David Vance SubstackRead More
OK, this might seem a little parochial as I actually LIVE in Northern Ireland but recent comments by Reform Leader Nigel Farage do concern me, and if you care about the constitutional integrity of a United Kingdom, they should concern you too!
Let me explain what I mean!
Ben Habib, the former deputy leader of Reform, has criticised Nigel Farage, accusing him of “throwing Northern Ireland under a bus”! How? Well, by prioritising Great Britain’s exit from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) over NI integration. In other words, GB can leave it, but NI can’t – until some unspecified date. Maybe. I’m sorry but the only word for that is – betrayal
Habib contends that Farage’s willingness to decouple Great Britain from the ECHR while leaving Northern Ireland bound to it would exacerbate divisions. It divides the Kingdom. Surely this is obvious but Farage does not care.
Ben Habib adds;
“It therefore comes as no surprise to me that he is prepared to allow Northern Ireland to continue to be subjected to the European Convention on Human Rights – while he removes it from Great Britain,”
What this would mean in practical terms is to render illegal migrants in Northern Ireland “immune to prosecution by British courts,” transforming the region into a “repository for illegal migrants.”
It would turn where I live into one vast migrant camp. Thanks but no thanks
Habib has also warned this Reform policy will erect an immigration border down the Irish Sea, compounding the trade barriers imposed by the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework. In other words it makes things worse in every way.
Just how committed to British unity is Nigel Farage?.
Habib invoked Farage’s earlier remarks that a united Ireland might occur “one day” – though not imminently – as evidence of his wavering unionism.
“Farage does not stand for the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,”
Habib helpfully adds that the ECHR’s role in the Belfast Agreement has already been supplanted by protocol provisions, allowing for a uniform UK-wide withdrawal without diplomatic fallout.
“Northern Ireland is already outside the terms of the Belfast Agreement,”
Farage’s stance, as reported, is cynical. Northern Ireland, he suggests, is not at the “forefront” of his agenda, with its complexities demanding “years and years to solve.” I guess he doesn’t want votes in my country?
Predictably, Reform UK has reaffirmed its dedication to the United Kingdom, pledging to dismantle the Windsor Framework and eliminate the Irish Sea trade border. No real plan to achieve this but a nice sound bite.
As the ECHR debate intensifies, the fate of Northern Ireland hangs in delicate balance. I trust Habib, I do not trust Farage.
