2:00:00 > 2:00:00Spotlight NIC C081A/01 BRD000000
0:04:39 > 0:04:43There's nothing particularly remarkable about this strip
0:04:43 > 0:04:47of road where Northern Ireland ends and the Republic begins.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But this stretch of unremarkable land and hundreds of miles
0:04:51 > 0:04:55like it is about to become the most significant line on a map in Europe.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01I'm at the border and I'm waiting.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I'm waiting for someone to turn up who holds the future of this
0:05:05 > 0:05:09border, and indeed perhaps, this whole island, in his hands.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Michel Barnier is the EU's Chief Negotiator,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17the man leading the Brexit talks for Europe.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21He must try and settle the divorce terms with the UK on behalf
0:05:21 > 0:05:24of Ireland and the other 26 remaining members.
0:05:25 > 0:05:31I'm very happy and honoured to address both houses and to
0:05:31 > 0:05:35greet you, the representatives of the people of Ireland,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38in all your political diversity.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45That's why the Irish politicians want him to see with his own eyes
0:05:45 > 0:05:47what's on the line.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53Some might be concerned about the exports to the UK or by the
0:05:53 > 0:05:55return of custom checks at the border.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Others might fear a return to the instability of the past.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So, this is our VIP arrival.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07I already said many times,
0:06:07 > 0:06:14nothing in this negotiation should put peace at risk, that the
0:06:14 > 0:06:20Good Friday Agreement must be respected in all its dimensions.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25The point about bringing Michel Barnier here,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and I understand he's been brought up by the
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Irish Foreign Minister, is to physically take him to the border,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32show him what it's like, so he can get a real impression
0:06:32 > 0:06:34of the Irish border.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38There's a lot at stake here for our people.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42As a lawyer who in a former life practised in many divorce cases,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I can say from my experience, using that analogy,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47there's no such thing as an easy divorce.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51There's no such thing as a quickie divorce without consequences.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54And this border is where the consequences will be felt.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57There's nothing to see here and little to enjoy
0:06:57 > 0:06:59unless you're fond of diesel fumes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02This dusty pit stop isn't on the tourist trail.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05That's what the politicians want to demonstrate.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09There's no border to see and that's the way they like it.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I wanted to know if Mr Barnier had got their point.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Mr Barnier, can you see the border? Can you see it?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- So, it's invisible?- It's invisible.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Will it remain like that?
0:07:28 > 0:07:31He think so but he doesn't know.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32The man on his right,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36former Assistant Chief Constable in Northern Ireland, Peter Sheridan,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40knows what it was like before and can speak with some authority.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44He's pointing out some very real dangers, start with customs
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and you can quickly end up with army patrols and lookout towers.
0:07:56 > 0:08:02I catch up with Peter Sheridan later at a different border crossing.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06You are taking Mr Barnier around the border there in South Armagh,
0:08:06 > 0:08:07what were you telling him?
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Well, I suppose I was trying to make the point to him that we
0:08:10 > 0:08:12need to think beyond just customs,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15that the point for us here is that this border
0:08:15 > 0:08:18has been invisible for the last 20 years and if you make it
0:08:18 > 0:08:22visible again, does that become point of conflict again?
0:08:22 > 0:08:23How would it become a point of conflict?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26If you're only sticking up a couple of cameras,
0:08:26 > 0:08:27that's hardly high security.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Well, that's true, but the history of this place is that...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33There's a perception that the conflict was about Catholic-Protestant.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35It wasn't, it was about identity.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Some people saw their allegiance to the Republic of Ireland,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40some people saw their allegiance to Westminster.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43So the border became the point of conflict.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46When customs posts were here originally,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49the first shots were fired at customs officers.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Then the police end up having to protect the customs officers.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Then when they're attacked, soldiers ended up having to protect police
0:08:55 > 0:08:59officers and then we ended up having to build structures on the border.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Nobody set out with that intention of a hard border in that regard,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04but that's the way it played out.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08One idea put forward by officials is to carry out checks away from
0:09:08 > 0:09:10the border.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Dan Hannan, a Conservative MEP,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17played a leading role for Leave in the Brexit campaign.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20He thinks the checks could move to ports and airports.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Remember, this is not the 19th century when we have
0:09:29 > 0:09:32uniformed customs offices with moustaches and epaulettes and so on,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35almost all of this is done in advance online.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38So what we mean when we talk about customs checks is
0:09:38 > 0:09:42a final verification that the paperwork is accurate.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I think that can be much more accurately and easily carried
0:09:45 > 0:09:48out at the major freight terminals and ports where all the
0:09:48 > 0:09:51infrastructure is in place.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54This would effectively move the border from the land in
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Ireland to the sea between Ireland and Britain.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01It poses big problems for Unionists,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04for the UK to treat Ireland as one,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08yet the minister for Brexit wouldn't rule it out when challenged.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14You mentioned that you wanted to see no hard border between
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18that's something which we share.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23But can you rule out that that will not be delivered by having
0:10:23 > 0:10:27the border controls between the island of Ireland and Great Britain?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I don't know, Mr Wilson, at the moment. Let me...
