THERE is a principle in science and engineering of elegance.
Good solutions are elegant. They look right. They win our trust.
What we have now from the UK-EU Brexit deal could then not be more a travesty of anything remotely like an elegant solution.
An extraordinary convoluted, impenetrable, dogs dinner, on steroids.
The whole of UK leaves the EU Customs Union and Single Market. That then is the greatest of news opening the doors for global dumping on British markets.
Domestic producers be warned, we will become a dumping ground for the cheap and third rate. No more protection from continent wide EU regulations.
But then worse again, for Northern Ireland, they stay in “parts of the EU customs union and single market regulations”.
This is all then to be managed by joint border posts at Northern Ireland ports and airports, and at UK exit ports. The Irish Sea solution.
Customs tariffs will be collected on a “risk assessment principle”, with “refunds” if goods do not head for the Irish Republic.
Northern Ireland will pay Republic of Ireland VAT (23 per cent), collected by UK revenue offices (UK VAT is 20 per cent).
In all enormous complexity, needing who knows how many thousands of administrators to work it all out.
More “bureaucracy” when we are supposed to be ridding ourselves of such bureaucracy.
And more incomprehensible again, all this for NI stays in place, or lapses, depending on NI “majority votes” (not mutual Natonalist and Unionist consent) in the closed down Stormont National Assembly.
No wonder the world thinks the UK has gone raving mad.
“Just get on with it” turns into what must be the most convoluted, incomprehensible blue-print for chaos and disaster in world history, with future Ireland resolutions through a closed down, non-existent, assembly.
MERVIN BLAKELY
Alum Chime Road, Westbourne
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