How The EU Opened The Irish Border, And How Brexit Threatened To Close It

[@jonnynexus]

So the more in-depth article I mentioned in the video about the pre-1973 customs border can be found here: www.irishborderlands.com/living/customs/index.html The excellent Patrick Kielty Twitter thread I mentioned can be found here: twitter.com/patrickielty/status/1045782711816708096

[@brighton_dude]

One of the striking things about the Brexiters while campaigning in the run up to the referendum was how remarkably ignorant and dismissive they were of any questions about Northern Ireland. It was absolutely clear they had not thought about any of it at all and had no understanding. That they believed they need not give this any consideration played very badly in NI and also Scotland and Wales I suspect. It demonstrated how unimportant the non-English parts of the UK were to those politicians.

[@terryfinnie2146]

Spot on.

[@lvoldum]

Excellent video - very instructive! 👍

[@brighton_dude]

I am an Irish person now living in England and I think you explained all of this extremely well. I suspect that Northern Ireland will be leaving the UK and joining with the rest of Ireland in the coming years. Now, it is about who will go first, Scotland or NI? I don't rejoice in the breakup of the UK, I would have much preferred for the UK to stay together and be a valuable member of the EU. The arrangement in Ireland was really a very good solution while Ireland and UK were both in the EU. However the UK has acted idiotically and selfishly and as a consequence I think it is quite likely that the UK will start to breakup within ten years.

[@jonnynexus]

Thanks that means a lot. And yeah, I think that one of the really useful thing about the EU was it allowed Ireland and the UK (who do after all share an archipelago) to be in a regulatory and customs union *of equals*. I think that was a nice thing in itself, but especially crucial when it came to trying to square the circle of the conflicting aspirations of the communities in Northern Ireland. The UK now does seem more and more like people stuck in an unhappy marriage who are staying together not through any genuine desire, but because they can't face the break-up.

[@geejayhey]

I appreciate your efforts and like your videos. Thanks.

[@thinkingbout]

Thanks for this informational video! It seems crazy to me that this wasn't considered while talking about Brexit when in hindsight you can clearly see how important being part in the EU was for the peace on the Irish Island. I remember that the german news reported during Brexit negotiations how important it was for the EU to make a deal that secured the situation in Ireland while the british government seemed eager to exit with as much independence as possible. Through watching your video I got an even better understanding on what a problem Brexit could have caused for the people on the Irish Island if the EU and the UK wouldn't have arrived at an agreement for the Irish-North Irish border. So thank you for that and have a nice day! :)

[@therealrobertbirchall]

Brexit was about one thing and one thing only the 'Anti Tax Avoidance Directive. Yes the tory party are so greedy and selfish they would risk re igitnig a civil war in Ireland and plunging most of the uk into dire poverty. Yes they are that mentally ill.

[@mrmanch204]

Great work, thank you.

[@121evans]

Thank you for making it so simple so all the basic Brexit man can comprehend 🎉

[@7thebill]

Very good video and hoping you do loads more of EU explained content as you do it so well. One correction if I may, you said no one wants a North/ South border back on the island of Ireland. The Unionists mainly the DUP party are doing all they can to have it back as it was pre-EEC membership.

[@jonnynexus]

Yeah, I was perhaps being a little over-generous when I said that no-one wanted it. :) I do think the DUP have been very silly. They should have seen that EU membership was the best way to keep NI in the UK, as people who were (and I'm not sure the best way to describe this) sort of moderate nationalists, broadly Republican, but not particularly that fussed, would be happy as long as NI being in the UK didn't stop them from living their lives as Irish people. But by pushing Brexit and trying to bring back the hard border, they basically were forcing those people to pick a side, and of course, the side they picked was being Irish. So rather than putting a border between NI and Ireland, they've put one between NI and GB, they've got Sinn Fein as the largest party and the First Minister if/when power sharing finally gets back up and running, and a Border poll now firmly back on the agenda. Obviously, that's just me as an Englishman putting in my thoughts from across the water. What would I know, etc. etc. :)

[@7thebill]

@@jonnynexus You have put it all together very well there. Oddly though if the NI economy starts to really thrive because of free access to both the EU and GB markets it could make the people become more moderate in their views on a border in the Irish see and on Irish Unity. As you explain the EU/ Brexit topic so well I hope you don’t mind me making suggestions for further videos that would answer the most common questions about the EU. It would be fantastic if you could do a video on immigration and what control each member state has in terms of its own borders and a video on the subject of sovereignty, rules and regulations and also who makes these rules and how these people are elected to such positions. Keep up the great work.

[@RobBCactive]

😁 Good topic. The EEC borders weren't that open either, I remember massive days long lorry queues at borders, until the Single Market and Schengen agreement.

[@rocktapperrobin9372]

Excellent and clear explanation. One caveat: the issue was widely discussed in Northern Ireland before the referendum. I know because I heard nothing about it so II searched Irish media and found it was a burning issue. It was also apparent that the issue was being ignored by the English campaigns. I raised it in various discussions I had pre vote and the general reaction was “oh yes, I hadn’t thought about that. It’s a problem, isn’t it?”

[@jonnynexus]

Yes, that is true. *I* knew about it before the referendum, but only because I have Irish friends (met through gaming and SF conventions), and they were posting loads of links from the Irish Times and similar about it. There was nothing in the British media about it.

[@j.calvert3361]

You nailed it. That's the principal peacekeeping effect that EU has. It has become much less important where you actually are living. You just live on a very large common territory. Take Alsace and the French German border. A point of dispute and enmity for many centuries has simply evaporated. People don't appreciate that. But they should looking at the wars going on

[@jonnynexus]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

[@rockerjim8045]

I would love for the DUP to explain why they were so for Brexit but ignored the consequences of having a land border with the Republic which was protected by the GFA.

[@kenroberts6906]

Excellent stuff as always I suppose I knew this subconciously but you made it crystal clear

[@jonnynexus]

Thanks!

[@genghisthegreat2034]

Add to the discussion the economic seamlessness of prolonged EU Membership......dairying processing capacity in the Republic, for NI milk. Produce crossing several times in part processed form...........

[@joedonnelly6721]

You done good. Also if NI farmers don't follow EU rules on pesticides etc. they will wreck 30 to 50 percent of their market which is integrated with the south. It's a feckin' disaster. Westminster doesn't do Union of equals, one MP said " Ireland should know it's place". Both ignorant and rude. Keep up the good work.

[@davidlally592]

Mm one aspect of the NIP is that any NI exporters have the best of both worlds and are doing nicely thank you. Remember, without any tariff barriers at all, they can sell into the now non EU GB and to the next door Republic (=EU) and via Rosslare therein (and that port is booming now) to the rest of the huge EU market.Good for them!

[@freddibna2366]

hello

[@tonyholmes962]

ERG, IRA. 2 roads 1 destination. Nigel you darling idiot. We love you.