0:10:34 > 0:10:37My view here is...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I don't see that that will be the solution, to be honest.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43But what I don't want to do... The primary concern for me...
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The reason I'm hesitating is the primary concern for me
0:10:46 > 0:10:49is to make sure that we don't have that hard border, all right?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And there are various technical ways of resolving that,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55we haven't finished that process.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I can see the issue, absolutely see the issue,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and I can see why that's a very second-best solution.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05I think we can find a better one but I won't make a promise today.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09I will make a point of writing to you when we've got further down
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- the road of the solution.- OK.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Brexit has put the border and Northern Ireland at the top
0:11:21 > 0:11:23of Europe's agenda.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Some of the EU's most influential politicians,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27including the Brexit chief himself,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29gathered in Wicklow earlier this month.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34The star attraction of their conference was former
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Prime Minister Tony Blair.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43As one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, I'm extremely
0:11:43 > 0:11:50anxious to make sure that Brexit does not impair that agreement.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55The agreement was born in the context of EU membership for
0:11:55 > 0:11:57both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03We've never had a situation before where the Republic of Ireland
0:12:03 > 0:12:08and the UK have been in a different status from each
0:12:08 > 0:12:09other in respect of Europe.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12We've either both been out or both been in.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Brexit has shifted the delicate balance of relationships.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Europe always backed the UK and Ireland equally on Northern Ireland.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25But now, Europe's politicians are solely behind
0:12:25 > 0:12:27remaining member Ireland.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Good afternoon.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30For Tony Blair,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33that's an uncomfortable position for Unionists.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Has Brexit changed the dynamic in relation to a united Ireland?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Look, a Northern Ireland politician could answer that better in a way.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Look, I'll be frank with you, it did surprise me
0:12:45 > 0:12:49that there were elements of Unionism that would support Brexit.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Were they shooting themselves in the foot?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Well, I think if you analyse it,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58the benefit of the Good Friday Agreement
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and Britain being in Europe is that,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02as I say, it's not an issue because the
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Republic and the UK have the same status in respect of Europe. So...
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I find it surprising.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16I hope the UK is maintained, of course I do, but, you know,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20this is a debate that in the end will be settled in Northern Ireland.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23On the day she triggered the Brexit negotiations,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27the Prime Minister stressed the Union was safe.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30We have a preference that Northern Ireland should remain part
0:13:30 > 0:13:34of the United Kingdom and we will never be neutral in expressing our
0:13:34 > 0:13:36support for that.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37- MPS:- Here, here.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And that's because I believe fundamentally in the strength
0:13:40 > 0:13:42of our Union.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46But the debate has begun in earnest.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Last month Europe put a united Ireland into the headlines by
0:13:50 > 0:13:54signalling automatic EU membership for Northern Ireland in the
0:13:54 > 0:13:56event of Irish unity.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59It was nicknamed the Kenny Clause after the Taoiseach
0:13:59 > 0:14:01who pushed for it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07I think that's a significant legal statement from the European Council.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Brexit has helped build a new bond between Ireland and Europe.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17We want to find a solution without rebuilding any kind of hard border.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23I want to protect and preserve the Good Friday process and agreement.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25But we have to find a solution that is also compatible
0:14:25 > 0:14:27with the single market.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Solutions which might be different in Northern Ireland from the
0:14:30 > 0:14:31rest of the UK.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It's the Good Friday Agreement which has made the difference.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Northern Ireland is different because people here have an
0:14:39 > 0:14:43automatic right to Irish, that is European, citizenship.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49And this is the only part of the UK which can rejoin the EU without
