Speaking on Saturday night in Markethill at the Newry & Armagh TUV annual dinner, Jim Allister warned, in the context of the ongoing talks with the EU, against unionism settling for anything less than the restoration of full U.K. sovereignty over Northern Ireland.
“However it is packaged, however it is spun, the litmus test of any ‘deal’ with Brussels lies in the answer to these questions:
- Is Northern Ireland still subject to foreign EU laws, rather than British laws, when it comes to trade and the manufacturing and processing of goods. In other words, are we still subject to EU single market, customs union and vat laws?
- Is GB still, in trade terms, regarded as a ‘third’ or foreign country?
- Are there still checks on goods coming from GB to NI, in other words, is there still an Irish Sea border?
- In legalistic terms, in particular, are Articles 5 – 10 of the Protocol and Annex II gone, never to return under any other guise?
“These are the steps necessary to the restoration of U.K. sovereignty and escape from colonisation by the EU.
“Of course, the reality is that the current talks cannot produce this necessary outcome because the negotiating mandate on the EU side only permits tinkering with and better operation of the Protocol, not root and branch change.
“Thus, I warn against settling for anything less than the full restoration of U.K. sovereignty, no matter how cleverly it is packaged or how hard a sell accompanies it.”