Backstops and hard borders

[original PM]

Move a few miles either side of the motorway in Switzerland and you're deep in the mountainous woods. It's unlikely that someone will stop you, but also equally unlikely that you will be driving a truck.

But even taking the question at face value - is it possible to drive a consignment of goods into Switzerland clandestinely? Probably. Would you want to do it more than once (i.e. is it a viable business model)? Not if you want your sphincter to stay the same size, prison does strange things to a man.

For today's quiz - which of the two photos below shows the best border control?

[BlasterBates]

For today's quiz - which of the two photos below shows the best border control?

Do you think that illegal migrants don't use boats ?

Most illegal migrants fly in on a plane with a visa valid or otherwise. The UK had 40 million visitors last year.

[Old Greg]

Do you think that illegal migrants don't use boats ?

Most illegal migrants fly in on a plane with a visa valid or otherwise. The UK had 2 million foreign visitors last year.

Individual cross border movement is largely irrelevant to this thread. Is is about goods.

[BlasterBates]

Individual cross border movement is largely irrelevant to this thread. Is is about goods.

Looking at the terrain in the first photo I would have thought that actually the border in the second photo would be easier to smuggle goods through.

Smuggling on boats is big business.

[Old Greg]

Looking at the terrain in the first photo I would have thought that actually the border in the second photo would be easier to smuggle goods through.

Smuggling on boats is big business.

It's just a distraction from yet another argument they've lost.

[meridian]

For today's quiz - which of the two photos below shows the best border control?

How is this at all relevant? Which one are you driving a truck through?

[Mordac]

Well in Northern Ireland there looks to be support for unification.

New poll suggests majority in Northern Ireland want a United Ireland after Brexit

I think a no deal Brexit will increase the chances significantly.

Ireland doesn't want unification, and even if it did, they can't afford it.

[Whorty]

The new Democratic led US congress might be pressuring the UK, by blocking a UK-US trade deal in the event of a no deal Brexit.

Irish-American congressman intervenes on Brexit

Looks like the N.Korea option is the way out of this.

This guy was interviewed on the news the other day. He was very open and clear that May and the UK government have lost the trust of the international community; he asked how the UK can be trusted now with negotiations, when they sign up to something then renege on that.

So ironic that Brexiters argue that by leaving the EU we can negotiate all these FTA's, but those we want to do deals with don't trust us anymore

Just a matter of time now when, and not if, this Tory government will collapse

[original PM]

Do you think that illegal migrants don't use boats ?

Most illegal migrants fly in on a plane with a visa valid or otherwise. The UK had 40 million visitors last year.

Ok well i'll drop you in a field and say walk 20 miles that way to freedom

or i'll drop you on a beach and say swim 20 miles that way to freedom

there is a good chance you will do one and not the other.

However that was not the point I was making - the point is the EU allows freedom of movement of people because it is absolutely impossible to stop it in mainland Europe so they wrote it into the laws (whatever) where as it's is clearly not as easy to get to the UK from France as it is to get to Germany from France.

But y'know....

[Whorty]

How is this at all relevant? Which one are you driving a truck through?

He's a brexiter ... he's driving a truck right through the UK economy