Ireland: in the eye of the storm because of the Brexit

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The last week, discussions between the United Kingdom and the two Irelands have reached its peak because of Brexit

There are many questions from the Irish about how free transit and the economy will be handled after leaving the Eurozone. LatinAmerican Post tells you.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, visited Northern Ireland to expose political parties and businessmen, how these territories will be treated after Brexit.

Leer en español: Irlanda: en el ojo del huracán por el Brexit

The disgust of the citizens of Ulster began with the so-called Backstop. According to the newspaper El País, this mechanism allows the elimination of border controls between the two Irelands and the United Kingdom. However, the problem was that May declared that said article could be repealed unilaterally from London.

No political party agreed with such a claim, flatly rejecting any suppression of their freedoms. According to El Periódico, Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, declared that: "the prime minister promised that there would be legally binding changes in the agreement. That is what we need".

In the end, the proposals were so unwise that several people proposed the unthinkable.

The union of the two Irelands?

After the mentioned meetings, two comments emerged suggesting the union of the two Irish, if the negotiations on the Brexit do not come to fruition.

For example, and as El Periódico explained, the Northern Ireland leader Mary Lou McDonald stated that "if British politicians are unable to recognize and defend the Good Friday Agreement and prevent a hard border, with safeguard as a last resort, the only final option it's a referendum for the Irish unit".

Likewise, another party, called Sinn Féin, from the left-wing, mentioned that if the Brexit does not favor the claims of Northern Ireland, the only option is the union with the Republic of Ireland.

What is at stake for the two Irish?

Beyond the meetings between statesmen and politicians, the Brexit would bring several and severe repercussions for the inhabitants of the south island of Brittany.

First, Irish citizens want the so-called CTA (Common Travel Area) agreement, where any European citizen can move freely through Irish territory, without the need for border restrictions, as the newspaper El País explained.

Secondly, and as explained by this same Spanish newspaper, the article on the Backstop is very important for the Irish. Although this article is similar to the CTA, its characteristic is that it would only affect the citizens of that European country. The restrictions that existed in times of war would return.

Third, but not least, the European Economic Area would not reach the North of Ireland because it is part of the United Kingdom, thus damaging the trade of this country throughout Continental Europe.

Also read: What happened in the visit of Carlos Holmes Trujillo to the United Nations?

Does terrorism is returning to Ireland?

Parallel to all these discussions between nations, in the last days an event occurred that affected thousands of Irish people.

On January 20 in the city of Derry (Northern Ireland), a car bomb exploded in the center of the city, although there were no injuries, many citizens recalled past eras when the terrorist organization ETA committed this type of acts, as exhibited by the newspaper France 24.

Until now, it is not known who was the author of the attack, but the Norirlandeses fear that one of the consequences of Brexit is the return to violence.

LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Diaz

Translated from "Irlanda: en el ojo del huracán por el Brexit"