While the question of the “Brexit” still continues to be a focal point in the persisting political crisis in Britain, police and military are already preparing for what they consider the worst case scenario: a “hard border” within Ireland. In fear of what is to come, now plans have been put into motion to train almost 1.000 additional cops from England and Scotland for they deployment in Northern Ireland before the end of March.
The ongoing political crisis in Britain, that has left many matters yet unspecified, has lead to a wide circulation of news in European bourgeoisie news outlets, be it in Britain and on the mainland, as well as on international level about the implications of an “uncoordinated exit from Britain from the EU” on the inner Irish border. There is obviously great fear, that there might be no timely agreement between the EU and Britain on how the 449KM of inner Irish border are to be handled and that this might result in what is called a hard border. And why so?
The phrase coined “hard border” in this case refers to a border where, unlike the situation now, you are not allowed to simply walk or drive from Ireland to British occupied Ireland without so much feeling that you are actually leaving one country and entering another one, but where there are actual checkpoints, guards, tariffs, military border posts, etc. That this will (yet again) rip apart families, friends and make it impossible for some to maintain their work is less a problem for the governments in Europe than the implications this will have on re-igniting the militant mass struggles of Ireland. A border enforcement with check points and more British security personnel stationed in Ireland will have tremendous impact and will be a good reminder for many, that parts of Ireland continue to be the spoils of British colonialism.
In the crys of the bourgeois newspapers and the international appeals to solve particularly the issue of the border within Ireland, it is not very difficult to see how much the reaction is afraid of exactly this. Even former US Secretary of State John Kerry already issued a warning, that “It could re-heat passions one way or the other or both depending on what it is” and that a re-ignition of the troubles should be avoided.
Whether it will become a hard border or not, the situation in Ireland will certainly get more tense anyway. The call for reinforcements issued by the chief of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) comes as little surprise. And the British government was quick to respond: Already plans are being set in motion for 1.000 additional pigs from England and Scotland to be trained to be stationed in Ireland, which includes a special training segment on combating rebellious crowds. Also, 16.5 Million Pound are already allocated by the Treasury to be spend for new police personal by the PSNI. Most certainly, the question of the inner Irish border will continue to impact European politics for the unforeseeable future.
