Can the Northern Ireland Protocol be made to work?

The Northern Ireland Protocol, a key but highly contentious element of the UK-EU post-Brexit deal, has caused enormous friction between Brussels, Dublin, Belfast and London. It threatens to undo the peace settlement on the island of Ireland. It jeopardises the entire nexus of UK-EU relations. Can it survive? Be torn up or revamped? What’s the best solution? Lord Frost’s demolition job or the EU’s conciliatory proposals?

To discuss these questions we invited: John Bruton, ex-Taoiseach (Fine Gael) and ex-EU Ambassador to Washington, who writes extensively on this and other EU issues. Prof Katy Hayward, from Queens University Belfast, the acknowledged expert on this subject (and others) on either side of the Irish Sea/English Channel. It was chaired by Dr Kirsty Hughes, Scotland’s top EU analyst and founder/director of the former Scottish Centre on European Relations.