Cause and effect

The US is refusing to remove tariffs on UK steel, as it views the threat to the GFA and real, and so issued a strongly worded warning to the UK Government.

This morning (Friday), the UK Government fired back, that, in effect, only it understands the situation in Northern Ireland, and the US shouldn't conflate the two issues.

But this shows the cause and effect of Brexit, and the way it has been handled, and the very hardest of Brexit chosen by the UK Government, and refusing to accept the consequences that came with it.

As previously stated, the UK Government imposed Brexit on Northern Ireland, a country of the Union that vted to remain. Not only that, failed to engage with the Devolved Administration and in contravention of the UK constitution, failed to obtain consent from the Devolved Administration either.

And yet the UK Government blames the EU for the perceived failure in the NIP, and yet by the Government's own data, NI is recovering better from COVID lockdown better than any other country in the Union, and polls state that the majority of NI people are happy with the NIP and the way it is working.

The New Year will see new battles, and the attempted re-engagement of old ones.

It will be messy, and it would be nice if we could just move on, but while this Government under Johnson fails to accept what it has already signed up to, we will have Brexit Groundhog Day, every day. And if Johnson were replaced, it would someone more hardline would take over.

In the short term this might be bad, but then it would reveal the true consequences, and the lack of any cake or, indeed, any eating.