Northern Ireland. EU Withdrawal.

 Northern Ireland's new flag dispute.

I voted Leave and feel passionately about democracy. This Draft Withdrawal Agreement has shattered my belief system and my normal composure.

I very rarely get angry but I am becoming prone to bouts of anger these days. I'm not angry with people who disagree me. I'm angry at the deceit of the EU/UK/ ROI Establishment. It has become the one and the same establishment. I have been trying really hard not to get angry with people who have been angry with me as a result of my beliefs and viewpoints. I'm struggling a bit though.

We are currently at a pivotal moment in the political history of the UK and Ireland. The anger of some Remain voters since the EU Referendum is now spreading rapidly among the majority of Leave voters. The only way out of this without losing friends is to express our differing views in respectful and rational debate. Sitting on the fence or burying our heads in the sand will not help in anyway.

Here are some facts and opinions: opinions that I believe can be supported by facts. I would like those who have conflicting opinions to mine to give consideration.

The Northern Irish vote had no impact on the overall EU referendum decision. If everyone had voted Remain in Northern Ireland, Leave would still have been the result. NI would still be bound to leave EU as we are part of the UK.

The 56% Remain vote has however allowed the EU and their elite political associates to dream up an Irish Backstop to hinder and try annul Brexit. On a daily basis we are reminded that Northern Ireland voted Remain. I can't imagine the Irish Backstop ever getting off the ground if a majority had voted Leave. I'm not stating this for purpose of “I told you so” but in hopes that the debate can move on from constantly blaming Brexiteers.

UK politicians should never have agreed to the Backstop in December 2017. It was totally unnecessary and now means that leaving the EU without a UK/EU deal is only option. The only possibility now available to save democracy is for UK to Leave, for real, and initially trade with EU on World Trade Organisation terms. Trade deals and other deals with EU and the rest of the world will later fall into place.

The Brexit debate has been hijacked by party-political partisans, particularly in Northern Ireland. It should have nothing to do with party politics as it detracts and diminishes the real issues. Daily abuse gets hurled at the Democratic Unionist Party as they were the only party in NI to campaign for Brexit. But a large chunk of the 44% of Leave voters are not necessarily DUP supporters or automatically DUP voters. It is important to understand this to eliminate petty party-political rants from clouding this crucial debate.

More people voted for Brexit in Northern Ireland than voted for DUP in Stormont election of 2017. The DUP vote however increased significantly in the Westminster Election of 2017 as that unnecessary election was essentially a vote for, or against, the implementation of Brexit. Regardless of the fact that many people like me have had great difficulty with the DUP's performance in the Stormont Assembly, they are  currently the main party representing all of Northern Ireland at Westminster. This is also important to understand.

More people turned out to vote in Stormont and Westminster elections in Northern Ireland than voted in the EU Referendum.

The northern Irish voter turnout of less than 63% was the smallest regional turnout for the referendum: 9% below UK average. By comparison the turnout for the Belfast/GFA referendum in 1998 was 81%. The significance here was that voters were bombarded daily with the additional establishment propaganda threat of a 'hard' Irish Border. This meant that a larger proportion of the population in NI simply didn't know how they should vote. I also know this from numerous conversations in the weeks prior to the vote.

Awareness of all the above is important to have to avoid confusing a Remain vote in the referendum with how the majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote in a poll on whether to stay part of the UK or leave UK to re-join the EU: especially once the people of this Province have had a chance to digest the content of the the draft Withdrawal Agreement.

The notion of a possible sea border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain was not mentioned by the establishment at all before the referendum. The Draft Withdrawal Agreement seriously changes that.

Apart from everything else, the draft Withdrawal Agreement would lock part of the UK into EU's Customs Union and Single Market indefinitely: with increased EU controls over UK laws, regulations, tariffs, and taxes including VAT.

The proposed customs/regulations sea border technically separates Northern Ireland from rest of UK affecting internal UK trade. Also, through 'level playing field' conditions, restricts the Province's potential to freely trade with the UK's new post-Brexit trading partners.

It addresses aspects of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement from the perspective of the EU but it fails to mention constitutional changes that would necessitate approval by the people of Northern Ireland. It is clear the NI constitutional position will be altered, by stealth, in contravention to the essence of the GFA if not its legal text.

The Draft Withdrawal Agreement addresses the Common Travel Area but appears to demand that the EU will have a say in any changes to this British/Irish agreement which has worked very well since 1923. This appears to be just another way of maintaining an EU grip on UK internal affairs.

This Draft Withdrawal Agreement is deliberately complex and last-minute. It confirms, to me, that since the referendum vote there has been been a cunning EU/UK/ROI Establishment strategy to thwart the democratic choice of the people.

This does not even come close to delivering the Brexit that the British people voted for. If the democratic decision of the EU Referendum is not honoured and implemented then democracy is severely damaged and endangered. People would have no confidence in voting ever again. Elections and referendums, including this proposed 2^nd EU Referendum, will become irrelevant and redundant for the majority of people.

If the UK government cannot deliver independence for UK at this moment in time, on the back of the clear democratic decision that has been made, future generations will never again be afforded opportunity to achieve independence and re-gain democracy: unless perhaps through violent revolt.

Should democracy prevail and true Brexit be delivered the EU, or the United States of Europe ,will of course welcome the people of Britain back on board at anytime.

I feel we have been put into a situation, at this very moment in time, where we have a crucial obligation to the next generations. We have a duty to ensure that we were not the generation who abandoned democracy.  I hope others who currently see things different will come to understand this too.

Writing this has calmed me down: for now.