On good faith

Negotiations are conducted in good faith, in that one side trusts the other will honour what the other says it will do. A gentleman's word is his bond, and all that, so the EU would have thought that negotiating with the UK should have meant that once agreement was reached, then that was that, both side move on to the next stage.

Only, in Brexit, this hasn't happened. UK negotiators, in particular the Ministers responsible for Brexit, and I'm talking about you here, DD< said one thing to the EU in meetings, and then something completely different to the press back home. The EU called DD out on his claims what the WA would have meant to the NO border, and he had to make a public statement saying that the EU was correct, and in normal times then resign.

But these are not normal times.

And now the UK and EU have agreed and ratified the WA and entered into the transition, this has deep implications for NI, in particular Johnson's capitulation, painted as a Churchillian triumph in the press meant destroying the UK single market, creating a trade and regulatory border in the Irish Sea, which is why I now use the terms UK and Britain now, because at the end of the year there will be a UK in political terms only, in trade it will not be fully part of the UK or the EU.

This is the front stop, and is going to be a huge issue come January next year, especially as trade officials are not sure how it is going to work, but in stating there will be tariffs and checks on goods from the EU entering Britain, it means there will be checks on goods arriving from NI too.

Only there has been a reshuffle of Johnson's cabinet. Not really, a shuffle. But, the old NI secretary who secured a return to devolved government for NI was sacked for not being a true believer and challenging some Brexit policies. He has been replaced by Brandon Lewis.

And it was Lewis, who this week, stated there would be no border between Britain and NI. But that is what Johnson's WA states WILL happen.

If the UK wants, it could not enforce the WA, but that will have severe consequences. All other agreements would end at a stroke, shutters would come down to exports to the UK, along with all other agreements. Meaning any trade that survived the WA would be subject to further restrictions, restrictions on travel and so on and on.

And this would reduce the UK/Britain's word to nothing, any trade deal, or any other agreement would be subject to legal enforcement. Who would do a trade deal with us in the knowledge we might renege on it? Further trashing our country's reputation.

But Brexit means Brexit.