I was at a wedding recently where a groomsman from England was discussing brexit with me. He voted for and was still for leave. His cluelessness on the border nearly made me lose my cool with him.
From our conversation, the things some leavers (and maybe remainers) still don't realise:
1. It's not up to the UK or the EU solely to implement border checks. It's up to both. The EU must check items coming into Ireland. The UK must check items coming into the UK.
2. The UK can't just decide not to implement border checks. I mean, they can BUT if they default to WTO and don't implement checks, other countries can rightfully claim that the EU is being treated favourably. The UK will then have to make borders open for everyone at all ports, or create a hard border in Ireland. The EU will have the same issue with it's Eastern borders.
3. The NI supply chain is complicated and relies on open EU borders. For example, Tesco gets fruit from mainland Europe. It'll have to be checked at the border before it can go to shops. This could affect fresh fruit produce that is out of season and some are rightfully apprehensive. For NI it's worse. Currently some food comes into England/Wales from Europe (check 1) is shipped to Dublin (Check 2) and then brought to NI (Check 3).
4. People's home and work often straddle the border.
5. Some farms and businesses actually straddle the border. You can enter a farm in NI and exit in ROI without going across an official land crossing. Other businesses have been deliberately setup so that manufacturing takes place in the North and ROI. Guinness is brewed in Dublin and canned in Belfast (check 1) before going back to Dublin (check 2) where it is shipped on to Wales (check 3) and then onto Europe (check 4). Much milk used in Baileys comes from NI to Dublin (check 1), is bottled in Belfast (check 2), goes back to Dublin (Check 3) and is shipped from Dublin to Wales (Check 4) and then onto the EU (Check 5).*
6. 'What about Gibraltar' comments to a NI person deserve to get you slapped. Gibraltar's land border is about a mile long and had ONE physical crossing. NI border is two hundred miles long and has around 300 border crossings. It's like comparing apples and spaceships. Not to mention, a hard Gibraltar-style border in NI would certainly be a target to dissident republicans.
7. The EU will not be paying for all of the border checks. The UK will have to pay and man all entry points into NI. This will come from the taxpayer. Enjoy.
8. Yes, terrorist threats cannot hold sway over what we do in NI. But at the same time a terrorist threat cannot be ignored. To do so is negligent.
9. Yes, there's a ferry crossing between Belfast and Liverpool, but Dublin to Holyhead is used as it's more reliable, shorter and safer. It's the main route between Roi/NI and mainland UK.
I'm sure there are other points that will come to me when the red mist settles.
*he was drinking Guinness at the time while his wife had Baileys.