide practical solutions to problems being experienced “in the everyday life of communities” and ensure cross-community support.
But the bottom line is that it is a justification for the UK once again breaking the solemn legal undertakings it entered into when it signed the withdrawal and trade and cooperation agreements.
The fact that he invokes the EU’s mistaken threat to invoke Article 16 merely adds insult to injury. The EU acknowledged its mistake and withdrew its threat within hours, whereas the UK is threatening to break the NI protocol deliberately and indefinitely, as it did with its Internal Market Bill last year prior to the signing of the trade and cooperation agreement.
The problems being experienced in the everyday life of communities are a direct result of the hard Brexit chosen by the Johnson administration with unionist support, to which no perfect solution is possible, and which are also being experienced by people south of the Border when trying to procure items from Britain.
Trying to push the blame for these inconveniences onto European Commission “inflexibility” is a classic distraction tactic. They are an integral part of the form of Brexit negotiated and agreed by the UK government on behalf of Northern Ireland.
And the protocol itself, in Article 18, requires that the continued operation of the protocol be subject to the approval on a regular basis by a simple majority of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Although desirable, there is no absolute requirement for “cross-community” support in the protocol, and to raise it as a justification now is simply the resuscitation of the unionist veto when none is provided for either in the protocol or the Belfast Agreement.
Indeed, unionist politicians are currently trying to incite loyalist opposition to the protocol to cover up their complicity in promoting a hard Brexit in defiance of the wishes of the 56 per cent majority in Northern Ireland who voted Remain.
Seeking to redirect loyalist anger from the unionist politicians who misled them and onto the EU is a classic demagogic tactic and one we should not be complicit in.
As noted by Stephen Collins, (“Johnson’s unilateral breaking of NI protocol could go horribly wrong”, Opinion & Analysis, March 5th), the European Parliament is due to ratify the trade and cooperation agreement and accompanying protocol at the end of this month. It should not do so while the UK government is, once again, threatening to unilaterally breach its solemn treaty obligations to the EU in defiance of international law.
And perhaps Paul Johnson should have a chat with his US ambassadorial counterpart. It is doubtful that the Biden administration will be too pleased to see the UK once again proposing to breach international law.– Is mise,
FRANK SCHNITTGER,
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, — Britain’s ambassador to Ireland states, among other things, “We are committed to meeting our obligations under the protocol . . .”
This assertion is patently false. Britain, under Boris Johnson’s stewardship has, once again, shown its willingness to flout international agreements – hard-won agreements – and in so doing, continues to trash its reputation internationally. – Yours, etc,
NICKY DUNNE,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6 .