In my column of 12 June last year Making Beds (desmondswaynemp.com) I explained the rationale for agreeing the Northern Ireland Protocol in order to leave the EU with a trade agreement, despite knowing its faults. Basically, it was workable with goodwill and flexibility , but unfortunately neither have been forthcoming.
I am surprised at the venom of correspondence from constituents who voted REMAIN and now demand that we forgo our right to unilaterally override the Protocol under the provisions set out in Article 16. It would appear that they still identify with the interests of the EU rather than the UK. They demand that we stick rigidly to the Protocol which we agreed to. What they fail to appreciate is that Article 16 is part of that very Protocol and we have every right to make use of it.
Furthermore, a close reading of the Protocol reveals that it was always designed to be open to replacement by new arrangements and new use of technology.
The current way that the Protocol is implemented is undermining the stability of Northern Ireland, and that we cannot allow to continue.
Sir Desmond Swayne TD
