WITH Boris Johnson landing in Belfast today, the Andersonstown News spoke to shoppers in the Kennedy Centre about what they thought the British government is up to over the Protocol, and the DUP’s refusal to form an executive at Stormont.

Ann McLaughlin said: “I doubt Boris is going to get the parties back together again, as he can barely hold his own party together, so I don’t think he can do anything for Northern Ireland. It would be good if he could, but I don’t think he can.

“I think the DUP are holding the Executive to ransom and they’ll continue to hold them to ransom while they’re in the pocket of the Conservatives. They’re in each other’s pockets.

“I think MLAs getting their wage while not taking their seat is a disgrace. They say there’s a shortage of money for health and education, but take money for not doing their job.

“I think there’s room for negotiation with the Protocol. They could tweak it a wee bit so it could suit everybody, but I think no matter what they do with it, the DUP won’t be happy. They’re not up for negotiation or leaving any room for negotiation.”

PROTOCOL: John Mallon
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PROTOCOL: John Mallon

John Mallon said: “I don’t think Boris Johnson is going to do anything other than appease Unionists and the DUP. It’s a mess that he’s made with the Protocol from day one.

"He’s in trouble with regards to drinking and breaking the (Covid) rules in 10 Downing Street, so he obviously needs allies. I think at some point there will be a leadership challenge within the Conservatives, and he’s over promising the DUP he can sort this out for them. I don’t think Boris Johnson gives a toss about here, and he never has. The DUP haven’t learned their lesson from before when he promised them the sun, the moon and the earth and he threw them under the bus.

“I don’t think the Protocol should ever have happened, but at the end of the day you have to safeguard Ireland. They’re talking about the Protocol being a threat to the peace process, but who is making the threats? Is it the UVF or the UDA? If it was republicans who were threatening the peace process there’d be outcry, but yet when the threats are coming from loyalists they are remaining silent.

"Why are people not shouting the place down about these threats?

"I’m not much of a fan of Doug Beattie but he did say we can sort it out, but right now there are problems with the health service and the cost-of-living. They can sort out the Protocol separately from the running of the place, and it shouldn’t interfere with the running of the place when we’re in such a crisis.”

VOTING: Aisling Bell
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VOTING: Aisling Bell

Aisling Bell said: “What the DUP are doing, I don’t think is right. The whole point of voting is to elect people into power, and if they’re going against that, what’s the point in voting?

"I don’t think MLAs should get their salaries if they’re not going to work. I think they need to find a workaround in the Protocol if that’s what stopping them getting back to work, and sit down and work together to sort it out.”

AGREEMENT: Danny Kelly
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AGREEMENT: Danny Kelly

Danny Kelly said: “I don’t think Boris Johnson can sort the Protocol out. He made the agreement with Europe. It’s an international agreement that he signed. You can’t renege on it, he can’t hold his hands up and say he signed it, but doesn’t like it anymore.

The international community won’t accept that. I think the Protocol here is a good thing, but it does need tweaked. I think at the moment Johnson and DUP are using it as a bargaining chip to try and stick their foot into Europe and get what they want out of it.”

“Of course the DUP should get back into the Executive. There’s more pressing issues at the moment like the cost-of-living crisis, homelessness, the NHS all need sorted. It’s disingenuous to go to the electorate and say we want your votes for us to do nothing when there are more important issues out there that have to be sorted out first and are far more important than the Protocol.

CONFIDENCE: Edward Bartley
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CONFIDENCE: Edward Bartley

Edward Bartley said: “I don’t think he’ll [Boris] be able to get the DUP to go back in. No-one has any confidence of faith in that man. He’ll promise them the world and give them nothing.”

“I think the DUP need to get back into the Executive. I don’t think the whole thing should be held to ransom by one particular party. There needs to be a change in legislation to make it so one party can’t hold the whole of Northern Ireland to ransom. In the election, the people who voted for Jeffrey Donaldson, 12,000 people, he just slotted Emma Little-Pengelly into his seat and stayed in Westminster, so how can you trust him?”

“I’m not sure what can be done about the Protocol or what the options are that they have to work with, but these are the people who signed up for it and agreed to it. It recently came to light the DUP were offered a better deal that wouldn’t have the problems but they voted against it. They voted for it and are now holding the whole place to ransom because they voted for it.”

STAY: Joanne Captain
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STAY: Joanne Captain

Joanne Captain said: "I'm not a bit happy with him [Boris Johnson] over here, he'll be pandering to the DUP again.

“I think the DUP should get back into the Executive and that MLAs shouldn’t receive any of their pay if they’re not going to go back into the Executive. I think the Protocol should stay.”