Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
The backstop protects the integrity of the Single Market. No deal and a hard border has the same result for the EU.
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Not quite. Whatever apocalyptic queues, shortages and general sky-falling occurs on the island of Great Britain, will occur also on the island of Ireland, most of which is remaining in the EU. A withdrawal agreement without a backstop provides vital continuity for a vulnerable member state, at the trivial cost of deferring a solution to border management - a solution that isn’t required on 31 October *if* there’s a withdrawal agreement to ensure temporary continuity.
This is so eye-poppingly obvious that it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the EU prizes the backstop not for its theoretical safeguards two years down the road, but because it creates a bargaining chip in future trade negotiations.