Should The Uk Ditch The Ni Protocol?

[Khandro]

From todays Telegraph, by Charles Moore:

"I am not sure people understand that the current, bad situation will soon get much worse. M&S and hundreds of businesses are wrestling with problems which exist before the Protocol “grace periods” end on September 30. Even without the whole Protocol, they are struggling with EU-wide post-Brexit stipulations whose pedantic enforcement makes certain types of trade well-nigh impossible – and is probably meant to.

To understand it better, I rang up Mr Norman. [chief of M&S] In his view, EU customs union rules date from a bygone era when the system was deliberately protectionist and the technology primitive. What might work for cargoes of a single, not highly perishable product (eg, shiploads of coffee) is hopeless for a modern, fast-moving, composite one.

Take the sandwich. It has numerous components. Even when expertly wrapped by M&S, 24 hours is half its life. Under the EU approach, each sandwich needs not only all its ingredients written on every manifest, but also three different veterinary certificates (there are in all 15 types of EU health certificate). Because the system is still paper, not digital, an error is not correctable in five minutes. If one thing in a wagon is wrong, you are not allowed to remove the offending object: you have to send back the entire wagon."

.................

Not only is there a lack of 'good will' from the EU they appear to be being actively hostile.

[tony_mc]

no - it should just ditch NI full stop and let reunification begin.

[Redhelen72]

Why Tony?
Most of NI wishes to remain in the UK

[Jackdaw33]

//the consignment was rejected because some of the printed pages (in two box files) had been signed in the same colour ink as the print\\

Rejected by whom? NI/UK officials?

[davebro]

Maybe we should organise a boycott of EU imports as we did for South Africa in the apartheid era?

[davebro]

If the gov won't act the people can!

[Jackdaw33]

This problem could have been solved 100 years ago. Instead of partition the government should have granted independence to the whole of Ireland and let the two sides fight it out amongst themselves.

[New Judge]

//Rejected by whom? NI/UK officials?//

I believe it is a mixture, jd, of UK officials and "EU representatives". The Protocol provides for EU officials to be present in NI to take part in or supervise the checks.

[New Judge]

Indeed, jd. The UK seems not to have a very good record when it comes to the partitioning of foreign lands. However, we are where we are.