The Backstop

[browndmb]

What's the backstop in plain language

[Sqad]

In simple terms....in very very simple terms......

For years, blood has flown in the Island of Ireland concerning a border between Southern ireland and Northern Ireland and thanks to the Good Friday agreement, there has been an open border.......like driving into Scotland ....no visas, no passport control....nothing.
Everybody happy.......very happy.

NOW! Brexit is voted for by the Brits and when it comes to fruition, Southern Ireland will be in the EU but Northern Ireland wont......so after all these years....we will be back to square one....visas, passports etc to cross the border. The backstop has been conjured up so that this barrier between N I can be removed at a future date to restore free flow between the North and the South of the island.

That's my take on it anyway.

[Zacs-Master]

And I thought it was something to do with baseball.

[grumpy01]

I understand that during the transition period they plan to install technology to allow freedom of travel North to South and vice versa thus eliminating any need for the backstop to come into play.

[Peter Pedant]

after a hundred years we should know there is no country known as Southern Ireland - it da Republic innit.

I admit that in the Glorious Declaration of Freedom aka Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921, the treaty was with
the House of Commons of Southern Ireland
and that there was then no body in Dublin ( or Baile Atha Cliath) called the House of Commons - and the first Dail was something else wasnt it?
and there was no country called Southern Ireland

but hey that set the tone of Oirish Politics didnt it?

[New Judge]

"......so after all these years....we will be back to square one....visas, passports etc to cross the border."

But the conundrum is that nobody - not the UK, not The Republic of Ireland and not the EU (which has no resources or authority to do so anyway) has any intention of implementing a hard border in Ireland. They say "they would not like" to do so but in fact nobody will do it.

The Republic and Northern Ireland are part of a "Common Travel Area" where customs and immigration control is all but completely absent. The area is the subject of bilateral agreements which have been in place in one way or another since 1923 and which have nothing to do with the EU.

So you might ask "Why is there a need for a "Backstop"? And that's a very good question.