A new border wouldn’t last a day before it is attacked, warn top ministers
Fears grow Brexit will push North to the brink
BORDER posts wouldn’t last 24 hours before they came under attack, senior ministers warned last night, as they told of their fears Britain’s hard Brexit plans will see a return to violence.
After Anglo-Irish relations rapidly deteriorated this weekend, Culture Minister Heather Humphreys told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Any symbols of a border, even cameras, have the potential to undo a generation of progress.’
She added: ‘There is no river or mountain dividing us, the
‘There is no river or mountain dividing us’
border is a field.’ Another senior minister asked: ‘How long do you think border structures will last.
‘If you stick up a camera in South Armagh it wouldn’t last for 24 hours before coming under attack.’
Yet another warned: ‘Security is a huge issue. A Brexit hard border will seriously destabilise the peace process. We cannot police this.’
And Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan issued a stark criticism of the British government’s record on Brexit promises.
He said: ‘We are now dealing with the consequences of a far too simplistic line on the border. All the nice hackneyed terms, “frictionless”, “seamless”, “invisible” are not coming to pass. Instead, it seems clear that, as we get into the detail, the British have over-promised.’ The Justice Minister added: ‘The British have failed to give us reassurances on this issue. The international rules are clear, if there is a border there must be a form of checking.’ Mr Flanagan also warned: ‘As Minister for Justice I have to say the fact is that the greatest threat to the security of the State comes from dissident Republicans rather than international or other domestic threats.’ He said this means that ‘we cannot allow any disruption of the Good Friday Agreement, given the fragile situation in the North.
‘Given that already we have no Executive and no Assembly, this means the possibility of a Brexit border and actual checks will place the fragile situation in the North under greater strain,’ the minister added.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin also warned that ‘the deteriorating relationship between Ireland and the UK is a cause for serious worry’.
He also sharply criticised Sinn Féin, saying the party had a role in accentuating instability in the North.
The Fianna Fáil leader said: ‘The absence of an Executive is beyond an excuse, it means there is no voice from the North on the consequences of Brexit to the province.’
Concern about the consequences of a Brexit border being created is particularly acute among border constituency ministers such as Ms Humphreys, who represents Cavan-Monaghan, and Chief Whip Joe McHugh, who represents Donegal.
In another signal of the accelerating chill between Ireland and the British government, Ms Humphreys went out of her way to praise ‘the commitment and knowledge displayed by [the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator] Michel Barnier on this issue’.
‘The British failed to give us reassurances’