Trouble in Northern Ireland

There have been recent episodes of street violence and property damage in the province and clashes with the police. Its the unionist (protestant) community showing the anger.

There are local triggers but the deep background for this is Brexit. Johnson's Brexit deal entails maintaining free movement of goods and people between the north and the Irish Republic but creating a hard border between all of Ireland and the rest of the UK. In effect, this means that Northern Ireland is more part of the Irish economy than the British one and that full Irish reunification (staunchly opposed by the narrow unionist majority in the north) has moved a big step closer. The DUP (Nirthern Ireland's main Unionist party) are seen as complicit in this because they propped up a Conservative minority government for two years before Johnson sold them out.

It has been a relatively peaceful three decades im Northerm Ireland due the Good Friday Agreement. However, this historic compromise is now under threat due to Brexit as well as demographic changes. I think we will eventually get Irish reunification but its gping to be a troubled process.