"A prime minister who caused tens of thousands of bodies to pile high, while apparently fixing taxes for pals and contracts for cronies, has our eyes out on stalks. No one knows how deep in slurry Boris Johnson can sink and still swim out.
But history will record one great political crime above all the others, his tawdry dishonesties mere illuminations round its edges. The delinquent who miss-sold Brexit to half the nation with a stardust of false promises to secure himself the throne will leave behind the Brexit breakages long after he has gone.
The most serious so far is imperilling peace in Northern Ireland, as Arlene Foster is brought down by Brexit’s impossible contradictions. There were warnings: two former prime ministers spoke in Derry just before the referendum, when Tony Blair said there “would have to be checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, which would be plainly unacceptable”, while John Major warned of a “historic mistake” that would destabilise the Good Friday agreement. But Foster, an ardent Brexiter, dismissed this a “deeply offensive” remain scare story.
The DUP’s impossible Brexit stance will be inherited by whichever unlucky candidate succeeds her. Why back Brexit when Northern Ireland was against it and the border dilemma flashed a red warning? Why back Boris Johnson when, of course, he would rat on her with his UK-splitting protocol? Why didn’t the DUP demand the whole UK stay in the single market?"
Polly Toynbee
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/30/curtains-cash-johnson-brexit-peace-northern-ireland