| | Good morning, Sitting at a desk in my small office at the back of the garden, I've spent most of the last six weeks writing about the new Irish Sea border imposed as part of the Brexit deal between Boris Johnson's government and the EU. From here I can see the cranes of Belfast shipyard, a few hundred yards from where the new border checks are taking place. Even having written about Brexit for years now, and never believing the dishonest claims from the Prime Minister as to what he had agreed, I have been surprised at the immediate scale of the new regime. In my local supermarket, hundreds of items are simply no longer there, my local garden centre is no longer able to sell many of its plants because it is illegal to import them with any particles of British soil on the roots, and increasingly online companies are just refusing to sell to Northern Ireland. Those who do continue to sell to us will face less competition, and in many cases prices are rising already. In the face of this reality, Arlene Foster's position has shifted radically - from not even being able to utter the words 'Irish Sea border' when Andrew Mar put them to her at the start of last month, to now saying that she will lead a campaign against the arrangement. So far, that campaign has largely involved an online petition which rapidly drew widespread support, and a withdrawal of DUP MLAs from a Stormont committee meeting which (unusually) involved some TDs. Neither of those things will do anything to remove the border - far larger petitions have been ignored by the government and most people would hardly know which MLAs were at a Stormont committee anyway. But Mrs Foster has been put in this position involuntarily - she was willing to pragmatically work the border but unionists have effectively forced her to at least seem to be acting otherwise. Her response to this will largely decide whether she remains as the leader of unionism. Ultimately, she may face a choice between accepting a scaled-down version of the border or pushing for its abolition entirely. The former is problematic constitutionally, while the latter brings us back to the question of alternatives to the current arrangements and whether the DUP can unite itself, and then the public, around another proposal. Thus far, the EU does not appear to grasp the significance of the anger at how absurd some of the current rules are. Nor does it appear to realise that if this festers into widespread public opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, then that deal may be voted down by the Assembly when MLAs get a say on it in four years' time. That would then create a headache for Brussels. Away from politics, the pandemic means that most of us are still largely stuck at home. While that is an inconvenience - and for those without a garden or due to personal difficulties, is a far greater burden - it is in many ways a privilege to be able to work from home. My wife, who works in a hospital, and my brother, who works in a bakery, work far harder than me - and by necessity must mix with others in their workplaces, bringing the direct risk of illness. But there are real reasons for the hope that emerging from this lockdown will be more sustainable than past easing of restrictions. Northern Ireland's vaccination rate is one of the highest in the world and that, coupled with improving weather allowing us to do more outside, mean there are reasons for cheer. Through the glass, I can see that the sun is shining and even though the ground is frozen solid, the tips of the peonies which will flower in April are pushing up through the earth. Luckily they were in the garden before the Irish Sea border banned plants containing soil coming here from GB... Myself and my colleagues will continue to do our best to bring you the latest news and analysis to explain why that news is or is not significant. Journalism is imperfect and we make mistakes. But unlike an anonymous Twitter account, a blog by someone you don't know or your rambling great-uncle on Facebook, we seek to correct our errors, we are regulated by IPSO, and we are held to account by the libel courts. In a world of misinformation and where that misinformation - especially around the nature of covid or the vaccines - can lead to death, rigorous fact-based and accountable journalism is critical. To those of you who already pay to subscribe, thank you for enabling us to keep doing this work. For those who do not yet subscribe, there is a time-limited offer to show yourself some love for Valentine's Day by subscribing here: Best regards,
Sam
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