Pro-democracy protests continue in Hong Kong

Undeterred by the heavy rain, over 100,000 people have taken part in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, shouting, “Stand with Hong Kong! Fight for freedom!” It marks a peaceful end to a week defined by bitter clashes between activists and the authorities. On Tuesday, protesters occupied Hong Kong International Airport, with multiple violent clashes with police on the streets. One of the marchers told the BBC, “We have been fighting for more than two months, but our government has no response at all. We could just come out again and again.”

The protests are now entering their twelfth week, and had been triggered by an extradition bill that would have allowed individuals to be sent to China to face trial. The bill has been suspended by the Hong Kong government, but not withdrawn outright. The pro-democracy movement is also calling for universal suffrage and an independent investigation into the use of force by police to suppress the protests. The Chinese government has likened the protests to “terrorism,” and has stationed thousands of troops in neighbouring Shenzhen – prompting fears of a military intervention by Beijing.

 

‘Operation Yellowhammer’ hammers home the risks of ‘no deal’

The Sunday Times has published leaked government papers outlining “worst case scenarios” in the event that the UK exits the EU without a deal on 31 October. It highlights the potential for significant disruption at ports, with a knock-on effect on medical supplies, fresh food, and fuel distribution. The documents also acknowledge that current plans for the UK to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland would be “unsustainable.” Michael Gove, the government minister in charge of ‘no deal’ planning offered this response:

Meanwhile, the paper also published the results of a poll conducted by LucidTalk in Northern Ireland on people’s attitudes towards the ‘backstop’. Asked how they would vote in a referendum on the subject, the survey found that almost three in five people support an insurance mechanism that would see Northern Ireland more closely aligned with the EU than the rest of the UK. The majority of unionist party voters say they would vote against the mechanism, illustrating the challenging of securing any Brexit outcome that commands cross-community support.

As Boris Johnson prepares to meet other EU leaders at the G7 summit in Biarritz later this month, with little sign that he is prepared to make concessions, the German government believes there is a “high probability” of a no-deal exit.

 

Lack of unity over plans for government of national unity

With an ever-dwindling window for MPs to prevent a no-deal outcome, Jeremy Corbyn wrote to MPs from other opposition parties and a number of Conservatives seeking their support as a caretaker prime minister. The Leader of the Opposition says he intends to take a no confidence motion “at the earliest opportunity” when Parliament reconvenes in September. In the letter he stated: “Following a successful vote of no confidence in the Government, I would then … seek the confidence of the House for a strictly time-limited temporary Government with the aim of calling a General Election, and securing the necessary extension of Article 50 to do so.”

The letter immediately exposed divisions among opponents of no deal. Jo Swinson, the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, dismissed the idea, calling Mr Corbyn a “deeply divisive” figure who may not even be able to rely on MPs from his own party to win a confidence vote. She suggested that Harriet Harmon or Ken Clarke would be more appropriate choices to head a government of national unity.

The BBC has produced this helpful infographic summarising the possible paths that could facilitate or block a no-deal exit:

Another difficult week for community relations in Northern Ireland

After the display of Paratroop Regiment insignia on the uniforms of one band marching in last weekend’s Apprentice Boys Parade in Londonderry, the governor of the Apprentice Boys acknowledged the “upset” caused, and added that the organisation had “no prior knowledge of the band’s uniform.” Soldiers from the regiment shot 28 unarmed civilians on Bloody Sunday in 1972. The governor’s attempt to show leadership and defuse tensions in a “shared city” stood in contrast to the leaders of the DUP and UUP, who instead focused on the police response to the incident.

Meanwhile, flags and banners were burnt in a republican bonfire in Derry’s Bogside on Thursday night. The police are treating the incident as a hate crime. The PSNI’s Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Hamilton, said, “This type of behaviour is designed to stoke tension and provoke conflict and create instability.” The continued absence of a devolved government at Stormont creates a vacuum of leadership almost certainly makes it harder to rebuild cross-community trust.

 

Greenland not up for sale (because it’s a Danish territory, not a piece of real estate)

The 56,000 residents of Greenland were, understandably, taken aback by President Trump’s latest unhinged proposal: to “take a look” at “buying” the territory. It appears the President is interested in its untapped natural resources, and distinctly uninterested in the fact that Denmark exercises sovereignty over the semi-autonomous territory.

“If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof that he has gone mad,” said a foreign policy spokesperson for the populist Danish People’s Party. Greenland’s own Ministry of Foreign Affairs was equally blunt: