In the early 1990s, IRA Volunteers in England had orders to conduct operations against the transport system.
Often this entailed merely a phone call with a recognised code word.
That was enough to stop the trains at a carefully selected junction on the rail network.
Sometimes a small device would take out a signal box rendering the system inoperable.
The logic of these operations was clear; transport disruption hurt the British economy.
As with the bombs at Baltic Exchange (1992) and the Bishopsgate (1993), the intention was to inflict economic damage.
Those two operations inflicted a huge financial hit on the British insurance industry.
I recall one newspaper story at the time reporting that the chaps in the Square Mile had told Number Ten that the next one would result in them sending a bill to the government!
For the avoidance of doubt, the IRA was sending a clear message to Prime Minister John Major.
Until the Brits sat down and got serious, then with was the new normal in the British capital, travel chaos and exploding banks!
When I awoke in my father’s town on the morning of June 24th 2016, I knew that Brexit was a Berlin Wall moment.
I thought everything would be different after this, but I didn’t know how exactly.
Well, after the weekend I’ve got a better idea.
The pro-leave side in the Brexit debate said that they wanted to “take back control” of their laws, their money and their BORDERS.
Yeah?
Well, in 2022, all it takes is for six French people to be a no-show at Dover for a scenario to unfold that a highly trained and well-resourced IRA Active Service Unit could only dream of.
I recently attended a Republican commemoration in An Fál Carrach for local woman Eithne Coyle.
The event was well organised and marshalled by a new crop of enthusiastic Sinn Féin activists here in Cloich Cheann Fhaola.
It was also good to see many old familiar faces there.
Like the folk you only see at family events, it might have been a long time apart, but the re-connection is instant.
One very senior head had time for a quick yarn with me.
The last time we chatted, the subject was about what might be the outworking of Brexit.
I thought of him this week and the words I spoke to him as we got ready to honour a mighty Republican woman.
The ongoing damage to the British economy from Brexit is hard to calculate.
However, it IS huge.
Moreover, it has put Partition front and centre of the political agenda in both jurisdictions on this island.
Then there is the small matter of who is about to be the new occupant of Number Ten.
Very soon, Prime Minister Truss could be dealing with a Sinn Féin Tea Sock.
It added an Irish element to the large back catalogue of Truss cringe moments.
For the avoidance of doubt, her candidacy has the full support of this Fenian as her opponent is competent.
However, even if it is Rich Rishi, the legal realities of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol will not change.
Thanks to our gallant allies in Europe, what is happening at the Channel Ports in England is the new normal.
I wrote in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote that the UK was entering a “slow-moving Suez Crisis”.
That seems a very metaphor for what is happening in Kent now.
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Well garrycowan..i think you can consider yourself singularly fortunate if this was your experience. Together with my wife, it took us 4 hrs to clear Charles de Gaulle airport. We subsequently had a 31/2 hr wait to cross into Switzerland which is part of the Shengen area. My wife speaks French like a native, and in the waiting was privy to several conversations between both French and Swiss officials…lets just say their attitude towards all things brit is decidedly “fuck you lot” in nature.
And on reflection who can blame them, what a clusterfk,…Splendid Isolation..where im sitting ,there’s absolutely fk all Splendid about it. Ex mining communities etc voted these bstrds in, it is surreal.Turkeys voting for Christmas doesn’t have a look in. Truss another puppet mouthpiece for the powers that be.
Just as was the case with the Scottish independence referendum, no one knew exactly what they were voting for with Brexit. The UK leaving the EU has been a disaster, presided over by complete fools and lauded as some masterclass in British imperialism by goons like Nigel Farage. It was only ever about the rich protecting their cash from prying EU eyes. As John Lyndon famously quipped “ever get the feeling you’ve been conned?”
This is exactly why I voted Brexit. Give the gammon what they want and it’ll choke them.
It’s hard to over-state how much the Tories have been changed by Brexit. Ten years ago they thought of themselves as the party of hard-headed decision making. Now, picking a fight with France seems more important than GDP, damaging trade deals are celebrated and a leadership contender can be criticised for wearing expensive clothes.
Brexit is a con they blamed it on immigration, nothing to do with it. Was about closing a loophole in the tax also were putting pressure on Westminster to pay the pensioners a decent pension the worst in developed nations.
If our European friends in air traffic control and port workers were to boycott British bound goods and cargo planes for a week or 2, the UK gov would really see how small and unimportant an Island they really are !!
That scenario will not be necessary if the UK government goes through with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
The EU will instigate trade sanctions.
I’m afraid your scare stories of British people trying to get through passport control whilst going on holiday would be a nightmare due to Brexit where in fact just that after 2 foreign trips passport control at the other side was 5 mins longer than prebrexit not exactly the horror scenario that was forcast
Hmmm… yeah, that explains the carnage at Dover Garry. Thanks for your reassuring words 🙄
I live (legally resident) in Spain but work in Gibraltar. Believe me, lots of people with British passports are being turned away at the border unless they prove a good reason for entering Spain. May not be huge numbers worldwide but there is a clear and definite impact already for a fair chunk of people. I know UK passport holders living in Gibraltar who until recently could pop into la línea to meet us for dinner. Now that’s not a guarantee as without a hotel reservation or something they’re being turned away.
Martin, is there a local arrangement between the Gibraltar authorities and the EU regarding the Schengen area?
Brexit was a complete madness. So much for an oven ready deal, obh obh.