Irish Question again...

This one has been brewing under again recently, as plans have emerged for a border of some kind (well, regulatory checks enough to encourage the U-turn seeking journos anyway) in N Ireland. It seems that:

A new Brexit border in the Irish Sea will not be ready by Boris Johnson’s end-of-year deadline, according to a new analysis that warns more than 60 administrations, government departments and public bodies will be involved in overseeing the new system.... the influential thinktank Institute for Government (IfG) said the transition period must be extended or a longer implementation period agreed for the new border arrangements in the Irish Sea.

Life is too short to read the actual report, however. IfG was pretty clearly a Remain outfit and has floated a couple of recent pieces defending the Civil Service. Their recommendations are hardly a surprise:

“The UK and the EU should extend the transition period or agree to a separate longer implementation period for the withdrawal agreement,” the institute warns in a new report. 

Especially (and here comes the link to current news, giving legs to dripping on and on that M Kettle would admire):

Against the background of a global pandemic, it is very difficult to see how preparations to implement the protocol can be completed before the end of the year – given the scale of both the decisions and practical work still required.”

Rubbing their hands, gleefully:

the protocol arrangements will be voted on by the Northern Ireland assembly every four to eight years, making it a “potentially destabilising issue” for years to come

 Thank God for some fresh thinking in the Observer