99 years ago today, the Home Rule Act was passed in Westminster - dividing the island of Ireland into two countries, for the first time.

With the benefit of hindsight, this decision was an major error under two main headings.

Firstly, the partition precipitated widespread violence in Ireland (and on the UK mainland) - lasting many years and resulting in hundreds of deaths.

Secondly - the economic cost. Currently, Northern Ireland costs the UK Exchequer €1 billion every MONTH, just to pay its bills.


And soon there will be a third negative consequence

The Act, followed by the later Good Friday Agreement, will make it virtually impossible for the UK to extract itself (with a favourable deal) from the European Union.

Something which the UK electorate wishes/voted to happen.


But finally - oddly and ironically - the 10 votes of a small Northern Ireland political party (the Democratic Unionists) will have a major say and input into the Brexit outcome.

Not least because of their somewhat incongruous link with the Conservative party - forged for completely different reasons!

Yes the stupid British habit of partition has never worked - Cyprus, Palestine, India/Pakistan...

What has happened in Ireland is...


- Britain decides it's theirs

- the natives were unhappy, although Protestants less so

- the Catholic/Protestant - North/South animosity galvanises an illogical/unmanageable divided Ireland

- and later, about a century, this series of sequential decisions has consequences

- those consequences seriously inhibit our Government's ability to negotiate, on a level playing field

- therefore - a former, but very local colony has tied our hands


This anomaly - the Irish backstop/DUP alliance/RoI stance means a no-deal is inevitable.