0:14:49 > 0:14:53an application process if people here vote for a united Ireland.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00It's not just Europe that says this but the UK Government too.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Brexit Minister David Davis confirmed this in a letter
0:15:03 > 0:15:05to Mark Durkan.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- MARK DURKAN:- It's because of the Good Friday Agreement.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09Of course, absolutely right.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12In some respects the British government did accept some of
0:15:12 > 0:15:15the premises on which Europe are now negotiating, because after all,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19David Davis wrote to me to accept certain things about the
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Good Friday Agreement that meant that Northern Ireland would be the
0:15:22 > 0:15:25only place in the UK that could actually rejoin the EU
0:15:25 > 0:15:28without needing a negotiation, unlike the UK as a whole,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30unlike any independent Scotland,
0:15:30 > 0:15:35he also accepted that we're different because of citizenship.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39This change means a vote for a united Ireland is also a vote
0:15:39 > 0:15:44to rejoin the EU and this appears to have reawakened Irish Nationalism.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51The day after the UK voted to leave the EU, Sinn Fein called for
0:15:51 > 0:15:54a vote to leave the UK.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56We're calling for a border poll, of course,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58because we're united-Irelanders.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00But we're also calling for a border poll because we want to
0:16:00 > 0:16:04continue with the improvements that have been made on the life of
0:16:04 > 0:16:06the people of this island.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Fresh from its best Assembly election result, the party
0:16:09 > 0:16:14is now calling for that border poll to be held within five years.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Sinn Fein says it hates Brexit,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19but it seems to love the consequences.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Obviously, as Irish Republicans,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25we want to get to the stage where we achieve a united Ireland,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27but we want to design that new
0:16:27 > 0:16:28future and that new Ireland
0:16:28 > 0:16:31with all the people in this island, orange and green,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33so it has opened up a new political debate.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35We are in a new political era and that can only be a good thing.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Unlike Sinn Fein, the Irish Government is dead against
0:16:38 > 0:16:39a border poll.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45It wants to take credit for a big shift on the Irish unity issue,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48but it certainly doesn't want it to happen now.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Has Brexit changed the dynamic towards a united Ireland?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I believe it has.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57But it's important that the letter and spirit of the
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Good Friday Agreement be fully subscribed to.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Of course, the issue of a united Ireland and
0:17:02 > 0:17:08a border poll is fully covered within the Good Friday Agreement.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12I don't believe now is the time for a border poll, in fact,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17I think moves towards a border poll at this stage will give rise
0:17:17 > 0:17:19to serious dangers.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Amidst growing talk of a united Ireland and border polls,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the Prime Minister Theresa May paid a recent visit
0:17:34 > 0:17:36to the Balmoral Show,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40where the only local politician she met was the DUP leader.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Hello.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45This is my son Ben who wanted to meet the Prime Minister very much.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Very good to meet you, Ben.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50But I said we mightn't get a chance to do that. Everything going well?
0:17:50 > 0:17:51- Yes, thank you. Yes.- Excellent.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Theresa May says Brexit presents opportunities,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00though in Northern Ireland it was more the challenges of the
0:18:00 > 0:18:03border and trade that came to mind.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I'm very clear that we want to see
0:18:05 > 0:18:09no return to the borders of the past, no hard border, and I'm clear
0:18:09 > 0:18:15that we need to see as seamless and frictionless a border as possible.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19But even an invisible border can have hard consequences if it
0:18:19 > 0:18:21causes problems for trade.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This is us in the butchery department,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35generally our primal meat joints arrive in here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39This agri-food boss, like Theresa May, didn't support Brexit,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42but now wants to make a success of it.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46But he says he urgently needs more detail from government at
0:18:46 > 0:18:48a local and national level.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51We're not quite sure whether the UK government has a plan and
0:18:51 > 0:18:54they're not telling us or whether they don't have a plan at all.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57My fear is that the plan doesn't exist.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Are jobs at risk if we don't get this right?
