John Bruton warns reliance on DUP will create difficulties

Former taoiseach and EU ambassador to the US John Bruton has warned about the difficulties the British government's reliance on the DUP for survival will create in Northern Ireland.

He said its dependence on one of the North’s two main parties would not make it easy for the same government to adjudicate between them, as was part of its responsibility under the agreement.

"That benign combination of the Belfast Agreement and joint membership of the EU will now be brought to an end,'' said Mr Bruton.

He said the “genius’’ of the combination had reduced the sense of separation between the two parts of Ireland and between each part of Ireland and the island of Britain.

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Mr Bruton's remarks are contained in his Grattan lecture paper to be delivered in the Irish Embassy in London on Monday.

He described Brexit as a “tragedy’’, adding it would be naïve to think that the divorce between the UK and the other EU countries, including Ireland, would not leave scars. “I hope that is all they will be, scars, that will gradually become less visible.’’

He said the process would involve the diversion of top level official talent in 28 capital cities away from anticipating the challenge of the future, and instead reopening agreements made over the past 44 years. “Our most talented civil servants will be taken up with digging up the past rather than building the future.’’

Divorce

It would not, he said, be like a member leaving a club of which he or she no longer wished to be a member, which was an easy enough process once the bar bill was settled.

“It will be much more like a divorce between a couple who have lived together for years, have several small dependent children, a mortgage, and a small business they have been running together.

“Not only have past bills to be settled, but future liabilities have to be anticipated, decisions made about the running of the business, and rights and responsibilities in respect of the children agreed.’’

Mr Bruton said the financial terms would encompass the future as well as the past.

"One should remember that Switzerland and Norway contribute to funds to help poorer EU countries to whose markets they have access through arrangements with the EU.

Contributions

“It is unlikely to be different for the UK, but if we are to have a constructive negotiation on financial contributions, we also need to have a constructive discussion of the terms of UK access to the EU market.’’

He said as the initiator of Brexit the UK had the primary responsibility to make it work for both sides.

“Business in trade negotiations can poison other forms of co-operation. The initiators of Brexit in this country may not have given much thought to that, but those who will negotiate it now have a duty to think about it.’’