In all areas, the UK continues to backtrack.

The European Union argues that we should be subject to rules of the club that we have left.

The precondition is the level playing field.

We can deliver a real Brexit that achieves our objectives.

But if there is not a deal, we still need the Irish protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain. Hello. protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain.

Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic, RTE's podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor in Brussels, which will be entering a nationwide lockdown on Sunday night.

And I'm Colamo Mungown, RTE's Deputy Foreign Editor here in Dublin already on Level 5 restrictions.

Each week, Brexit Republic assesses all the latest Brexit developments in Brussels, London and here in Dublin.

This week, EU and UK negotiators have finally entered what looks like a tunnel or a submarine, depending on your preference, as both sides make a final frantic push for a free trade agreement sometime

in the next week or so.

As information is relatively restricted, we're going to take a look at the hidden threat

to the all-island economy.

What happens when on January 1st, Northern Ireland falls out of some

60 EU free trade agreements? We look in detail at the highly technical but also highly political issue

of rules of origin and why they could cause havoc to some supply chains that run north and south

on the island of Ireland and why it suddenly become an issue.

Yes, the Northern Ireland Protocol

was supposed to protect the all-island economy,

but there's an anomaly in the withdrawal agreement

...