(i)
A large European country, the backyard suddenly caught fire.
Which European power?
The UK is the only one.
Don't look at Johnson's recent scenery, among the world's major powers, the first to visit Zelenskiy in Kiev; a large sum of billions of pounds to help Ukraine deal with Russia; actively urge France and Germany, you do not hesitate, you must sanction Russian oil and gas...
Who knows, once back in the country, big trouble came.
Northern Ireland, Britain's biggest headache, is now a new point of trouble.
In northern Ireland's recent elections, Sinn Fein won a historic victory, winning the most seats in parliament with 27 seats, producing the first nationalist government in 101 years.
So what's the result?
Most immediately, Northern Ireland was in political turmoil; in the longer term, Northern Ireland would break away from Britain.
Don't forget, Sinn Fein has always opposed British rule in Northern Ireland, two interesting details: 1, Sinn Fein was elected to parliament and has always refused to swear allegiance to the Queen of England: 2, Sinn Fein never used the word "Northern Ireland" and replaced it with "North".
Why?
Because in Sinn Fein's view, Northern Ireland is part of Ireland and sooner or later it will have to be unified.
Sinn Féin's Northern Ireland regional leader, Michel O'Neill, after winning the election, said, "It is time for northern and southern Ireland to discuss a new communal island." ”
This may be the long-cherished wish of the Irish for a thousand years. Ireland was Britain's earliest colony, and it was not until 1921, after the First World War, that the southern part of the island of Ireland finally became independent from Britain. But the six counties of northern Ireland, because there were many British immigrants, were forcibly left in the British territory.
Therefore, the current name of the United Kingdom is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
However, the IRA was very dissatisfied, in order to break away from Britain, the IRA did not engage in bombings and assassinations and other sabotage activities, and finally, under the mediation of the United States and other countries, in 1998, the parties reached a peace agreement in Northern Ireland ("Belfast Agreement"), Northern Ireland belonged to Britain, the IRA gave up armed struggle, but between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it was necessary to keep the border smooth and trade smooth.
Britain, breathing a sigh of relief, naturally agreed. Moreover, at that time, Ireland and the United Kingdom were both EU countries, and the EU was a unified market, and smooth trade was naturally not a problem.
But who knows, 20 years later, the United Kingdom staged a Brexit farce.
If a hard Brexit, Northern Ireland and Ireland are cut off, it will definitely violate the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, and the next step is the comeback of the IRA.
The British government finally calculated that we are "one country, two systems", the British mainland is an independent customs territory, and Northern Ireland applies EU rules.
That is to say, EU products can freely enter Ireland and Northern Ireland, anyway, there is no customs; but British products entering Northern Ireland is equivalent to entering the EU market and must pass through customs.
The agreement was signed, in black and white, but the British soon regretted it. So, is the UK still not a unified country? Wouldn't that be tantamount to giving Northern Ireland independence?
Soon, a sausage war broke out between the UK and the EU.
According to the Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU, British sausages must abide by EU rules in order to enter Northern Ireland, but the UK is very dissatisfied, and during last year's G-7 summit, an angry Johnson suddenly questioned Macron:
How would you feel if your toulouse sausages were banned from being shipped to Paris?
Johnson's meaning is very clear, the sausages of the British mainland, now entering their own country of Northern Ireland, to obey your EU standards, too bad.
Even more remarkable is that Macron was stunned for a moment and replied:
Your analogy is not appropriate, because Paris and Toulouse belong to the same country.
What do you mean?
Oh, Paris and Toulouse belong to one country, that is to say, Northern Ireland is another country, not to the United Kingdom.
Johnson was furious and immediately responded:
EU leaders should be soberly aware that Northern Ireland and Britain belong to the same country.
The two broke up unhappily.
(ii)
Now, the situation is more complicated.
Sinn Féin's great victory has made the centrifugal role of Northern Ireland more pronounced; over there, the Democratic Unionist Party has lost its dominance in power, and discontent is rising. The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party has vowed to boycott the new government unless the British government takes decisive action to repeal the Northern Ireland clause in the Withdrawal Agreement.
In the view of the Democratic Unionist Party, if this clause continues, Britain will not be a unified country, and sooner or later Northern Ireland will break away.
What is Johnson's attitude?
Johnson declared that the situation in Northern Ireland is very grim, that the Belfast Agreement is out of balance and that recent elections have shown that the Northern Ireland clause in the Withdrawal Agreement is unsustainable. If a solution cannot be found, the UK will act to protect peace and stability in Northern Ireland.
In other words, the Uk is about to play tricks and tear up the Brexit agreement.
So what will be the result?
There is no doubt that the EU will not agree, and it will be a new battle. In fact, Johnson's speech has aroused alarm in the European Union. The British retail industry warned on the 11th that the EU will definitely retaliate, you know, 80% of the UK's food imports come from the EU.
At the same time, there will be chaos within Northern Ireland, sinn Féin will certainly not accept, you are tearing up the northern ireland peace agreement of that year, where is the credibility?
According to estimates, if Sinn Fein can continue to govern in Northern Ireland, with the change of the demographic structure of Northern Ireland, it is not excluded that in the next 5 or 10 years, Northern Ireland will truly break away from the United Kingdom, then the United Kingdom will really only have the British Isles left.
Oh no, none of the three islands may be. Don't forget, in recent years, more serious than the centrifugal tendencies of Northern Ireland, is Scotland.
Scotland is also strongly opposed to Brexit, and after the uk officially left the EU, Scotland's first minister, Nicholas Sturgeon, made it clear:
It is worth remembering that Brexit was carried out against Scotland's wishes. There is no deal that can make up for the damage that Brexit has done to us. It is time to chart the course for our own future as an independent European nation.
What do you mean?
1, Brexit, we Scotland do not agree.
2, Brexit has brought us huge losses.
3, we want to become an independent country, an independent European country.
That is, you are good to leave the EU, but we want independence, that is our goal.
Historically, Scotland and England have long been two nations, with England being Anglo-Saxon and Scotland being Celtic, and there has been constant war between the two countries. The Hollywood movie Braveheart tells the story of Scotland defending its freedom.
The Scottish government has determined that another "independence referendum" will be held next year, whether the UK opposes it or not. In the context of Brexit, the referendum does not rule out passing.
The UK is brexit, but the after-effects of Brexit continue. Many Britons fear that next, scottish independence, then Northern Ireland becoming part of Ireland...
A country returns to its heart when it is strong; but when it is in decline, it first disintegrates internally.
I remember that the Financial Times had a comment before lamenting that it should not be a decade, and the now small Britain will completely fall apart.
The empire that once owned the world's most expansive land, like a Russian matryoshka doll, molted layer by layer, and finally returned to the British Isles, and the three isles, the future is likely to be a dream.
This may also confirm the old Chinese saying: the general trend of the world, for a long time will be united, and for a long time, it will be divided.
But isn't this world, a lot of things, all tossed out by themselves?
Always feel good about myself, always like to point fingers, toss the world; who knows that when you turn around, the backyard is on fire, and the home is burning...
Toss it, then toss it.