Nobody can believe the DUP leader’s latest gaffe on a ‘hard border’ in Ireland

On 15 January, the DUP’s Arlene Foster explained her party’s opposition to the Brexit backstop deal for Northern Ireland. She said “it is a bit of a nonsense to talk about a hard border” in Ireland. But she went further, saying “we never had a hard border”. This shocked people with an understanding of Irish politics. And they expressed those feelings openly.

. @DUPleader explaining to me her comment that "we never had a hard border" during the Troubles – more on @BBCevex later pic.twitter.com/bBqNJj0b5C

— Mark Devenport (@markdevenport) January 15, 2019

What is the backstop deal?

The backstop deal wants to keep an open border in Ireland after the UK leaves the EU. And the UK is to leave the EU on 29 March this year. Currently, there’s freedom of movement across Ireland for people, goods and services. Only limited restrictions exist.

The DUP opposes the current backstop agreement and Brexit deal. It says:

Northern Ireland would be treated differently than the rest of the United Kingdom

Rewriting history

When Foster said “we never had a hard border” in Ireland, however, people responded in disbelief. And the first reactions showed images of the “hard border”:

"We never had a hard border…..!?!#*?! pic.twitter.com/mCgBuAyi4b

— Seán Napier (@Seanofthesouth) January 15, 2019

https://twitter.com/Seanofthesouth/status/1085216744795525120

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long couldn’t believe Foster’s comments either. She described them as “a blatant untruth about the border”:

With all due respect to Arlene's past, it is not an excuse or mitigation for a blatant untruth about the border.

We had a hard border. It was not and never could be completely secure. That is true of all hard borders.

This dissembling does Arlene and the DUP no favours.

— Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) January 15, 2019

People also told personal stories of “checkpoints, searches and degradation”:

I must have been dreaming all those times our car was stopped in Newry.

— Damien Maguire (@Deebhoy) January 15, 2019

@DUPleader Lies, damned lies and DUP pronouncements. I’ve experienced checkpoints, searches and degradation at the hands of Brutish army on the border. Different approach if you were known to be PUL community.

— GP McNulty ⭐️X6 (@GPMcNulty2) January 15, 2019

Although some took a humorous view of Foster’s comments:

pic.twitter.com/L5KN6po0xr

— Patti (@Pattifrog) January 15, 2019

pic.twitter.com/3hz3Vemjtg

— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙚 (@davelike_) January 15, 2019

The “hard border”

While the border didn’t cause past violence, it did exist. Foster comes from a border community and suffered personally during the conflict. So her comments are confusing. But it’s no excuse for trying to airbrush it from history.

Featured image Vox/YouTube