Every time I do a panel; there\u2019s always a smart alec in the crowd. A man, usually. Without doubt he will say, \u201cYeah, but the British don\u2019t care about you.\u201d He thinks he\u2019s the first person in the world to have this original thought.<\/p>\n
Yes, I always say, yes we know. I don\u2019t know a single protestant in Northern Ireland that doesn\u2019t. My grandparents knew. My great grandparents knew before them. It\u2019s not my fault you\u2019ve never spoken to a unionist in your entire life.<\/p>\n
So, let\u2019s get the obvious out of the way: Nigel Farage would call a border poll tomorrow. Unionists who support Reform have a death wish. If they ascend to high office and Northern Ireland disrupts their grand ambitions, Farage will throw us under a bus and move on with his day.<\/p>\n
The growth of Reform sets Northern Ireland on a collision course with the UK, again. Brexit is a disaster. Farage wants the UK to withdraw from European Convention of Human Rights, a clear breach of the Good Friday Agreement. When Labour \u201cresets\u201d the UK\u2019s relationship with the European Union, Reform will push back. The prospect of border checks and borders down the Irish sea will loom large, again.<\/p>\n
If Northern Ireland poses a problem, a choice could be offered. You want to stay in the union? Fine, but we\u2019re leaving the ECHR and we\u2019re embracing a hard Brexit. You don\u2019t like it? Leave. If I was a Machiavellian, English nationalist who didn\u2019t care about Northern Ireland, that\u2019s what I\u2019d do.<\/p>\n
Unionists will point to Scotland here. Say that Britain will never call a poll because Scotland will demand the same. If Reform get into power, do you really think they\u2019ll care about conventions and the rule of law? Look at the U.S. Trump, Farage\u2019s mate, is outright ignoring orders from the highest court in the land. Reform could call a border poll, toss Northern Ireland to the side and deny Scotland the same option.<\/p>\n
Any unionist who thinks Reform are friends is na\u00efve beyond belief. The party is toxic to nationalists and the middle ground. They will only drive people in Northern Ireland to consider other options.<\/p>\n
Nationalists shouldn\u2019t be jubilant either. Many have banked on offering a choice to voters: a conservative, right wing United Kingdom or a liberal, progressive United Ireland. That choice won\u2019t exist if Europe lurches further to the right. Viktor Orban and Marine Le Pen push fascism inside the European Union while thousands march against migration in Dublin. Sinn Fein, caught off guard by the rightward shift, are moving to the centre.<\/p>\n
Some nationalists are in denial about racism within their community. They believe racism is something exclusive to unionism. Now, the far right is on the move in the south. They march against migrants and refugees, aligned with people who think my family and I are planters. There won\u2019t be a progressive united Ireland unless these people are challenged head on.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not predicting a Farage premiership. Events can change at the drop of a hat.\u00a0 Labour could win the next general election with a slither of a majority. If Reform can\u2019t deliver in local government, maybe their support will disappear.<\/p>\n
Whatever happens, Reform have reshaped the political landscape. Nothing good will come of this. Farage poses joyfully for photos with Trump, an adjudicated rapist<\/a> who bragged about sexually assaulting women. The \u201cradical right\u201d wants democracy to disappear.<\/a><\/p>\n