EU's Hogan warns of hard Irish border if UK leaves customs union

qwert_yuiop

Free movement of people across the border is one matter. An entirely different one is tariffs and tolls on goods. For instance , there's a large tax on garlic imports to the EU. There's a smugglers' tip for anyone who wants it - import garlic to Northern Ireland, run it down to Dublin and on to mainland Europe. Hardly the most glamorous, but you probably wouldn't care if you were making enough.

movilogo

All problems solved if Ireland also leaves EU

AnotherJoe

Mojisola wrote: »

If the border stays open, it's going to become an easy unofficial entry point into the UK. The people who voted leave aren't going to be happy about that.

Passport checks at airports and ferry terminals would pretty much fix that.

tara747

movilogo wrote: »

All problems solved if Ireland also leaves EU

Why on earth do you think this would ever happen?

AnotherJoe wrote: »

Passport checks at airports and ferry terminals would pretty much fix that.

...and you think unionists would be happy with that?

martinsurrey

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Free movement of people across the border is one matter. An entirely different one is tariffs and tolls on goods. For instance , there's a large tax on garlic imports to the EU. There's a smugglers' tip for anyone who wants it - import garlic to Northern Ireland, run it down to Dublin and on to mainland Europe. Hardly the most glamorous, but you probably wouldn't care if you were making enough.

if you want to be a bit more upmarket, Olive oil imports into the EU are at €124.6 per 100kg of import tax.

UK enters a trade agreement with Morocco, with no import tax, then run it across the open border.

qwert_yuiop

That sounds like a fair bit, and of course a fair bit of a margin for a smuggler. Better than working.
I suppose one vaguely positive aspect to brexit is third world producers of exotic food materials like the above will at least be able to make a living selling to us. How will the French like the British interfering in the former French empire?

qwert_yuiop

tara747 wrote: »

Why on earth do you think this would ever happen?


It's pretty unlikely.



...and you think unionists would be happy with that?

That's the way it was during the troubles. Internal passports however are contrary to UN freedom of movement agreements. The old Soviet Union was notorious for internal passport checks at railway stations.

zagubov

As I mentioned ages ago Ireland already lets in Taiwanese and Malawian and Bolivian passport holders (and other) without the visas needed for visiting the UK. Never seems to have caused much of a problem.

AnotherJoe

tara747 wrote: »

...and you think unionists would be happy with that?

It's my understanding those checks are already in place. ID, not necessarily passports.
For example http://www.stenaline.co.uk/FAQs/passports-and-visas/im-a-british-irish-citizen-do-i-need-a-passport-to-travel

And of course it could easily be "enhanced" to require passports under the guise of anti terrorist measures.

tara747

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

That's the way it was during the troubles. Internal passports however are contrary to UN freedom of movement agreements. The old Soviet Union was notorious for internal passport checks at railway stations.

Exactly.

AnotherJoe wrote: »

It's my understanding those checks are already in place. ID, not necessarily passports.
For example http://www.stenaline.co.uk/FAQs/passports-and-visas/im-a-british-irish-citizen-do-i-need-a-passport-to-travel

And of course it could easily be "enhanced" to require passports under the guise of anti terrorist measures.

Yes, it *could* be done, but what I'm saying is that it's likely to seriously !!!! off those of a unionist persuasion if their "brethren" across the water demand to see their passports each time they travel to Britain.


Think of the potential unrest that the border issue could cause.