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[STEMO]

I'd be very happy with a hard border. Eire is a country and, as a country, they decided to join the EU. Why would we have an open border with a foreign country.
As for the not-so-veiled threats from the gay Indian, he'd have to be held responsible for any actions of violence committed by nationals of his country.

[Doctor Gollum]

We could always invade Eire... Border wouldn't be an issue then...

Besides Ireland would benefit from being dragged kicking and screaming into the real world. 

[STEMO]

We could always invade Eire... Border wouldn't be an issue then...

Besides Ireland would benefit from being dragged kicking and screaming into the real world. 

That would cost us billions. They only survive on EU handouts.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Good Friday agreement was a completely unnecessary con trick by Blair, which has long since lost what little relevance it did have. Binning it is nothing to be worried about. 

Do I take it you are volunteering to man one of the checkpoints between Eire and NI then?

Like all remainers you are pedaling this nonsense of physical barriers being installed and men in peaked caps checking every vehicle that goes through causing massive tailbacks and chaos. 

All parties involved, the EU and the British and Irish governments have committed to no hard borders on the island of Ireland whatever happens.  Which renders the ridiculous backstop a complete and utter waste of time and shows it for what it is.  A trap!

As well as that, the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement obliges members to maintain borders which are as frictionless as possible, using modern technologies such as electronic processing of documents and payments.  Not only that but excessive non tariff barriers to trade such as health and safety checks are banned under WTO rules.

Nothing has to happen at the border.  If checks are required then they can take place well away from the border.... in the RoI seeing as they seem so concerned!  The facility that carries out the veterinary checks at Rotterdam is 20 kms away from the port, so this sort of thing already happens. 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

The implication is that it will bring about the return of the IRA with their guns and bombs.
A little lesson in recent history is needed on this, as it was rewritten almost before it had finished taking place.

In the early to mid 90,s the IRA were in deep trouble. The money from the U.S to fund their campaign was quickly drying up. The leadership (Mad dog McGuiness in particular) knew the UK powers that be had been investigating their crimes, and it wasn't going to be long before they were behind bars for life for many murders.
The community they claimed to represent was sick and tired of the violence and support had dwindled away.
The leadership sent a message, via an intermediary to the UK Govt. saying that they wanted to cease the violent campaign but wanted a dignified way out, rather than a surrender.
Talks began behind the scenes along these lines, but then Major lost the election and B. liar was in charge.
He approached the whole thing with a "Hi guys, would would you like me to do for you" attitude, and Adams and McGuiness saw a great opportunity, which is why they nicknamed him The idiot, behind his back.
Blair gave them so much that he didnt need to (pretty much what Mayhem is doing with the EU at the moment) and the end result was the ludicrous Good Friday agreement. Which allowed all the terrorists out of prison, even those serving life sentences for mass murder. Gave "get out of jail cards to those who weren't in prison but should be. And put the IRA leadership in Govt. in Northern Ireland.
Coincidently, I was in Belfast visiting the family the day it was signed, and remember how suspicious a lot of people were, but agreed to give it a try to end the violence.
When some time had passed and it became clear exactly what they had signed up to people were livid, but it was too late by then.
Point is, the IRA aren't coming back. They surrendered in all but name, and the world has changed so much since then that they would get almost no support from previous supporters, inside or outside Ireland if they wanted to try to make a comeback.
The constant veiled threat of them coming back of we don't do what the EU and Dublin demand about the border is nothing short of sick and makes my blood boil.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Good Friday agreement was a completely unnecessary con trick by Blair, which has long since lost what little relevance it did have. Binning it is nothing to be worried about. 

Do I take it you are volunteering to man one of the checkpoints between Eire and NI then?

My Father before me did ( as a B special) and if it came to it, I would happily do the same. 

[Sir Tigger KC]

Also, I read somewhere a while back that there are provisions in WTO for countries exiting trade arrangements which allows them time to negotiate new arrangements before going to WTO rules.  There are also provisions for  contentious borders, so I very much doubt that the WTO are going to insist on Eire/NI frontier checks.

