Joe Biden’s decision not to fly the Union Jack alongside the flags of the Republic of Ireland and the United States during a recent meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been seen by some as a deliberate move to strengthen his allegiance to Ireland. Conservative MP John Redwood has criticized the decision, arguing that it goes against the traditional diplomatic protocol between the US and UK. In this article, we’ll explore the background behind the controversy and the differing perspectives on Biden’s actions.
John Redwood, a British Conservative Party politician, has accused Joe Biden of exacerbating the feeling among the Unionist community that he is “on the side of the Republic of Ireland” by not flying the Union Jack. The US President has come under fire for not displaying the Union Flag on his car during his recent tour of Northern Ireland, which some see as a deliberate snub to the United Kingdom. When Biden arrived south of the border, however, the green, white and orange of Eire were seen waving in the wind as he drove around. The White House has insisted that the President is not “anti-British”, but some in the Unionist community view his actions as biased against their interests.
Amanda Sloat, Biden’s special assistant for Europe and Eurasia, has sought to allay fears that the President is opposed to the United Kingdom. She has pointed out that his track record indicates that he is not anti-British. However, John Redwood argues that Biden’s failure to follow the normal procedure of flying the Union Jack alongside the Stars and Stripes when visiting Northern Ireland reinforces the belief among Unionists that he is on the side of the Republic of Ireland and the European Union.
The issue of the Irish border has been a contentious one ever since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016. The question of how to manage the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member, has proved difficult to resolve. The EU has insisted that there can be no hard border between the two, while the UK government has insisted that Northern Ireland must remain part of the UK customs union. The result has been a complicated arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has been unpopular with many in Northern Ireland.
One of the main criticisms of the Protocol has been that it creates a de facto border in the Irish Sea, which separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. Unionists argue that this undermines the integrity of the UK and makes Northern Ireland more closely aligned with the Republic of Ireland. Some see Biden’s failure to display the Union Flag as evidence that he is sympathetic to the Irish government’s position and opposed to the Unionist cause.
The relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States has traditionally been close, with the two countries sharing a language, a culture and a history. However, the recent tensions over the Irish border have strained that relationship, with some in the UK viewing the Biden administration as overly sympathetic to the EU position. The failure to display the Union Flag may seem like a minor issue, but it has played into wider concerns about the future of the Union and the UK’s place in the world.
Biden’s visit to Ireland was supposed to highlight the long-standing ties between the two countries and to reaffirm the US commitment to Northern Ireland. However, it has also highlighted the complex and sensitive issues surrounding the Irish border and the relationships between the different communities in the region. As the Brexit process continues and the Northern Ireland Protocol is put into practice, these issues are likely to remain a source of tension both within the UK and between the UK and its international partners.
