View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. The Staggers
5 December 2017

Why a deal on the Irish border – and a softer Brexit – may be on the cards

Not all is as it first appears.

By Stephen Bush

Full speed ahead: two significant things have happened as far as the prospects of a deal go.

The first is that Ruth Davidson, spiritual leader of Conservative Remainers and actual leader of the Scottish Conservatives, broke cover to criticise the prospect of one part of the United Kingdom falling within the regulatory orbit of the European Union but not another. She suggested that if regulatory alignment “in a number of specific areas” is necessary to avoid a hard border then the whole of the United Kingdom should do the same.

The trade-off in trade deals is simple: you balance the level of political freedom you are willing to give up with the level of freedom to trade with one another. The European Union is the highest-trade, lowest-freedom trade agreement in the world, and its closest association deals – the EEA and its multiplicity of deals with Switzerland – are the next in magnitude. You can reasonably argue either way about which of those deals gives the most freedom or the most trade, but that’s a topic for another time. The importance of Davidson’s intervention is that it paves the way for a much softer Brexit for the whole of the United Kingdom: perhaps not membership of the actual EEA but something a lot closer to it than CETA, the EU’s deal with Canada which is high on freedom but low on market access.

But just as significant as Davidson’s intervention are the people backing it. Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP’s chief whip, has praised the statement on Twitter. Donaldson is, of course, far more aware of what the DUP’s ten MPs and the party leadership in general is willing to bear. He is, also, a major part of the party’s leadership, unlike the loudest DUP MP on the issue so far, Sammy Wilson. (It may be helpful for New Statesman readers to see it like this: Wilson is a bit like Labour’s Chris Leslie – a forceful advocate for a part of the party that is not currently in the ascendancy and may be in permanent eclipse.)

The language being used by the DUP’s deputy and leader of its Westminster group, Nigel Dodds, is worth watching too. He has said that his party will not accept any principles or language that separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. That isn’t the same as not accepting language that keeps the whole of the United Kingdom closer to the European Union. A deal that pleases both sides, on the lines described by Davidson, might not be as impossible as people think.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU