Ireland and Brexit - the unanswerable question?

Exactly!

a more popular destination.

That's quite correct rosesarered as the chart:
European Comparisons: Proportion of Foreign Born Population shows:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31806263

There is nothing at all offensive about rosesarered's post, it is just a statement of fact. It probably means that England is a more population destination for immigrants than Scotland. Whilst there may be plenty of immigrants in Scotland including ^Hardeep Singh Kholi's mum and dad for a start it is obvious more prefer to be in England as there are more opportunities there.

Hardeep Singh Kholi's mum and dad for a start.

Hardeep Singh Kholi's mum and dad for a start.

There are plenty of immigrants in Scotland .

That's offensive on all kinds of levels rosesarered

There aren't that many immigrants in Scotland though paddy as they mainly want to be in England.

You are absolutely right Jess.

I don't like English Nationalism, I don't like Scottish Nationalism and I don't like Putin, Trump or Marine le Pen, the only foreign politicians to support brexit.

We should be open, tolerant, and willing to co-operate with each other. Nationalism is a closed, intolerant and divisive force.

UKIP and the leave campaign looked a lot like English Nationalism to me.
Not keen on Nationalism in any form. It's inward looking and promotes xenophobia.
And a fine mess it's getting us into, Theresa.

What on earth are you talking about paddyann?! Forgive me but you sound slightly hysterical!

NIGGLY Quite contrary to what you state "nationalism" is fine if its "british nationalism" isn't that whats got us into this Brexit mess .Scottish nationalism is CIVIC not blood and earth nationalism.WE aren't yelling about immigrants taking our jobs /houses etc its those damned BRITISH nationalists that are doing that! The ones who want to turn the clock back to a time that never really existed

Yes Rigby, I can be critical. So should you be if you are more concerned with the people of NI than scoring political points.

The leavers had nothing to say because a) they never thought they would win - it was a game b) they never thought about NI even if they thought they would win c) they never thought. Delete as applicable. And yes it does matter because we can hardly be critical of any stance of the EU on Ireland when we never had a stance at all. chickens, roost, home

I can't honestly remember what the leavers had to say about NI.

I think quite a lot of us who voted Remain were well aware of the problem of the boder in Ireland, amongst so many other problems, but any mention of it was shouted down as "project fear"

Rigby, you are quite right of course. It was mentioned but treated as a local issue rather than one which deserves serious national attention. But that's now in the past. I'm interested in what we can actually do to help rather than what we could have done.

i did see a couple of things about the Irish border prior to the referendum but you are right that not too much was discussed about it. It is a huge problem which we cannot afford to get wrong - none of us want to see a hard border again or to see the fighting. The whole Island needs to have a huge input with any solution.
Maybe there will be a 'temporary ' solution for a few years before there is a more permanent one.

Well how come no one in GB seemed to care about Ireland during the whole referendum debacle? It was for our politicians to take that really serious issue and the hard won peace into account and who did?

If the EU are so concerned about Ireland they should put UK -EU trade talks at the front end of their sequential agenda, to be discussed at the same time as the other issues that affect Ireland. Ideally there would be no tarrifs and, for that land border, free movement.

My interpretations is that the EU are putting the interests of the island of Ireland at the heart of their preliminary negotiations. Anything that the UK suggest which will damage this is going to be a "red line" for them. The risk of stirring up the Unionist community in the north should not be underestimated.
Strikes me that this Irish question sounds like several years worth of negotiation before you start on anything else.
And anything that maintains an open border is not going to fit with May's bone-headed determination to "take control of our borders".

No Jess I meant this

The Union has consistently supported the goal of peace and reconciliation enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts, and continuing to support and protect the achievements, benefits and commitments of the Peace Process will remain of paramount importance. In view of the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, flexible and imaginative solutions will be required, including with the aim of avoiding a hard border, while respecting the integrity of the Union legal order. In this context, the Union should also recognise existing bilateral agreements and arrangements between the United Kingdom and Ireland which are compatible with EU law.

Your link, which I supposed you had read and digested.

Well those people who are convinced that there is a migrant horde, desperate to live on UK benefits might disagree with you roses. And as this group seems to include our current Prime Minister, it May not be that a mere shoulder shrug will let that one pass. Remember that UK benefits are available in NI as well as England.
All things "can be worked out" but I don't think Ireland will be very happy if there is a traffic jam of lorries at Dublin Port that stretches back into the city.
Here is some information about the 300 mile long border which has been mostly open since 1923. 200 roads cross it. I don't suppose either the Irish government or the Stormont government (when they get one again) will want to contemplate 200 checkpoints, mostly in rural locations.
But if they don't, there will be smuggling.
The prospect of customs checks for ordinary members of the public, crossing he borders with their shopping will not make their eyes light up either.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland–United_Kingdom_border

So, a few people from EU countries get into the UK in the future ( who shouldn't)
What will they do for a job? If they don't have the right documents.
On the customs side of things for goods that can and will be worked out.Yes,if we do leave the customs union there will be checks.We don't know yet if we will be leaving the customs union.

You mean the quote Anya ? - I cut and pasted to save people the trouble of wading through a longish document.
So the border remains open, fine.
However....
If the Brexiters want to stop free movement between EU countries and the UK, how is it OK to have free movement, without even a passport check, at this, rather long, border?
So anyone getting off a ferry from Cherbourg in Rosslare, or off a plane in Shannon or Dublin, can currently walk, ride or bicycle across this border, in the peace of the countryside, without an official in site. And then they are in the uk.
And then there is the lack of customs. A lorry load of Irish beef, from north of the border, can drive south across the border to Dublin port, onto the ferry and off at Holyhead, with no more requirement than to show their ferry booking. But if we leave the customs union there would presumably be a customs check at the "open" border, with duty to pay. Then another check and more checks and duty at Holyhead. (And if the delivery was destined for Paris, more checks and more duty at Calais.
So those are the practicalities. No amount of airy fairy hand waving is going to make them disappear.
I dont have your faith in the ingenuity of those clever people roses and predict that in 12 months time, or even 24 months, they will still be trying to find a solution.
Unless of course we have a change of government that is not hell bent on the most extreme version of Brexit - that few people actually want.