I think everyone would agree that the Irish border is an extraordinary situation and I also think it shows the lack of understanding of Irish politics shown by Barnier, Junker and Tusk in their willingness to weaponise this issue.  In Varadkar's case I can't decide if he's naive, stupid, irresponsible or if it's just that he cares more about his career than anything else! 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Juncker staggered off the stage at a conference a few days ago wearing one brown shoe and one black, I kid you not, so could we really expect him to understand anything ? 
Varadkar is an irresponsible, opportunist, two bob chancer just like Macron in France. A d1ckhead of the highest order.
Having said that all of the above are running rings around our spineless excuse for a PM.   

[aaronjb]

"Contingency plans" in my sector means "Outsource it all to India"..

Other "low cost" countries are available.

And its just the excuse most companies, IT or otherwise, are looking for, because they need to absorb the costs of exiting the EU with no deal, and outsourcing to India in IT offers savings far above the WTO threshold, even by the time you account for needing twice as many due to the quality of staff available.

Working for a US company, with the vast majority of our business done inside the US and APAC, I don't think the EU has a jot to do with our current (global) outsourcing.. and yes, it's not just India - jobs are moving to Mexico, Poland and India, in our case, because the US, Western Europe (Spain was mooted but deemed too expensive) and "first world" Asia (Singapore, in our case) are too expensive.

[LC0112G]

All parties involved, the EU and the British and Irish governments have committed to no hard borders on the island of Ireland whatever happens.

Yes, everyone seems to be bending over backwards to avoid a hard border - which is why the Chequers agreement includes a customs agreement - in order for both the EU and UK to avoid falling foul of WTO rules. We can either have a Hard Border and WTO, or a soft border + customs arrangement + WTO. What we can't have is a soft border and WTO.

How "hard" the hard border has to be and how long we've got to implement it is of course up for debate. But none of the infrastructure is currently in place, and the implementation phase is currently planned to be 3 ish years which isn't a lot of time for any Govt high tech scheme.

Also, I read somewhere a while back that there are provisions in WTO for countries exiting trade arrangements which allows them time to negotiate new arrangements before going to WTO rules.  There are also provisions for  contentious borders, so I very much doubt that the WTO are going to insist on Eire/NI frontier checks.

That isn't what happens. What happens is that some third country member of the WTO complains to the WTO about a second country getting more favourable treatment. Whilst the WTO decides on the merits of the case (takes months/years), that third country typically imposes punitive tariffs on some import to their country from the offending country/countries. If that third country is the USA complaining about us giving unfair treatment to Eire imports, then there are plenty of things they can penalise that will really hurt. That's basically what happened between Canada and the USA over Bombardier.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Juncker staggered off the stage at a conference a few days ago wearing one brown shoe and one black, I kid you not, so could we really expect him to understand anything ? 
Varadkar is an irresponsible, opportunist, two bob chancer just like Macron in France. A d1ckhead of the highest order.
Having said that all of the above are running rings around our spineless excuse for a PM.   

He is either permanently pissed or recovering from a stroke. His hands are everywhere (all over Theresa) like some sort of 'pervy uncle' who gets over excited when a group of teenage girls turn up.

[Kevin Wood]

Juncker staggered off the stage at a conference a few days ago wearing one brown shoe and one black, I kid you not, so could we really expect him to understand anything ? 
Varadkar is an irresponsible, opportunist, two bob chancer just like Macron in France. A d1ckhead of the highest order.
Having said that all of the above are running rings around our spineless excuse for a PM.   

He is either permanently pissed or recovering from a stroke. His hands are everywhere (all over Theresa) like some sort of 'pervy uncle' who gets over excited when a group of teenage girls turn up.

Clearly his eyesight isn't that much cop either, then.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

The old boy reminds me of Boris Yeltsin once he had a sniff of the vodka bottle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPgiI46FCDU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s2Wgcj0wdY

[Sir Tigger KC]

I think you'd have to be brave, stupid or drunk to slap Victor Orban around the face! 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Juncker staggered off the stage at a conference a few days ago wearing one brown shoe and one black, I kid you not, so could we really expect him to understand anything ? 
Varadkar is an irresponsible, opportunist, two bob chancer just like Macron in France. A d1ckhead of the highest order.
Having said that all of the above are running rings around our spineless excuse for a PM.   

He is either permanently pissed or recovering from a stroke. His hands are everywhere (all over Theresa) like me, when I get over excited when a group of teenage girls turn up.

At least your honest about it  I suppose.