Gransnet forums

News & politics

Does anyone know what Boris intends to do about the Irish border if he gets his no deal?

(144 Posts)
growstuff Fri 30-Aug-19 15:47:44

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

paddyann Fri 30-Aug-19 15:14:23

Boris' gem last week was he thought Eire could just rejoin the UK ...dear god,it took them hundreds of years to rid themselves of Westminster why on earth would they want to go back?

GillT57 Fri 30-Aug-19 15:11:01

you may be right Urm about the border being in the sea, because frankly, that makes better sense than in the middle of the country with the implications for the GFA. However, the DUP and the ghastly Aileen Foster will not agree to that. I hate to say it, but anything that takes the balance of power away from that awful, bigoted, unrepresentative woman and her cohort is fine by me. She is vile.

mostlyharmless Fri 30-Aug-19 15:05:37

BBC Feb 2018:
Boris Johnson has likened the challenge of avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland to the boundaries between different boroughs of London.
The foreign secretary said it was a "very relevant comparison" because money was "invisibly" taken from people travelling between Camden and Westminster when he was London mayor.
London's congestion zone charge does not involve manual checks.
Labour said his comments were "typically facile and tactless".
The Irish opposition Fianna Fail party said it was "extraordinary" to suggest the two borders were the same, while the SDLP said: "Trivialising the very serious concerns relating to Ireland displays a dangerous ignorance that must be challenged."

Framilode Fri 30-Aug-19 15:00:28

It is pronounced Teeshock, but what his role is I'm not 100% sure. I think it is similar to our PM as they also have a President who is head of state.

mostlyharmless Fri 30-Aug-19 14:59:25

Didn’t Boris Johnson once say the Irish Border would be easier to organise than the London Congestion charge?

Teetime Fri 30-Aug-19 14:51:35

Can someone advise me how to pronounce 'Taoiseach' and tell me what the role is - genuine enquiry thank you.

Barmeyoldbat Fri 30-Aug-19 14:45:26

Urm... dream on

trisher Fri 30-Aug-19 14:18:54

I would imagine many in N. Ireland would be pleased to stay in the EU. After all they voted to Remain. The Scots would probably not be happy and want their border back.

Urmstongran Fri 30-Aug-19 13:51:08

Here’s a worrying scenario.

What if Boris calls a GE right before 31 October, gets a huge majority, doesn’t need the support of the DUP supply votes and throws N.I. under the bus by putting ‘the border’ in the Irish Sea?

Just a thought...
?

Davidhs Fri 30-Aug-19 13:30:41

I wasn’t saying it would be “the same “ as Switzerland just that although movement of people would not be an issue, goods would have to be checked going into the EU. There has been some talk about farm trade between U.K. and Ireland but I’m not sure if any agreement has been made in that case.

It certainly has not been agreed on the 101 other commodities that pass between the two. Let alone goods in transit through the UK.

growstuff Fri 30-Aug-19 12:27:57

I seem to remember him (and others) saying something like that. Over the last few years, it's become increasingly obvious that many Westminster politicians know very little about the island of Ireland. My own MP, who didn't come to the UK until she was 16, looked like a deer in headlights when she was questioned about NI on a well-known TV show. She came up with some rubbish about the government knowing what it was doing and not doing anything to harm the interests of the UK. She didn't have a clue!

Fennel Fri 30-Aug-19 12:21:48

When this major issue first came up, I think it was before the referendum, Boris said something like "It's a border like those between our counties'. so what's the worry?
I could be wrong.

trisher Fri 30-Aug-19 12:06:26

I wondered if this was a joke thread- Boris KNOWING ANYTHING grin. Not until someone's told him what to do!
It is a concern that apparently there are thousands of people who live one side and work on the other. It must be so worrying
borderpeople.info/site/wp-content/uploads/2018-10-17-Border-People-Brexit-Briefing-Cross-Border-Workers.pdf

growstuff Fri 30-Aug-19 11:56:21

British and Irish citizens will continue to have the right to move freely, as they have since 1923.

Even if there are no checks, goods will be subject to WTO tariffs. At the moment that equates to about 11p a litre on milk, which will destroy many dairy farmers.

You can't be sure of anything, Davidhs. It's not just the EU which will want to control the flow of goods, but the UK too. You cannot say that the situation will be the same as the Swiss border, because Switzerland has a deal with the EU. The UK won't have a deal with the EU and needs to negotiate - that's the whole point! Deals such as one needed in Ireland can't be concluded within a couple of weeks.

Johnson hasn't come up with anything!

Davidhs Fri 30-Aug-19 11:46:22

His official line is that there will be no U.K. border checks between north and south in Ireland

But there will have to be checks at the mainland ports or migrants and contraband will be rife unless an agreement is made, that doesn’t look likely at present.

I’m sure the EU will want to control goods between north and south, that happens in Switzerland, people can move freely, goods have to be checked. Although we did get checked last year and questioned about currency

EllanVannin Fri 30-Aug-19 11:33:02

Does he know, himself ??

The answer to that is no !
Any threat to the Good Friday Agreement will spell disaster.

growstuff Fri 30-Aug-19 11:31:43

I doubt if Johnson knows. He wrote to Tusk saying he did, he gave Merkel the impression he could come up with something in 30 days. Surely he wouldn't lie!

Ireland’s deputy Taoiseach seems to think otherwise:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/30/johnson-no-credible-backstop-replacement-coveney

It's not just NI's fragile peace which is at risk, but the livelihoods of the farmers on the border and the commuters on the Clones to Cavan bus. "Not giving a toss" just about sums it up.

Gonegirl Fri 30-Aug-19 11:03:14

Surely some things will still be imported from the EU.

Does he really not give a toss about NI's fragile peace. Is he really so hell-bent only with keeping in with Trump?

THAT is worrying.