One of these things is not like the other - yes, if a double majority in NI Assembly or 60% of Assembly with at least 40% of each nationalist and unionist designations vote to end backdrop measures then it gets kicked back to the JC but it is not a 4 year deadline

From this (deliberate) falsehood all the rest of the logical lapses flow. I wonder whether the Internal Market Bill waters down the NI Assembly’s role and certainly would seem to undermine the parity of esteem that the WA reinforces. Bad faith, clear and simple

As a side note, it’s six years not four (Assembly can vote on whether to continue applying measures under the Protocol after 4 years and if they vote against they cease to apply after a further two)

And I’ve nothing to add about the crank “blockading food from a Northern Ireland” pretext for the IM Bill that hasn’t already been said better here https://twitter.com/JP_Biz/status/1304682809227870208?s=20

To be clear, the UK government’s position as it stands is that it needs to give itself additional powers to unilaterally breach potential obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement that, for some unspecified reason, are not covered under Art.16 safeguard procedures.

Johnson is claiming this is based on a new interpretation of the NI Protocol by the EU despite the issues having been raised at least since 2018 and were certainly in official government advice ahead of the signing of the WA (as the FT’s recent article has made clear).

And in the process, they have managed not only to damage ongoing negotiations with the EU but more broadly to suggest that the U.K. government no longer considers its requirement to discharge treaty obligations in good faith under international law as binding

Even for the most enthusiastic Brexit supporter, this wilful degradation of public debate and the ongoing attrition of the UK’s institutional credibility by its own government must be galling.

Anyway, like the vast majority of people I’m tired of the endless cycle of anger over this stuff - especially since I’m sure this is what it is intended to provoke. But there are real costs to playing culture wars instead of seeking a position that can carry a stable majority.