THE BORDER WILL BE ‘MAINTAINED BY THE GUN’
Posted by Jim on November 25, 2018
Amid a hostile reaction by unionist politicians to a draft Brexit deal,
one TUV politician has warned that the border through Ireland will be
“maintained by the gun”.
Barrie Halliday of TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice) made the apparent
threat of loyalist paramilitary violence in response to a draft
agreement on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. Published earlier this
month, it seeks to guarantee that the area around the border will not be
remilitarised.
In a video posted to Facebook, the politician and pastor said “men and
women… paid for that line to remain where it is by laying down their
lives. It was defended by the gun and will be maintained by the gun. The
border in 20 years time will be where it is today.”
His comments are at the extreme end of unionist reaction to the
withdrawal agreement, which could see a differential in the regulatory
and customs regimen on either side of the Irish Sea. Unionists fear it
could become the first crack in a political separation of the north of
Ireland away from Britain.
The agreement includes a ‘backstop’ for the Six Counties to retain
future access to the EU Customs Union and an assurance that customs and
other checks will not be required at the border. An ancillary political
declaration, published by Britain and the EU this week, includes a
statement of their “determination” to replace this backstop with
alternative arrangements.
Nevertheless, the DUP has continued to threaten to collapse Theresa
May’s minority government in London, which depends on their support. As
part of an escalating response at Westminster this week, the DUP
abstention on a number of divisions, forcing the Tories to accept a
series of opposition amendments.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said that in the coming days and weeks his
party “will be tried and tested like never before”. He was speaking at
his party’s annual conference, with senior Tories Boris Johnson and
Philip Hammond in attendance.
Escalating the party’s rhetoric, he declared it would “require the
collective will not just of this party but of all who value and cherish
our precious union to stand firm in the face of the inevitable
onslaught.”
Mr Dodds said that those who supported the backstop must consider “the
effect of the trade barriers and growing divergence that would
inevitably emerge – some immediately, most in future years – between
Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK”.
He vaguely threatened that there would be “consequences” for the British
government if it pressed ahead with the withdrawal agreement.
Earlier this week, Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald said the DUP had got it
“catastrophically wrong” by pursuing a hard Brexit and rejecting the
withdrawal agreement.
“They’re wrong about the draft agreement,” she said. “It’s not perfect
but it is certainly a baseline to protect our economic interests and
agreements.
“It’s now very clear right across Ireland, North and South that that key
voices from business, agriculture and other sectors are coming out and
facing down the very negative politics advanced by the DUP and the Tory
Brexiteers.
“Now is the time to ensure that the bottom lines around no hard border,
the protection of the Good Friday Agreement and citizens’ rights are
met.
“This is vital to protect everybody who lives and works on the island of
Ireland.”