Aontú Leader and Meath West TD has stated that the DUP’s proposed hard border between North and South is impossible. An Teachta Tóibín stated:
“A hard border between the north and south would be impossible to police. There are 270 roads and thousands of fields. Is anyone suggesting that there are the resources to check traffic in all these locations. Even spot checks would create serious traffic congestion and would damage the all-Ireland economy. We have come so far since the Good Friday Agreement. We do not want to go back to the days of the Troubles with police or military personnel stopping traffic on the border.
There is no doubt that there is a difficulty. There are effectively 3 jurisdictions on these islands. Britain, the north and the south of Ireland. They are not joined up in terms of policy, data or cooperation. Because of the Common Travel Area migrants can move freely between these jurisdictions. By far the largest pathway in the movement of migrants in Ireland, is from Britain, through the north and into the south. The current situation is impossible to control or manage. It means no jurisdiction can have accurate data as to who is where.
The solution to the crisis is an Irish Sea Border. Since Brexit the logic of an Irish Sea Border has been accepted by London, Brussels and Dublin for the movement of goods. These governments accepted then that a hard border on the island of Ireland would be impossible to police. A recent poll in the north suggested that the idea has majority support. It is in London’s interest too, as flows of people often move in the other direction too. We are calling on the Irish government to start discussions with the British Government on this issue. We will be raising it at the British Irish Interparliamentary Assembly. We will be raising it at the Oireachtas Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee. Will also be raising it directly with British Parliamentarians”.
