Another four years?

Covid cases are rising alarmingly and His Borisness has put a bill to parliament which will enable this government to opt out of bits of the Withdrawal Agreement, specifically trade between the mainland and Northern Ireland, in the event of a no deal.

[image error]just fab

I think the latter is a big thing. A huge thing. And, whether you want me to, or not, I’ll tell you why. BJ voted against May’s deal which didn’t have a trade border in the Irish Sea (it had a backstop instead – she could see a border as unacceptable). BJ forced May out. He forged a new deal with the EU which was May’s deal, but without the backstop … but with a border in the Irish Sea. He insisted his party accepted the deal (and those who didn’t were forced from the party). He trumpeted this as ‘Boris’s Oven Ready Deal’. He took it to the electorate and won a handsome majority. He then signed the deal, having restricted parliament’s ability to scrutinise it to just three days. Three days. Because, apparently, much of the deal had been a round for a while and everyone had had chance to read it. What was clear, was that unless there was a free trade agreement, there would be a trade border between the UK mainland and the island of Ireland. This was to secure the Good Friday Agreement, which needed the border to remain open.

Now BJ’s telling us that, if there is no deal the thought of a border in the sea is wrong … and that it is being forced upon us. So his new bill allows the government to abandon that part of the WA – which BJ signed in good faith – an agreement, if you remember, which was ‘oven-ready’. That breaks international law. And that’s not a subjective judgement. That’s a cabinet minister telling us that that’s the case and, as a result of this, the senior judiciary civil servant has resigned. And a whole load of senior people, including many Tories (John Major), have come out against it.

There is no way I can get my head around the audacity of this – the outright hypocrisy. That those very sensible Tories who were forced out of the party, were pushed out for the same reason that BJ is now pushing back against the EU. It’s madness … and that’s leaving out our international standing. We, the Brits, who for centuries have been the upholders of good governance, would now break an international agreement. It beggars belief.

Enough. Although, it is my country too, and I’m not sure I can cope with another four years of this.

[image error]there are some big houses around here

We’re still on the edge of a cliff (that is, C and I, not the country, which will soon plummet off one). And still happy. The weather continues to be kind, which has allowed us to run, walk and cycle. I’m tapping away on my keyboard and loving the new story. And we’re looking hard at our plans for going to Seoul to be grandparents. In a sea of misery, that’s something to look forward to.

It’s run day today. And another 1,000 words.

Stay safe, everyone.