The hardest border: Brexit and the Northern Ireland Border - Polidicks

I got permission from a mod to post this. [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/The_hardest_border"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/The_hardest_border[/URL] [QUOTE]When Brexit happens, the UK will suddenly have a major land border with the EU. The frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland runs for 310 miles. [B]No-one really knows what’s going to happen to it[/B]. “Kilnasaggart Bridge” was a whispered curse on the lips of train travellers in the days of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. It nudges up close to the border that separates the six counties of Ulster in the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland. The bridge was such a popular target for IRA bombers that uninterrupted travel from north to south was often impossible. ... Now, commuters sip posh coffee and sail past this once troubled spot, blissfully unaware of where the north ends, and where the Republic of Ireland begins. [B]The border is there, but it is not there and the bombs are history.[/B] ... Drive along the modern motorway that links Belfast to Dublin and the only clue that you have crossed is the subtle switch from signposts in miles to those in kilometres. Keen-eyed, you might spot the change in the markings on the sides of the road. It is a child’s guessing game - north or south, are we there, aren’t we here? ... This border is 310 miles (499km) long and meanders from Carlingford Lough in the east to Lough Foyle in the west. It was never a neat line. It is a squiggle across the map of Ireland – like an awkward child taking their crayon for a walk. That line divides rivers, slices fields, cuts bridges in two and even, occasionally, divides the odd house. [B]There are homes where you can have your breakfast in the north and go to sleep in the south.[/B] There are places where mobile phone reception in just one house fluctuates between north and south. [B]The days of the Troubles are behind us - days lived in the dark shadow of watchtowers and turrets are vanished.[/B] [B][I]But now the UK is getting ready to leave the EU, and the people of the borderlands are uneasy.[/I][/B] Up to 35,000 people commute across the border every day. Hospital patients and schoolchildren and cross-border workers are among those who have to make the daily journey. None of them wants a hard border, but the EU has stressed that there will have to be some form of customs control. What is a “soft” border? Will thousands of people find themselves cursing daily in long queues at border points?[/QUOTE] A very important article. I have only posted the introduction as this is very long. This might be the most critical issue facing the people of Ireland, North and South, this century. It is certainly the most critical since the Troubles. I am afraid. What has Britain done?

[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;52296028] I am afraid. What has Britain done?[/QUOTE] We "took back control of our borders" without any intention to actually think about what controlling a border entails and the implications of doing so. Basically, we fucked up.

I thought it was the case that the UK-Irish border agreement was in place independent of the EU. Therefore Brexit won't result in a hard border.

[QUOTE=The mouse;52296245]I thought it was the case that since the UK-Irish border agreement was in place, independent of the EU. So Brexit won't result in a hard border.[/QUOTE] Read the article. People will be able to freely travel and work. It's trade that's a significant problem. There's also the case of what happens to EU citizens. Will there be checks to ensure that people have Irish passports or not? That would cause chaos. A return to the hard border.

I thought that they fell under the UK?

[QUOTE=Zenreon117;52296559]I thought that they fell under the UK?[/QUOTE] Who falls under the UK? Northern Ireland is part of the UK, the Republic of Ireland (i.e. Ireland) does not.

There's no way in absolute hell there's going to be a hard border between NI and ROI. If anything they'll just implement a type of border from NI to Britain. The chance of a hard border in Ireland is practically non-existence, no one that lives in the country wants it and there'll be nothing sort of a major public riot if plans are even suggested for it.

[QUOTE=Duskin;52298155]There's no way in absolute hell there's going to be a hard border between NI and ROI. If anything they'll just implement a type of border from NI to Britain. The chance of a hard border in Ireland is practically non-existence, no one that lives in the country wants it and there'll be nothing sort of a major public riot if plans are even suggested for it.[/QUOTE] Does Ireland, like the UK had with the EU, have different border controls if heading to EU countries?

[QUOTE=DogGunn;52298321]Does Ireland, like the UK had with the EU, have different border controls if heading to EU countries?[/QUOTE] They are not in the Schengen area, so there shouldn't be much of a difference of accepting people into the country.

[QUOTE={TFS} Rock Su;52298342]They are not in the Schengen area, so there shouldn't be much of a difference of accepting people into the country.[/QUOTE] So in the end, if both countries are not in the Schengen area, but both countries already had open borders, why would it change? It is likely a treaty between the two countries rather than a treaty with the EU which is ending when the UK leaves. A difference in trade treaties shouldn't affect issues in movement.

Has a single thing related to brexit gone right?

[QUOTE=Lollipoopdeck;52298763]Has a single thing related to brexit gone right?[/QUOTE] David Cameron resigned.

[QUOTE=Lollipoopdeck;52298763]Has a single thing related to brexit gone right?[/QUOTE] Brexit hasn't happened yet.

[QUOTE=Lollipoopdeck;52298763]Has a single thing related to brexit gone right?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=UK Bohemian;52300552]Brexit hasn't happened yet.[/QUOTE] Oh there's that too!

You'd have to make sure that the border was free to pass over like it is now to avoid raising conflicts that have otherwise been dormant for a long time, the last thing anyone wants is the IRA coming back

It's not even a conflict thing, though that plays a part. It's like a West/East Berlin thing when they were separated. People live and work on both sides, Northern Ireland itself isn't even a country so it's just stupid for it to have border restrictions with the rest of the island.

[QUOTE=UK Bohemian;52300552]Brexit hasn't happened yet.[/QUOTE] Funny, that's not something you bring up when you say remainers are doomsayers were mistaken about Brexit because the predicted economic downturn hasn't ocurred.