EU deal has created hard border in Ireland

Apparently Graeme Smith is unaware that Boris Johnson's deal with the EU has itself created ‘a hard border in Ireland’ (Viewpoint, April 1).

If he doubts that I suggest he googles for a short BBC video entitled ‘What it’s like driving across the new Irish trade border’, and follows their reporter Emma Vardy as she hitches a lift on a truck from Leicester to Belfast.

That hard border on the island of Ireland does not coincide with the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic because Irish politicians talked up the fear of terrorism, and it was agreed nothing would be done to invite attacks.

In October 2019 Boris Johnson mooted that checks could be done at sites away from the actual border; the ludicrous response from one Irish politician was: “No matter where you locate check sites - they amount to a hard border.”

So why is this stricture not applied to the check site in Belfast?

With the goods checked not just those destined for onward carriage across the border into the Republic but all goods coming from Great Britain, five times the volume.

Maybe Boris Johnson assumed that unionists would not mind that he had deceived them about there being no checks, they would just take it lying down; the Northern Ireland secretary has even denied the existence of a border.

All of which dangerous nonsense could have been avoided by suggested alternatives to border checks.

Including a well-developed proposal from Sir Jonathan Faull, previously a DirectorGeneral at the European Commission, and two professors of law, which may be easily be found googling for "An Offer the EU and UK Cannot Refuse".

Dr D R COOPER Belmont Park Avenue

Maidenhead