0:19:00 > 0:19:04From Northern Ireland perspective, across many industries, but
0:19:04 > 0:19:07particularly the agri-food industry, jobs are potentially at stake.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Like many agri-food businesses, Trevor Lockhart's an all-Ireland
0:19:17 > 0:19:22enterprise and he would like trade to continue unhindered after Brexit.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Sinn Fein is pushing for what it calls designated special
0:19:27 > 0:19:28status for Northern Ireland.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33It would mean continued EU membership in all but name.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Well, we do not want tea and sympathy,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38and the hundreds of MEPs that I have spoken to across Parliament have
0:19:38 > 0:19:42all got the case that we are making for designated special status.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46The DUP is strongly opposed to designated special status,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50but language is important, the party is still keen for
0:19:50 > 0:19:54a special deal that protects jobs and livelihoods.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Well, I don't hear anywhere in Europe that there is such
0:19:59 > 0:20:01a thing as special status being considered, but there is
0:20:01 > 0:20:06mention of the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11I hope that we can work together to actually agree something that
0:20:11 > 0:20:14is mutually beneficial.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Despite the rhetoric, the parties may not be miles apart on Brexit,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22but with no Executive at Stormont, there is no agreed position.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28What's your top priority at the moment? Is Brexit number one?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Absolutely. I am... It's all-consuming. Everything that I do.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Well, if Brexit is so all-consuming and so important,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39then why not get back together in government at Stormont
0:20:39 > 0:20:42so you can put a unified case to Europe?
0:20:42 > 0:20:43We'd go back to Stormont in a heartbeat,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46but we're not going back to the status quo.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52So with Stormont currently out of business and unable to speak
0:20:52 > 0:20:55for Northern Ireland in Europe, business has taken the initiative.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Trevor Lockhart and a number of colleagues are taking their
0:21:00 > 0:21:04concerns directly to Brussels where the decisions will be made.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Gordon Best represents the construction sector,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Conor Patterson from Newry speaks for border businesses.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Well, you've got Gordon and Conor here, yourself,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17how many more are we meeting in Brussels?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20There should be, I think there's another three or four.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30They're joined in Brussels by Stephen Kelly who represents
0:21:30 > 0:21:32manufacturing in Northern Ireland,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Allie Renison from the Institute of Directors
0:21:35 > 0:21:36and Jennifer McKeever
0:21:36 > 0:21:40and George Fleming from the Londonderry Chamber.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44They want solutions for the border problem, keenly felt in areas
0:21:44 > 0:21:46like the northwest.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49The thing about customs is that customs is about control and
0:21:49 > 0:21:55that means security and that means some way of policing
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and security measures and whether we're talking about trade or people
0:21:59 > 0:22:01crossing the borders,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04they do every day to go to work and to live their lives in the
0:22:04 > 0:22:09northwest, that's unimaginable, it would destroy our city.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16The delegation heads for a meeting with DUP MEP Diane Dodds to
0:22:16 > 0:22:19see if the local politicians are any closer to a deal.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Many of you have mentioned Brexit, we need a plan, we need so on...
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I have been involved in the talks process.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32It was one of those areas where I think we were inching towards
0:22:32 > 0:22:33really good progress.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35..the same timeframe...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38They want an agreement that keeps Northern Ireland in the
0:22:38 > 0:22:41European Single Market with no border,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45but their host emphasises the importance of the UK market.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48It is important,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52access to the Single European Market is hugely important, but actually
0:22:52 > 0:22:58access to the UK single market is the thing that is absolutely vital.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson offers the group a welcome lunch,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07but with Brexit on the menu, there's a lot to digest.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09You're all very welcome.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12It's great to welcome you to the parliament and I hope you
0:23:12 > 0:23:13find it useful.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But it's a very... I would...
0:23:15 > 0:23:20Well, it's interesting times but it's a very serious time as well.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22The group gets down to business.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28We're worried, we're concerned and we want to make sure we've a bit
0:23:28 > 0:23:32of skin in the game so we can help influence what the future looks out.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Well, can I just say you're right to be worried?
0:23:34 > 0:23:40You're right to be concerned. What the outcome is, nobody knows.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43What the group wants are details of a border deal.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49All sides, the EU, the UK, the Irish Government,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51have said they want no hard border.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Have you seen the blueprint?
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Oh, certainly not and I don't think it even exists yet because...
