Reality check: Northern Ireland Protocol isn’t the problem, Brexit is

The Tories are addicted to conflict with the EU, for fear of taking responsibility for the consequences of liberation

Long-predicted post-Brexit problems around the requirement for border checks on goods travelling across the Irish Sea, from Britain to Northern Ireland, continue to inflame the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

The Conservative party was initially happy with Brexit, but not for long. A deal that was great in 2019 is now not great. What could fix it? What change would bring enduring satisfaction?

The answer is obvious to anyone familiar with the patterns of English Euroscepticism — nothing. There is no concession big enough, no deal good enough, just as no single fix can end the cravings of a drug addict. The long-term solution is to get sober.