[jeroenhd]

I don't think the UK is bad necessarily, but its current leadership has shown signs that they are quite unhappy with the current restrictions. As far as I could follow, they haven't been very happy with the current system from the start.

Headlines today say that the UK government will come out with a proposal next week that would violate the current border agreements. The current customs situation is an enormous hassle for the Northern Irish people, basically forming a customs border within the Kingdom, and the UK government want to cut through the red tape. That's not necessarily bad, it makes complete sense, but it's made difficult by the fact the easy solution (just putting a border between the two Irelands) isn't feasible.

If the UK decides to unilaterally alter the deal, Ireland may be required to enforce their customs policy along the border, which is feared to spark more violence in the area. After all, Ireland is either in the customs union or it's not, it can't become a free corridor for UK goods to enter the EU.

Sinn Féin and the DUP being at odds with each other after the latter lost the election certainly isn't helping. This whole situation is a mess and that's why I think the UK government altering their deal will only cause problems.

I hope that cooler heads prevail here. The rumoured proposal is still just that, a proposal. If it gets shot down, or if it gets held back until the situation has cooled down a bit, this might just turn into yet another round of EU negotiations.

[flir]

> The current customs situation is an enormous hassle for the Northern Irish people

A majority of people in NI recently voted for parties that support the NIP, and NI and London are the only regions in the UK that are currently experiencing growth. I think it might be more opportunity than hassle.