I am enjoying the discussion with yourself and Alex - and I will try to contribute as much as I can - that said pre-match drinks start in a short while for me
Let me plant a seed though, for Alex and yourself.....
I will try and give as clear a response as I can - I do not claim to have great insights - just happy to discuss, but…..
Generally the majority of the discussion/posts around this topic comes from UK mainland based Remainers who seem to just see the topic as something to use to seek to stop Brexit. With a few notable exceptions, I regard their protestations to be both insincere and ill-informed.
I guess that it should not be a surprise that the better quality content tends to come from those living in N.I. and Ireland - at the coal-face so to speak - although some of the Ireland based posts, not yours, seem to be unnecessarily dripping with 'anti-English' tones.
So let's try and avoid a Westminster situation where all the interaction goes into screaming about what people don't want but little into what people do want.
So - probably have to be after the match now - can you guys give thought to what you would like to see given that the 2016 referendum has taken place and returned a decision to leave the EU. Simply saying versions of 'no fair' and that it should be cancelled just deny the reality - I see the 2016 referendum as every bit as important to my future as you see the GFA. I would hope that you can respect that English people have a right to seek to secure what they see as vital to their nation's future prosperity as I respect yours. What would you see as the options to address the border issue?
Personally I am struggling to get past the opinion that it is entirely within the capabilities of the 3 parties to establish alternative arrangements to maintain a situation where there is still free movement of people and trade - it just needs goodwill on all sides - FFS we could have been working together for 3 years already.
I would see a transition period of 2-3 years during which all arrangements can be finalised and workarounds developed where needed. The EU would/should be able to introduce controls that satisfy its concerns for the SM. Essentially the EU, Ireland and the UK draft the replacement GFA that will last for generations to come.
If there was not a successful outcome (replacement GFA) - and I believe that this will only not occur if there is a lack of goodwill - then there should be a vote in N.I. for self-determination of their future - 2 obvious options are a United Ireland or the Irish Sea border but I suspect you will suggest others.
The problem has been to date that there has been rank incompetence on the UK side and clever manipulation by the EU who want Brexit cancelled and the UK to Remain - or if not full control over key UK policies
What do you see as the options - given the starting point of the UK is leaving the EU. You will see from my viewpoint that I do not see it to be necessary for the UK to retain membership of the SM or CU for things to be resolved.
I’ll do my best to clarify my other response and to reply to this one, although I’m finding it hard to think straight after that match. (What’s the point of having VAR, don’t answer. We all know)
Reading your post I don’t think we are that far off in our assessments but where you talk of goodwill, I see this as a major stumbling block.
I am very pessimistic about the prospect of any solution being found with the present cabinet in Westminster, either now or in the future. Even now I hear he is coming out with a different proposal tomorrow morning that will have a 2025 time limited UK backstop with NI remaining in the Single Market partially but not really and still needing some customs?
Confused and not overly hopeful.
For reasons I outlined earlier what I would see happening is, an essentially English Brexit and NI left to sort it out themselves.
The trouble is it doesn’t solve any border problem. If NI chooses to stay in the UK now or in 2025 you still have conflict with the GFA for citizens that identify otherwise.
I cannot see Boris Johnson or his team engaging meaningfully on this.
I find your point about English interests both valid but conflicting in a UK referendum. A lot in here claim that NI or Scotland can’t say that they voted to stay in, when it was an all UK referendum, but then use an argument that English interest supersedes an existing UK commitment (GFA).
I honestly don’t know how you can resolve this. (Brexit) I replied to George earlier saying he’s probably right about voting to revoke but I really don’t think that’s going to help the situation in Britain or England anyway. I think you should leave but I struggle to see it happening with a deal.
It’s an unfortunate consequence of the accumulation of errors over the last three years.
As I said. I’m finding it hard to think straight at the moment but in essence,
Your proposal had legs maybe a couple of years ago. I think NI had to accept the dropping of May’s redlines and an Irish Sea border but I don’t have hope the way things have gone.
One thing that I have found noticeable in all of this is that although Im from a Dublin Irish Nationalist background and most noticeably Alex coming from a Belfast NI security force background, we have seemed to see the same flaws and drawbacks to what always looked like an English solution to an Irish/UK problem. Does that make sense?
Maybe not.
Maybe I’ll call it a night.