Brexit Mess

From our Dublin correspondent:

  Politicians in Northern Ireland are threatening to go to court over Brexit. The Good Friday agreement which brought a dramatic change to Irish politics on both sides of the border incorporated many aspects of European Union law. If the United Kingdom leaves the EU,  many fear a return to the past and the bad days. The Northern Ireland politicians want those things that are in the Good Friday agreement put into domestic law. The Brexiteers campaigned to get rid of these EU laws and to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. If the NI politicians go to court there is a question as to which court to go to. Going to a European Court will annoy those who campaigned for Brexit and only reinforce their commitment to leave the EU. A domestic court may not want to touch the case. A court in NI or England will not have the authority to change international agreements. What a mess.

   A  bit of background. The European Court of Human Rights was set up after WW2 to try to prevent a repeat of the atrocities that occurred. Membership of the court is a requirement of the EU. It predates the EU and nearly every country in Europe has signed up.

   Because the UK has lost some cases in that court they resent being told to amend their ways and the Brexiteers particularly dislike the court.