Customs goodwill

My brother recently returned home to the US as a passenger on a large container ship.

By the time immigration officials had cleared the 30 or so crew and passengers, the whole cargo of containers had been loaded onto lorries and had left the port.

It is clear that with a good dose of common sense and crucially, goodwill, it is entirely possible to create Customs arrangements which would not interfere with trade or create a clumsy border with Ireland.

Of course, with Monsieur Barnier and Leo Varadkar both common sense and goodwill are in short supply... ROBERT W LIDDELL

Meadowbank, Turriff