The “disaster” Brexit deal has played into the hands of those wishing for the “destruction” of the UK, former cabinet minister David Blunkett has said, predicting that a united Ireland might emerge within the next 25 years.
The situation created by Brexit that now “effectively continues” the European single market in Northern Ireland bodes “extremely ill” for the future, Blunkett warned during a debate in the UK House of Lords on Friday.
The divorce agreement has created “contradictions” between the relationship Northern Ireland has with the rest of the UK and the EU, and, ultimately, might lead to the reunification of Ireland, he said.
I believe that this deal actually accelerates the possibility within the next 25 years of a united island of Ireland.
“It’s a century since the 1921 legislation as part of the agreement on partition,” Blunkett said. “A century later, we’re faced with the contradictions that exist in terms of Northern Ireland and its relationship with the European Union, and the contradictions that therefore are accorded to its relationship with the rest of Great Britain.”
The Ireland issue has been one of the main obstacles on the rocky path to the Brexit deal, with the EU maintaining that no ‘hard border’ between the Republic and the North should emerge. As a result, Northern Ireland will still have to abide by many of the EU’s rules and regulations unlike the rest of the UK, to keep its border with its neighbor ‘soft’ enough.
Apart from re-igniting the long-contested Irish border issue, the Brexit affair has emboldened those seeking the “destruction” of the UK altogether – the Scottish nationalists in particular, Blunkett warned.
“It proposes a very different picture for the future which will be exploited by those in the Scottish National Party, who seek to use every opportunity to reopen and re-engage with the destruction of the United Kingdom,” he stated.
Indeed, proponents of Scotland’s independence have been very vocal lately, calling for a new referendum to try and part ways with the UK. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has spearheaded such efforts, openly telling the EU to expect Scotland back soon enough – now, as an independent full-fledged member.
“For too long, successive UK governments have taken Scotland in the wrong direction, culminating in Brexit. It’s no wonder so many people in Scotland have had enough,” Sturgeon said over the weekend. “We didn’t want to leave and we hope to join you again soon as an equal partner.”
Scotland has been overwhelmingly against the idea to leave the EU, with more than 60 percent of voters wanting to remain within the bloc back in 2016. Moreover, pro-independence politicians and activists have accused London of tricking Scotland into leaving the EU – remaining within the bloc was one of the main talking points of those who opposed the idea to secede from the UK ahead of its failed 2014 independence bid.
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