UK can’t possibly regain control of its destiny if there is going to be a gaping hole in its borders

THE so-called ‘breakthrough’ agreement on the border issue is a political fudge that will create more problems than it solves.

One of the main reasons the majority of people in the United Kingdom voted for Brexit in the first place was to control the flow of immigrants from other EU countries.

If there are no border controls between the Republic and Northern Ireland, or between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, then the flow of immigrants into the United Kingdom will continue unabated. They will simply arrive in the Republic, travel to Belfast, then catch a plane, or boat, to the mainland.

Likewise, the new agreement provides no rules governing the flow of goods between the three entities.

There is merely a vague undertaking by the UK Government to facilitate trade between north and south and between east and west.

In the real world, however, goods will actually be shipped between EU nations (including the Republic of Ireland) and the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland).

Again, this new agreement appears to create an open back door into the United Kingdom from the island of Ireland. How will any flow of goods through this channel be monitored or tariffs assessed, without some form of border control?

It seems to me that the principle purpose of Brexit was to enable the United Kingdom to regain full control over its own destiny.

How can this be possible when there will now be a gaping hole in its borders through which people and goods can move without check or challenge?

OBSERVER

Boston, Massachusetts, USA