Opinion

John Manley: British parliament, responsible in the past for many ills in Ireland, could prove to be only hope of salvation

Boris Johnson said Brexit meant there will need to be customs checks on the island of Ireland
Boris Johnson said Brexit meant there will need to be customs checks on the island of Ireland Boris Johnson said Brexit meant there will need to be customs checks on the island of Ireland

TREAT with the utmost suspicion anyone who claims to know what is going on this week with the Brexit negotiations. We've had more than three years of conflicting signals, climbdowns, backtracking and reverse ferrets but the past 48 hours have set a high water mark in terms of misinformation and confusion.

The latest storm began on Monday night when RTÉ reported UK proposals to create a string of "customs clearance centres" on both sides of the border, an apparent key plank in its backstop alternative plan.

The subsequent exasperation and indignation from across Ireland almost broke the internet but first thing yesterday morning Boris Johnson was disowning the proposals, while the DUP's Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was claiming those responsible for leaking them were guilty of an "act of sabotage" designed to disrupt the Brexit negotiations.

However, while the British prime minister Boris Johnson said what was leaked to RTÉ did not form part of what his government was currently tabling, he said Brexit meant there will need to be customs checks on the island of Ireland, insisting: "A sovereign united country must have a single customs territory".

Scant on detail and like much of what Mr Johnson says, appearing to come off the cuff, it sounded like the flipside of EU's insistence on protecting the single market, further cluttering an already complicated situation.

So in hope rather than expectation we await the British government's proper proposals, expected to be revealed later today after the Tory leader addresses his party conference.

Given what has been speculated, hinted at, and leaked over recent days, those hoping for a soft Brexit should brace themselves for a big disappointment, while those who couldn't care less about the implications of the UK crashing out are likely to be buoyed by a further shoring up of Dominic Cummings's chaos strategy. A key part in this bid to take the UK out of the EU without delay will seek to deflect blame, which arguably is the sole reason the British government continue to string the EU along in the absence of any fresh, genuine initiatives.

As the potential for no deal with Brussels increases, the focus will return to Westminster, so far this week subdued due to the Tories' gathering in Manchester. With no withdrawal agreement and no extension, Boris Johnson's government will be able to act unilaterally and in the process show little regard for consequences of the Irish border and both the negative symbolism and practical difficulties its hardening would trigger.

The British parliament, responsible in the past for so many ills in Ireland, could prove to be the country's only hope of salvation.