High tension

The english Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is acting in a situation that has become difficult for Northern Ireland - and he is doing what is urgent: trying to find a solution with Brussels regarding the brexit of Britain while the protestant ally, Northern Ireland, is remaining a member of the European Union; a break with Britain and open borders with the catholic Ireland that was once fought. But the main problem is, if we believe Daniel Finn in his article in Le Monde diplomatique ("Nordirlands Unionisten und der Brexit", July 2021, swiss edition), that the ally of the governing Tories, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland (a political alliance that made a Tory government possible) was betrayed by the brexit agreement with Brussels negociated by Boris Johnson. The DUP lost its respect as a political party, it mistrusted the british political establishment before.

When catholic Ireland was remembering the Easter Rising in April against british domination the leftwing party Saoradh and the Republican Prisoner Welfare Association (IRPWA) held meetings. The IRPWA was remembering that about 30 republican activists are in prison because of their opinion. Both do reject the Good Friday Agreement that ended the armed conflict with Northern Ireland in 1998. 

Politicians are always interested in their personal political career, too. The Prime Minister might be expecting a post negotiation with a late solution for Northern Ireland.