What is the solution to the Irish border?

[MegCleary]

Keen to hear, as I am struggling.

[MegCleary]

Anyone?

[Somerville]

‘Solution’?

Leave it as it is. Even the talk about reimposing a border there has triggered fear/triumphalism and ensuing violence.

And it’s not just that the ‘border’ has to be left alone entirely, but also the carefully balanced rights which were also laid out by the GFA.

[MegCleary]

Do you think that is an option?

[Heatherjayne1972]

There isn’t a workable solution which keeps everyone (The U.K. ROI Ni and the Eu) happy

If there was someone would have suggested it by now

[Somerville]

It has to be. Anything else is unconscionable. There are two competing ‘will of the people’ votes here to take into consideration; NI voted by a long margin to remain and an even longer margin to accept the GFA. If that is trumped by England’s (narrow) vote to leave then it will be, once again, England imposing unwanted major changes on the island of Ireland, and it will spark a major crisis.

What I expected at the start was a separate deal for NI that worked, in essence, to keep everything as it is until/unless ‘the will of the NI people is to diverge from the EU’.

The Conservative’s choice to have an election, and then to pair with the DUP put paid to that.

Now I don’t know how we get there. But we have to.

[eurochick]

The world's best legal and political minds haven't been able to produce a workable solution yet, so I doubt a MN thread will be able to come up with one, however powerful the hive mind can be on other issues.

[54321go]

Both EU AND WTO rules say there must be a customs border at
the perimeter of erea so that is a more than significant 'red line'.
As has previously been noted many times the only 'solution' is to remain for CU and SM. The Brexit 'vote' was not originally about leaving CU and SM specifically but has been conflated to mean this should happen.

[Eve]

no idea - but this makes me smile every time I watch it

twitter.com/real_SBP/status/971047269733666824

[barfotoliv]

I don't think there is one either. I live on the border, and if there is any hardening of it, there will be chaos. I was disgusted by how little attention was paid to this issue during the referendum campaign, and by how little thought and importance still seems to be given to it by Leavers.

[WhatchaMaCalllit]

Not wanting to be inflammatory but you're asking about a solution to the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?

Solution 1 - the 6 counties are handed back to the Republic.
Solution 2 - the 6 counties stay in the EU
Solution 3 - The border moves to the Irish Sea

Don't know of any other workable solutions to be honest.
None of these will actually take place.

[Mistigri]

EEA + a customs union agreement ("Norway +") is the only way to respect both the referendum result and the GFA.

[AWomanIsAnAdultHumanFemale]

The Irish border? No. This is a U.K. border. Ireland is perfectly happy with the status quo. It’s the U.K. that have decided to stick borders up in another country. Please apportion the blame for this shitshow appropriately.

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

It's not even really within the power of the UK to decide, the firmness of any border is decided by the country that wants the most firmness. So if the UK don't make any decision at all, it'll be Ireland's/EU's choice about what sort of border there is. Leo Varadkar said the other day that Ireland has to consider policies to be brought in in the event that Brexit goes ahead without any agreements at all. I do very much hope that border/customs control won't lead to political unrest but I'm not all that optimistic.

[MegCleary]

Thank you all so much for the replies.

I have been amazed as others have mentioned how little import it got in the ref!

As an Irish woman in living and working in the UK for many years the whole this has floored me.

I have read and watch much since the result and have become fatigued by all the options etc and these answers have really help me clarify thoughts.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Reunification of Ireland
or
Hard border between Scotland and rUK and Scotland given the same special status as NI.

[Somerville]

“It’s a U.K.-imposed border on the island of Ireland” would be my definition.

There is no way that the Irish government will impose that border. I don’t know what the penalty is from WTO, but presumably the EU will help them to fund it. It would be political suicide for Fine Gael (or any other party).
The EU is backing Ireland over it:www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/eu-calms-varadkar-s-fears-of-physical-border-checks-after-brexit-1.3569485%3fmode=amp
It’s much more likely that in a no-deal scenario it’s the U.K. who sets up ‘border’ infrastructure, as they did before.

[MonumentVal]

The only solution is UK stays in the EU. Or NI becomes an independent country. I'd be fine with both myself but they seem even less likely than UK:EU customs border in Ireland (huge problem for so many reasons), or GB:Irish borders, outraging the DUP whom May needs to keep on side...

[Pebblespony]

Special exemptions for the North might have helped but the DUP won't have any of that. We're all fucked again.

[AWomanIsAnAdultHumanFemale]

Have no doubts we will get whatever is best for England and Wales, regardless of what that means for NI and Ireland.

[Pebblespony]

As long as May needs the DUP then it's unsolvable. I heard them on RTE this morning. They don't see any problem.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Staying in the EU.

[Yaralie]

There is no solution for "taking back control of our borders"

Maybe TM will learn that when she visits the border area today for the first time since the referendum.

[dinosaurkisses]

DH and I are losing our minds at the uncertainty- we live in NI but both have jobs in Dublin.

Long term we’re looking at relocating both jobs here and buying a house, but everything is on hold while this shit show plays out. I can’t wrap my head about having to move across the border again.

[DarlingNikita]

There isn’t a workable solution which keeps everyone (The U.K. ROI Ni and the Eu) happy

If there was someone would have suggested it by now

Precisely this. Even Boris Our Saviour skittered away from anything approaching detail in his resignation speech/first punt at leadership.

[MegCleary]

Chat on LBC about it now.