Dublin, November 25
The Brexit deal marks a clear victory for Ireland-one no-one in Britain saw coming and one which has raised the Irish government’s standing at home and abroad.
Ireland is tethered to Britain through a common history, enmeshed economies and a border with the British province of Northern Ireland that held up negotiations for months.
Some British hardliners had argued that Ireland would simply follow along in any exit deal-a sentiment that caused outrage among many Irish and helped harden resolve.
At the centre of the dispute was a legal guarantee to keep the Irish border open, known as the “backstop”, which Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and his EU allies insisted on and Britain eventually and very reluctantly agreed to.
Ireland was opposed to Brexit and is fearful both of the impact on trade with biggest economic partner Britain and any destabilising influence on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended three decades of sectarian conflict.
When the draft accord was published earlier this month, Irish politicians across the spectrum lauded it as the best possible outcome for the Republic in contrast to the deep divisions in the British parliament over its merits.
“The Irish government’s key preferences were all reflected in the divorce settlement,” said Etain Tannam, a senior lecturer at Trinity College Dublin. “Bi-partisan party support in the Irish parliament for the government’s Brexit policy has been noteworthy since the withdrawal process began,” she said.
In the tug-of-war of international interests, Ireland’s government now has greater traction and is earning a reputation as a shrewd bargainer-at the same time as Britain’s prestige is on the wane. — AFP
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