Irish Border Area To Get Afghan War Treatment
One of the possible post Brexit scenarios could see the issue of the border area between the 26 and 6 Counties of Ireland once again in focus;
The Irish World reports on plans to use drone aircraft (reapers) similar to those used by the RAF in Afghanistan to ?police? the border area:
?The British government is considering Drones to patrol Northern Ireland?s post-Brexit border with Ireland, the former leader of Britain?s Labour Party, Ed Miliband, said at his party?s conference in Liverpool.
Mr Miliband, speaking at a conference fringe event, said he had heard the idea had been proposed and discussed by Cabinet members at Chequers in the presence of Prime Minister Theresa May. Mr Miliband ridiculed what he called an ?eye in the sky? approach to police the European Union?s customs union border.
He said: ?The best solution they could come up with, which the Treasury was sent away to look at, was some sort of eye in the sky to see whether people were breaching the customs union and the single-market. Now, I know we?re all in favour of science and technology, drones, but it sounds like a sort of ridiculous solution.?
Mr Miliband said he believed it was of the utmost importance that Britain and Ireland did not return to a ?hard Border? ?and that absolutely should be among the criteria that we set for these (Brexit) negotiations.?
Northern Secretary James Brokenshire, who was in favour of remaining in the EU, and his pro- Brexit predecessor Theresa Villiers, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Prime Minister Theresa May have said they do not foresee a return to a hard Border.
But International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said he sees the UK leaving the EU?s Customs Union which Ireland?s Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan says cannot be done without a return to a Border as it will be not just a land border between the UK and Ireland but between Britain and the EU.?
In this song Colum Sands takes a satirical take on ?the border? issue (link):
However having visited the area at the tail end of the troubles and addressed a meeting (on behalf of the Celtic League) of nationalists from the farming and rural community it was clear that the border and the excesses of the security forces over a 30 year period had been a nightmare they will not see visited on them again lightly.
Any move however esoteric to return to that previous scenario will be resisted I feel sure.
Related links:
BERNARD MOFFATT
pp Celtic League Military Monitoring.
30/09/16
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