Customs Union

Cliff

Barnier, it seems tried to Bulldoze Arlene Foster over the border and customs union. She was having none of it. Northern Island is part of the U.K. and must be treated as such.

It was described as a furious row and she characterised Barnier as 'difficult and hostile'. Quite interesting how this issue has kind of blown back in Barniers face, having used it as a reason we can't leave for so long.

Barnier might in fact, lose and get a hard Brexit. .... Or win, and if reports are to be believed from German newspapers. A plan has already been drawn up where the UK stays in the Customs Union. Mrs May is supposed to sign it off next week.

Kotatsu Neko

The DUP would be quite happy with a new hard border in Ireland. They're not exactly the most rational, logical of people.

Cliff

Well they are elected, so I would not make a broad brush statement like that. I am sure many would say the same about their opposite numbers

Archie303

As a Unionist living in NI I no more want a so called hard border than the next person living here. What I do want though, is to leave the EU and remain an equal citizen of the UK as those living in England, Scotland and Wales. The border question seems to only have appeared since we voted to leave. It's definitely being used as a weapon to try to keep us in the EU. How is it unacceptable to have a land border, but others seem to find it no problem to introduce a sea border and separate us from the rest of the UK. I'm no lover of the DUP, but surely no one with any real care for the United Kingdom would think this is an acceptable solution, but then it does suit the EU and others with a remain agenda.
Im just afraid that the propaganda machine will convince the less informed that its NI's fault when things don't go the way they want. Theresa May has made a complete hash of the negotiations allowing the EU to call the shots and set the agenda. As it stands the last few weeks, I feel that voters like me in NI will either get annexed from the UK in some dodgy deal or get the blame when things go wrong. The border issue is only as hard as people want it to be!! Don't be fooled.

IronGiant

An interesting viewpoint, thanks for sharing it.    I for one would hope that NI isn't used as a scapegoat as it's largely out of your control.

tapzilla2k

The only way around it, is for a customs union to apply to the entire UK until a deal with the EU is hammered out. It's the intransigence of Tory Brexiteers in Parliament who are blocking progress and the avoidance of a hard border. It's actually a weapon being used by both sides on the Brexiteer side it's a weapon for causing No Deal and on the Remainer side it's a weapon for staying in the Customs Union.

The DUP are likely looking at this from a pure Unionist point of view and a hard border with the Republic of Ireland might suit them, they've never liked the Good Friday Agreement. One thing is for sure, monetary bribes won't buy them off on this one.

Seems to me that whatever happens with Brexit, Northern Ireland is on a course for holding a vote on staying in the Union or the reunification of Ireland. But that might be some decades in the future.


If it's anyone's fault it's the fault of those who drafted Article 50 and didn't seem to care too much about the complexity of Borders for certain memberstates due to politics and history.

I'm not going to blame the people of Northern Ireland for this. This is purely down to Westminster politics. If we had a stronger and more pragmatic PM we might not be where are now and would have recognised the EU is never going to budge on the Single Market or indeed give the UK a competitive edge over EU Memberstates.

Har-One

We were the EU. All those EU laws were created by us as well. We, UK judges, had disproportional influence in the making these laws.

The idea that the EU was forcing their laws on us is as true as the stupid believe that they were forcing us to to have straight bananas.

If we are going to keep trading with them we will need to follow all their requirements. We won't be able to export to the EU unless our products comply with their regulations. Their decisions and regulation will affect us. The only difference is that we will have no saying in the matter.

EarthRod

Fixed.

Sonic67

Nope. The EU wants to keep us in a customs union so it's in the EU's interests to drag out out. The more they do, the harder it makes leaving look, and more there is pressure to rejoin. Of which there is talk of ditching the rebate as well.
It's the intransigence of the EU as they gain from this.
You admit the EU won't budge and this is our fault? Love it.

Sonic67

That applies to any country you export to. Including us.