0:23:59 > 0:24:04..that is what will be decided, I think, almost at the very last
0:24:04 > 0:24:08in all the negotiations that are going to take place because that is
0:24:08 > 0:24:11the most difficult of the many difficult areas that have got
0:24:11 > 0:24:14to be dealt with in these Brexit negotiations, that will be,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I believe, the most difficult of all.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29This is the centre of attraction for many visitors to Brussels,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31a key seat of power.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Northern Ireland's three MEPs have been vocal on Brexit in Europe.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Sinn Fein doesn't sit at Westminster,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41but its Northern Ireland MEP addressed the Prime Minister
0:24:41 > 0:24:44in colourful terms in the European Parliament.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Let me put the record straight to everybody that's here,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52no border, hard or soft, will be accepted by the people of Ireland.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56What British armoured cars and tanks and guns couldn't
0:24:56 > 0:25:01do in Ireland, 27 member states will not be able to do.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06So, Theresa, your notion of a border, hard or soft, stick it
0:25:06 > 0:25:11where the sun doesn't shine, because you're not putting it in Ireland.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson warns Europe's Brexit negotiator
0:25:15 > 0:25:17not to get too close to Dublin.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19I hope you're listening, Mr Barnier...
0:25:19 > 0:25:21I hope you're listening, Mr Barnier.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I want to make it very clear to you, not twiddling with your telephone
0:25:24 > 0:25:26as you seem to be doing.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Dublin does not speak for Belfast.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33And the DUP's Diane Dodds was mocked for supporting Brexit but
0:25:33 > 0:25:36wanting a unique deal for Northern Ireland.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41The European Union has an extremely important trading relationship
0:25:41 > 0:25:43with the United Kingdom.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And agriculture is at the heart of this.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52And just to say to Madam Dodds, well, my goodness,
0:25:52 > 0:25:57you're lamenting the problem which is now arisen, yet you and
0:25:57 > 0:26:01your political party advocated we leave the European Union.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Oh, dear, oh, dear, the sound of pennies beginning to drop.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15There are two parts to any Brexit deal,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19the first is the withdrawal agreement and that will take
0:26:19 > 0:26:23two years. The second is future relationships and trade and
0:26:23 > 0:26:26that could take up to ten.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30The UK believes trade can also be sorted within the two-year process,
0:26:30 > 0:26:35but Europe disagrees and has prioritised three things,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the divorce bill, the rights of citizens, and the Irish border.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42The visitors from Northern Ireland want to know if that means
0:26:42 > 0:26:45they'll see the shape of a deal any time soon.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Brian Hayes of the Irish Government party Fine Gael,
0:26:49 > 0:26:50offers them an insider's briefing.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54It's unlikely that you're going to get early agreement,
0:26:54 > 0:26:55it's the nature of politics.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Nothing is agreed till everything is agreed.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01What you'd said earlier there is that this border thing may be one
0:27:01 > 0:27:03of the last things actually resolved.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07And what we could potentially be facing right now is actually
0:27:07 > 0:27:10being lost in very clear sight, so we're being placed up and we're
0:27:10 > 0:27:14being one of the top three things that need to be resolved,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17however, it may be one of the last things that's actually resolved.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21The visitors leave Brussels pleased that Northern Ireland is one
0:27:21 > 0:27:24of Europe's three priorities but concerned
0:27:24 > 0:27:26details of a deal will have to wait.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Meanwhile, back home, the Brexit Minister challenges Europe's agenda
0:27:31 > 0:27:36and disputes the plan to settle the border ahead of other issues.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38And Northern Ireland, by the way,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41how on earth do you resolve the border, the issue of the border
0:27:41 > 0:27:44with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland unless
0:27:44 > 0:27:46you know what our general borders policy is,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49what the customs agreement is, what the free trade agreement is,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52whether you need to charge tariffs at the border or not?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55You can't decide one without the other. It's wholly illogical,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and we happen to think, the wrong interpretation of the treaty.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59So, that will be the row of the summer.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09So, it's only the change in tarmac which tells you where the border is.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Perhaps the Brexit Minister is right. After all, how do you sort
0:28:16 > 0:28:22this border problem without looking at all other external border issues?
