Technology exists to solve border problem

I am amazed that such an idea, dragging in the

Customs Union has been seriously proposed by our side. But the whole idea is to keep us in it to neutralise any competitive advantage over the EU in the future.

Ireland has a border, and chooses to remain in the EU. They never had any guarantee the UK would not leave at some point, so it’s reasonable to ask that some concession be made to the reality of this background, by all concerned.

I do not know the details of the Good Friday Agreement. But it’s been pointed out regularly the technology exists to deal with all the aspects of trading across international borders, behind the scenes and “invisibly“, as I understand the meaning of the word.

If lorries are crossing the UK from non-EU countries with goods for the Irish Republic, I don’t see why any customs requirements can’t be dealt with electronically, as is the case already. But, surely, the vast majority of trade traffic will be lorries passing through the (now non-EU) UK from the EU mainland. In the absence of customs or tariff requirements, the only need might be for them to be tracked and independently “bonded” with a large lock to ensure the arrangement is strictly kept to.

I can not see how electronic, internet-managed, border trading arrangements can seriously be described as a “hard border“, except by those looking to derail Brexit by any possible means.

Ian Phillips

Harbertonford