'Reducing friction' key to Northern Ireland relationship, says Taoiseach 

Recently-elected leader of the DUP Edwin Poots bumps elbows with Taoiseach Micheál Martin as he and DUP MLA Paul Givan exit Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture: Sam Boal

The Taoiseach said the focus needs to be on "getting issues resolved and on reducing friction where we can" in his first meeting with the new DUP leader.

Edwin Poots visited Dublin yesterday to meet Micheál Martin for the first time as leader, telling media before the meeting began that the Northern Ireland protocol was "unworkable".

The Taoiseach met the new DUP leader about the fall-out from Brexit, and "the two leaders had an open exchange of views across a number of issues including: political developments, Covid, North-South cooperation, and the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland," according to a statement from the Taoiseach's office.

Mr Poots, who campaigned for Brexit and is passionately against the Northern Ireland protocol said that: "Northern Ireland can't be a plaything of the European Union or the southern Government."

“The protocol was supposed to be a win-win for Northern Ireland. Instead, it’s a 6-1 defeat.

There is a lot of anger over the Northern Ireland protocol that manifested itself in the streets a number of weeks ago when we had the level of street violence which we hadn't seen for many years.

"We need to recognise the protocol as it currently exists is not deliverable and that is something the Taoiseach needs to recognise as well."

The Taoiseach's office said Micheál Martin "highlighted the critical importance of the stability and good functioning of the Northern Ireland  Executive and all the Institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, in these challenging times."

During the meeting, Mr Martin also highlighted the need to use the window that is now available in the EU-UK engagement to agree a roadmap on all of the outstanding issues.

The Taoiseach said "an obvious way" to make such an impact would be "to reach agreement between the EU and UK on a temporary (SPS) veterinary agreement — which would do away with 80% of checks at Northern Ireland ports."

In a stinging attack on the former Taoiseach and Tánaiste before the meeting, Mr Poots said both men brought up instances of border checks in the 1970s during Brexit negotiations to drive "forward an agenda" which "left a very bad taste in the mouths" of the unionist community.

"I don't believe they desired to do that, but that is the outworkings of what has happened and they need to reflect on the mistakes of the past and work with us to rectify those mistakes," he said.

Mr Poots said that relations "north and south have never been as bad", before adding:

"I don’t blame the current Taoiseach for that. I blame the past Taoiseach.

"I come to do business with people, my business is the wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland and good relations across the border and want to work with people who want to achieve those aims and work with me."