0:28:22 > 0:28:23But as everyone acknowledges,
0:28:23 > 0:28:28this border has its own particular explosive history, and by
0:28:28 > 0:28:32questioning any early deal, has the minister just placed Northern
0:28:32 > 0:28:37Ireland directly into the firing line between the UK and the EU?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40I think first of all what he's trying to do is to use the
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Good Friday Agreement as a sort of political human shield to
0:28:43 > 0:28:46take them through the divorce negotiations.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49By linking the border with any wider trade deal,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52the government stands accused of using the peace process in
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Northern Ireland as leverage to secure concessions from
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Europe for the rest of the UK.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02First, they don't want the questions of Ireland settled as part of
0:29:02 > 0:29:06the first order issues that the EU 27 have set out and that the
0:29:06 > 0:29:11Taoiseach was quite successful in having framed in that way.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14And to use us as a political human shield to get through those
0:29:14 > 0:29:18first negotiations and then in effect treat the Irish situation and
0:29:18 > 0:29:21the Agreement as a hostage through the subsequent negotiations
0:29:21 > 0:29:25on trade and the single market and the customs union,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27I think is downright irresponsible.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32There is an irony, according to Alliance's Stephen Farry, that
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Brussels seems more attuned to Northern Ireland concerns
0:29:35 > 0:29:37than Westminster.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42We do have some very strong powerful friends across the European Union.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45The level of attention of the UK Government in Northern Ireland
0:29:45 > 0:29:46has been disappointing.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48We haven't had the same level of engagement from the
0:29:48 > 0:29:51UK Prime Minister in terms of understanding our position.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53And there isn't, in particular,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57the real understanding of the threat to the Good Friday Agreement
0:29:57 > 0:30:02from the UK government, indeed, who are one of the core signatories.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Ireland is the country that could suffer most from Brexit which
0:30:05 > 0:30:09explains the Irish Government's unprecedented charm offensive
0:30:09 > 0:30:10with Europe.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13But the border solution is beyond its control.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19And with the UK and Europe unable even to agree a talks agenda,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23the prospect of no deal, first mooted by the Prime Minister
0:30:23 > 0:30:25in January, remains a real possibility.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33While I am sure a positive agreement can be reached, I am equally
0:30:33 > 0:30:38clear that no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Thank you.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45I'm very concerned when I hear British politicians and
0:30:45 > 0:30:50political leaders speak in terms of no deal.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54No deal would be catastrophic for the UK,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56for Ireland and for the entire European Union.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01But no deal rather than a bad deal is now
0:31:01 > 0:31:03a Conservative manifesto pledge.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07So even if a special deal awaits Northern Ireland in Europe,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10it may never be implemented if the wider talks fail.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12In that context, we would then default to
0:31:12 > 0:31:15a very hard Brexit for Northern Ireland and indeed
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Northern Ireland would be more adversely affected than any
0:31:17 > 0:31:21other part of the UK and we would see it affect a hard border on
0:31:21 > 0:31:24the island of Ireland and all of the political and economic
0:31:24 > 0:31:27implications that arise from that.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Theresa May hasn't said what an acceptable deal would look like.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Questions were kept to a minimum on her recent Balmoral visit and
0:31:35 > 0:31:39no Conservative minister, not even the Northern Ireland Secretary
0:31:39 > 0:31:41James Brokenshire, would speak to Spotlight.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Others who fear the consequences cling to a remote hope that
0:31:48 > 0:31:49Brexit might not happen.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Is Brexit inevitable?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Till we see the final terms, why make up our minds finally?
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Does that mean we can change it? I have no idea.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04But what I do know is anyone who goes into the detail of this
0:32:04 > 0:32:07negotiation, and now we're going to be going into the detail,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10the facts, right, they're going to find that there are many,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14many challenges along the way and really tough choices for the UK.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19But far from going soft on Brexit, supporters have hardened
0:32:19 > 0:32:22their resolve in response to tough talk from Europe.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28This attempt to interfere and bully, as they seem to be doing,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33goes down very badly with people here. They've made a choice.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36They made that choice last year
0:32:36 > 0:32:38and we now have to implement that choice.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41And the way to implement that choice is to get the best deal for
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Northern Ireland.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46And even in his Dail speech, Michel Barnier left
0:32:46 > 0:32:51no room for doubt about the future relationship with the UK.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52It's divorce.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56I regret that Brexit is happening now.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00I would have liked to have seen the UK staying in Europe with
0:33:00 > 0:33:07Ireland and all the 26 other member states, but we are where we are.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Brexit is coming but what about Barnier's border?
0:33:15 > 0:33:18It's not only the new EU-UK frontier,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22it's the battle line for the bitter negotiations to come.