Boris ‘single-handed’ threatens mainland Europe; can he afford a no-deal Brexit?

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson (on the right) visited Northern Ireland. (10 Downing Street photo, some rights reserved).

No doubt a no-deal Brexit will test the unity of the United Kingdom, undermine the position of London as leading international financial center and surely divide deeply the governing Conservative Party. Still this party’s new leader and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now sailing full steam ahead towards this dreadful option. One possible explanation is that he feels this is the only easy and best way to amplify his party’s electoral prospects, obviously counting on Donald Trump’s successful populist method, of caressing the many and then caring for the few. But let’s put some reality into Boris’ babbling.

In his initial statement in Parliament as new Prime Minister, Boris went as far as to say he is to make Britain “the greatest place on earth”. Right after that the Pound Sterling dived to its 28-month low. Despite the absurdity of his rhetoric, the Trump case proves that in the Anglo-American universe there are often too many people believing they have by birth the privileg to rule the world. Johnson even promised to spread London’s success all over…England. He actually made references to Midlands, the North and the South of England. England and Wales voted for Brexit in June 2016, while Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain in the European Union.

What about Ireland?

Not a word then from Boris about Scotland and Northern Ireland. However while the Scottish nationalists threaten to break away from the UK after a no-deal Brexit, in Ireland things are even worse than that. Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister clearly said the unification question of his country with Northern Ireland – a part of UK – will surely arise if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

To be noted that Boris Johnson and his followers in party and country loudly say that the ‘Withdrawal Agreement,’ which was signed with Brussels by Theresa May’s government in November 2018, is dead and buried . The key point in this agreement is the so called ‘Irish Backstop’. According to this crucial provision, Northern Ireland and the whole UK will remain in the EU, “for as long as alternative arrangements are found to avoid a hard border on the island”.

The ‘Irish Backstop’

Today Northern Ireland and Eire are parts of the EU and consequently there are no controls or checks whatsoever, in any kind of communication between the two parts of the island. However the day the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the free movement of people, goods and services has to abruptly stop and a hard border be enacted. Ireland will remain in the EU but Northern Ireland will have to follow UK’s grandiose exit.

The EU has made it crystal clear that in case of a no-deal Brexit, Brussels cannot accept a ‘hole’ in EU’s external boundaries. So a hard border has to be enacted to control and check the movements of people, goods and services between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Nevertheless the free communication between the two parts of the island is considered by all Irish people as sacrosanct.  It has even constituted the base of the ‘Good Friday Agreement’, which ended the decades old deadly and devastating civil war between the ‘Anglophiles’ and the ‘Nationalists’.

Let them kill each other again?

The threat for a no-deal Brexit has already created violence on the island. The new tenant of 10 Downing Street has no solution for the ‘Irish Problem’ and apparently he doesn’t seem to care about that. Obviously Boris’ Britain – such a great nation – cannot be stopped by some…Irish from ruling again the world. This clearly racist angle in Boris Johnson’s governing ‘ideas’ is an additional characteristic of the dark new era that the Conservatives want to inaugurate. All of them? Rather not.

There is a small group of Conservative MPs who despise Boris and strongly oppose his no-deal Brexit mania. The question is though, if they are prepared to go as far as to bring their government down in Parliament by supporting a probable Labour Party ‘no confidence’ motion. In case they cross this Rubicon, Boris will be forced then to call an early election.

Probably foreseeing this prospect, PM Johnson wants to be seen by all UK voters as reprimanding single-handed all mainland Europeans. More or less he behaves as ready to win again the Battle of Waterloo, and this time with the Prussians fighting side by side with the French. So most likely, before the Brexit day of 31 October, there will be an early election in Britain and Boris is deafeningly preparing getting ready for it.