The problem of the Irish border as a destabilizing factor

The controversial issue of the Irish border, in the context of the United Kingdom’s exit from the Union, was immediately the focus of concern on both sides; the question of restoring the border between the two states on the island of Ireland concerned and still concerns the historical problem of the conflict between republicans and monarchists and between Catholics and Protestants: having crossed the border was one of the decisive facts for the term of the conflict. The abandonment of London to Brussels would have meant as a logical consequence the restoration of the border between Eire and Northern Ireland, with all the consequences feared and averted since the peace treaty was signed; however, Brussels could not tolerate a preferential route to English trade, on both sides, through Dublin. The solution was to establish customs controls in two Northern Irish port facilities so as not to include Belfast within England, also avoiding the wording Great Britain because Northern Ireland is located outside the Brexit treaty. A solution that the previous London premier had strongly avoided, but which Boris Johnson could only accept in the face of requests from Brussels to speed up the negotiations. In fact, the Irish Sea is the border with the European Union and commercial practices between the two sovereign parties must be carried out on that border. From a practical point of view, the mistake made by Europe to protect itself against the prediction of quantities of vaccines, then immediately returned with the recognition of the mistake by Brussels, has only exacerbated an already very critical situation, which has registered problems for the food supply and towards perishable products and animals, due to the length of bureaucratic procedures. These difficulties have led to critical issues for supermarket chains struggling with scarce and insufficient supplies. There was also the perception that the British premier wanted to exploit the situation created by these difficulties to cross the border of the Irish Sea, proposing to the ministers of the two Irish nations to agree on customs procedures to speed them up, which provoked the reaction. European Union, which materialized with the threat of legal action, which would surely have seen London defeated. All this situation has led to a serious state of tension, fueled by pro-British political movements, but also by unionist ones, which has resulted in threats to customs officials, so much so as to determine the resolution of the withdrawal, for now temporary, of customs personnel of both sides. It should be remembered and emphasized that the decision to create the border on the Irish Sea was a measure that the Northern Irishmen only had to accept, without any democratic modality, undergoing an organizational management, which had social repercussions and which changed for the worse their living standards. Even in parliament, in London, part of the same conservative majority, which supports the British premier, is urgently asking for the renegotiation of the part of the agreement concerning the border on the Irish Sea or to renounce it unilaterally. For the English capital, although this was not a surprise, the high level of discontent was not expected, major problems were predicted by the attitude of Scotland or Wales, which, however, only seem postponed. The Brexit question has focused attention on England and its predominant reasons, but has not taken into account delicate issues on its periphery, which, in addition to practical needs, also affect political balances, which have been reached with difficulty and who must not undergo alterations in order not to return to situations with a high rate of social risk. If London has the bulk of the responsibility due to its actions that are not at all far-sighted and folded by a desire for timeless sovereignty, even Europe, albeit to a lesser extent, has appeared perhaps too perched on its positions and has not sought a modification to the negotiation capable of finding a synthesis capable of resolving a situation potentially capable of causing upheaval on the Irish island. Concern remains about the possible breakup of the United Kingdom, after Scotland and Wales, the hypothesis of a united Ireland is strengthened by the problems caused by Brexit and London risks remaining confined to the limits of England: a worrying factor for Western equilibrium.