Tag Archives: Border

The Irish Border visualised street by street via Google Streetview

How the border looks on Google Streetview.

A fascinating ribbon of rural back roads offering hope, sanctuary and unlicensed diesel.

Keith writes:

A while back you posted an animation we made which visualised the Irish Border from above, well here’s something else I put together which tries to visualise the border on the ground using StreetView at the crossing points.

View the border here

Previously: Land Of Constant Sorrow

Financial Times writes:

‘Jacob Rees-Mogg you’re right. You don’t need to visit the border… you need to have lived here.’ Belfast-born actor Stephen Rea explores the real impact of Brexit and the uncertainty of the future of the Irish border in a short film written by Clare Dwyer Hogg.

Clare Dwyer Hogg?

May says Brexit talks at stand off, demands new proposals from EU (RTE)

The work of anonymous French artist and photographer JR at the US-Mexican border in South California.

A huge image of Kikito (top pic), a one year-old boy from the city of Tecate which was removed this week, only to be replaced (probably not for long) with a second work in the form of a picnic table (pic 2) extending either  side of the fence where a simultaneous meal was shared by citizens of Mexico and the US.

thisisnthappiness

Screen Shot 2017-02-01 at 15.39.48Screen Shot 2017-02-01 at 15.40.19

Earlier today.

At the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

Northern Down Independent MP Lady Sylvia Hermon (top) asks Michael Lux (above), an EU customs and international trade lawyer, about Northern Ireland’s future land border with the Republic of Ireland post Brexit.

During her questioning, Ms Hermon recalled the UK prime minister Theresa May’s visit to Dublin on Monday and her stating that both the UK and Irish governments want a “seamless, frictionless border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

She also asked Mr Lux if he had ever visited the south Armagh border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. He hadn’t.

Further to this…

Syliva Hermon: “I just understood, from your earlier evidence that you, in fact, referred to ‘officials at the Border, officials at the Border’. The difficulty is: we don’t have officials at the Border. And according to the prime minister [Theresa May], we are not going back to the borders of the past.”

Michael Lux: “Yes, but Ireland has to do so. What you do on your side, okay, that’s up to you. If you feel that you don’t need to control the goods which are entering Northern Ireland and have to recover VAT and customs duties and excise duties, you are, of course, free not to do that. But Ireland is obliged to do this.”

Hermon: “So, how could, how could the prime minister achieve a seamless, frictionless border? Is it achievable?”

Lux: “Well, it depends how you define the term seamless. If you define the term ‘seamless’, that there are no border controls, the answer is no. At least for the side of Ireland because Ireland is obliged to apply the [European] Union law.”

Hermon: “I think what I’m also asking is the fact are, will the UK be required to have checkpoints and checks on goods, commercial goods, people?”

Later

Lux:If Northern Ireland remains in the customs union, then all these issues don’t arise. If Northern Ireland is no longer part of the EU customs union, then this is an official customs border of the EU and then Ireland is obliged to apply all these rules.”

Gulp.

Watch back in full here

Thanks Brian Sammon

654280955(Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster (centre) with Lady Dufferin, owner of Clandeboye Estate and Mark Logan, Dairy and Farm Manager)

Protectionism, you say?

An Irish dairy authority has been accused of protectionism after some Northern Irish milk processors found themselves unable to sell south of the border.

Many retailers in the Republic are requiring Ireland’s National Dairy Council (NDC) label guaranteeing milk was produced in the State when sourcing supplies. Because Northern Irish processors do not have that guarantee, contracts have been lost, including a major Dale Farm bid to supply Superquinn.

…Stormont enterprise minister Arlene Foster said. “If the campaign were to be replicated in Great Britain, excluding product that was not produced and processed in the UK, it would cause immense problems for the food industry in the Republic of Ireland.

 

Oh.

Moo-nited Ireland anyone?

Milk campaign anti-competitive, says Enterprise Minister (Belfast News Letter)

Pic: FarmingLife.com

THE first signs in decades saying ‘Welcome to Northern Ireland’ have been erected at the border…

The signs, which will inform travellers that they are leaving the Republic, are to be placed at eight key border crossings [including Fermanagh above].

And TUV [Traditional Unionist Voice] leader Jim Allister welcomed the move, adding:

“These signs are a useful reminder that traffic laws in the United Kingdom differ from those in the Republic and indeed it is only polite to welcome foreign nationals into our Province.”

 

Unionists Welcome Border Signs (NewsLetter)

Welcome To NI Signs ‘Waste Of Money’ Says Sinn Fein MLA (BBC)