The "Irish border question"

I have wondered for ages about this. I may be dense, but it doesn’t seem to have been much discussed in the media.

If there is to be no hard border between Eire and Northern Ireland, and because EU citizens e.g Romanians, Poles, Greeks, as well as Germans, Spaniards, the French and the Dutch etc. will have unfettered access to the Emerald Isle south of the frictionless and uncontrolled border, what’s to stop them gaining uncontrolled access to UK via the Six Counties, catching the Holyhead or Stranraer ferry and thus to all parts of the Scepter’d Isle itself?

All talk so far has been about goods and services, not alien bodies. So can someone enlighten me on this curious matter?

Nothing.

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Just like the almost non-existent British Navy will protect UK waters from European and Russian fishing…

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The government wants landlords and employers to check people’s right to be and work here when they apply for accommodation and work.

Which seems to be a great idea - allow them in but ensure that they enter the grey economy with no protection against exploitation by unscrupulous landlords and employers.

I imagine that the legislation we will be keenest to ditch will be the EWTD and anything else to do with health and safety or workers rights. Dyson will be able to move production back here and still benefit from Chinese levels of pay.

The irony is that many voted Leave in the belief that EU workers were driving wages in the UK down - I wonder what the effect of increasing the number of unrecorded and unregulated quasi-slave labourers who will be working below  minimum wage will be.

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:grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:

The Irish border issue was always intended to make us give in leaving, if there is a no deal britexit, who’s going to build a wall? It will have to be the EU as why would we do it?

Well, that may be because “our” defence against the foreign johnnies has always been the wet, grey and treacherously lethal sea. And the tricky “paddies” have always been kept subdued, by force or famine, so a wall in Ireland has been unnecessary from “our” point of view of superior strength.

It should be recognised that our fellow creatures and foreign johnnies in continental Europe might feel just as precious about their special bit of turf as “we” believe is our “right”, and why not?

Maybe because they’ve grown up beyond the childish “we’re us and they’re them” mentality. They have experienced world wars with near neighbours for over a century, and have come to realise that it’s best to see each other as “we”, and not “us” and “them”?

Brexiteers have the mentality of “them and us”, as a Remainer I have the mentality of “us”.

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I thought one of the basic demands of the Leave lot was having control over their borders. Surely having an open border between a member of the EU and part of the U.K. is the complete opposite of that. Johnny Englander needs to get his cement mixer out.

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Well said, @Aquitaine! And let’s give the construction contract to Carillon, and the border security contract to Group 4!

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I think Europe is probably the go-to place for advice on border fences/ walls

And this Spanish one in North Africa a modern day outremer perhaps either way it’s the EU border and a barrier to migration.

Spot on - this is one of the ways in which the Leave campaign is/was self-contradictory. Another was simultaneously claiming that we had to leave the EU because its bureaucracy made it unresponsive and unwilling to change but at the same time it would be capable of “doing us a deal” in record time.

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The EU are pulling their hair out at Britain leaving because of the amount we pay in. They are saying there has to be a hard border between the north and south of Ireland to stir things up. It won’t happen for 2 reasons, the Irish PM has said he won’t allow it and Britain can’t either because of the conditions of the good Friday agreement. It would be lovely if the Irish left the EU as well.

The record is stuck! I suggest you ask a few Irish people if they would like to join you in your suicide bid. Don’t expect them to say yes. Your naïveté is outstanding. Congratulations.

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I tend to agree with David… this subject is going round and around… the needle is stuck in the groove… no-one knows which way is up IMO … :thinking:

be interesting to see what sort of rabbit the government pulls out of the hat… :roll_eyes::thinking::relaxed:

Have you been looking at what the EU commission spokesperson has been saying over the last few days Stella?

They originally said that in the event of a no deal brexit a hard border would be required. This would be as ROI would be a frontier state.

Some back tracking today but this might not be something the UK government nor the ROI have much of a say in.

Where are you fiscally resident Brian?

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Methinks that will be a ‘tumblweed’ question Cat!!!

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Mostly in England but also in France every month.

That shows a total lack of understanding of the question.

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As I worked for 2 years in Ireland and am an Irish citizen even though born in the UK. I recieve a full Irish pension as well as my UK one. That is why I take an interest in the Anglo Irish affairs. A lot of the Irish people I mix with in London favour the republic leaving the EU also. Virtually all of Ireland’s exports are to the UK. They have benefited hugely from the EU in the past but not now. The southern and eastern countries are soaking up the money. Greece is a basket case the billions given there just disappear into thin air. The salaries and lifestyles of the thousands of EU officials in Brussels annoys the Irish more than it does the Brits. They should leave as well. I can’t believe any right minded person can approve of the likes of Tony Blair or Neil Kinnock and his family having their snouts in the trough. The sooner Britain leaves with no deal the better.