Sovereignty issues like the one with Northern
Ireland, the United Kingdom and the European Union in light of Brexit in which
several international agents argue about sovereign rights for different reasons
over the same piece of land have a particular feature: their solution seems to
require a mutually exclusive relation amongst the agents because the
sovereignty can be for only one of them. Indeed, sovereignty seems to be an
absolute concept (that is to say, exclusive, and not shareable). Therefore, the
United Kingdom (hence, Northern Ireland) are in or out the European Union.
As it
stands, the situation in Northern Ireland is a clear example of a zero sum
game, with many negative outcomes of different sorts. The effect of Brexit
remains unknown. Yet, it is evident there are many issues at stake domestically
and internationally.
Only to have a glimpse, today’s posts
includes below a sample of articles from the media covering the case of
Northern Ireland. It is evident the information is contradictory and any outcome
divides the population’s views about the hard/soft border. Moreover, the last
article includes a reference to a point often overlooked and has to do with
natural resources.
Although
Northern Ireland is not a territorial issue, it has been and is object of study
of many sciences—law, political sciences, international relations, only to name
a few—these sciences do not share their developments and both different
approaches and different languages were applied. Indeed, although multi and
inter-disciplinary studies are promoted in speeches everywhere, it is more a nominal
aim rather than an actual reality.
I
realised that the answer was very simple. Some problems are never solved
because most look for more problems, problems within a problem, or just simply
give up or are so self-centred they think that problem will not affect them and
hence, why would they even think about it. Ergo, the answer came to me: some
problems like Northern Ireland evade a solution because people (or their
representatives) do not look for answers.
BBC
Theresa May says EU must 'evolve'
its Brexit position
“The UK and EU have agreed that there should be no hard
border in Ireland, but are at odds over how to achieve it.”
“The EU has proposed a backstop that would mean Northern Ireland staying
in the EU customs union, large parts of the single market and the EU VAT
system.”
“However, the UK said that would effectively create a border down the
Irish Sea.”
“On Friday, Mrs May again repeated her opposition to that, saying:
"The economic and constitutional dislocation of a formal 'third country'
customs border within our own country is something I will never accept and
believe no British prime minister could ever accept".
Belfast Telegraph
Ireland 'will have hardest border in Europe if there's a no deal Brexit'
“In a blunt warning detailing the
catastrophe that lies ahead if a 'no deal' Brexit materialises, Joachim
Pfeiffer painted a dire picture of the outcome.”
“Mr Pfeiffer said Ireland would "have a border like we have a
border with Ukraine or Belarus" as there would no longer be treaties in
place with the UK that would ensure the rules and standards of the EU would be
respected.”
Sky News
Northern
Ireland 'unsupportive' of 'no deal' Brexit, study shows
“Unionists and nationalists continue to
disagree over the location of any physical border after Brexit - unionists
opposing an East-West one in the Irish Sea, nationalists opposing a North-South
land boundary.”
“But the university researchers who have collated this data believe it
has revealed a "point of convergence" on the Irish border issue in
operational terms.”
“Their key finding is that unionists and nationalists would both prefer
the least intrusive border possible and that there is an arrangement that could
command support across the two communities.”
Financial Times
Hard
Brexit: the eye-catching contingency plans to stop NI power blackouts
“The
situation could come about because Northern Ireland has shared a single energy
market with the Irish republic for over a decade, in one of the consequences of
the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Northern Ireland relies on imports from
south of the border because it does not have enough generating capacity itself.”
“Britain
is hoping to negotiate a deal to allow that single electricity market on the
island of Ireland to continue after Brexit.”
“But in
the event of a totally disruptive rupture with the bloc Whitehall officials
fear that power providers in the republic could end the provision of
electricity because the UK would no longer be part of the European electricity
market.”
Jorge
Emilio Núñez
26th
July 2018
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