UK customs union existed for decades

On page 18 of WMN

November 5, your contributor David Wilcock wrote: “The Sunday Times reported that the EU would allow the creation of a whole UK customs union that would avoid the need for a Northern Ireland border backstop”.

Please could some knowledgeable person explain what this means.

As I understood it, just such a UK customs union has existed for decades (perhaps centuries), covering the whole of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and was established at a time when we didn’t need the permission of any outside body to do so. I also understood that, about a century ago, the people of Southern Ireland decided to leave the UK, and set up an independent country, The Republic of Ireland, and that they recently decided to remain in the EU after UK Brexit in March next year. If these decisions were in accordance with the wishes of the people, they had every right to take them, but must now face up to the consequences. They have no right to tell the UK what we have to do.

I also understood that it is a fundamental principle of the EU that there must be an open border allowing free movement of people and goods between countries of the EU, but that there can be no such open border with a country outside the EU. Have I got this wrong, or are we expecting the EU to alter its fundamental principles?

Robin Woods

St Dominick