[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Stuart

The UK rules currently match the EU because we are in the single market. The EU want guarantees they will carry on matching the EU rules. Something the Brexiteers are apparently refusing.

The problem is that both Irish economies have adapted, so that a lot of businesses rely on free trade between the two economies. We do not have the infrastructure in place to cope with the extra load this will generate.

Why? The troubles were inflamed by the UK government's attempts to control Ireland. They weren't caused by that, as the real cause is buried in Ireland's history, and off topic for this post. The Irish do not want to see the re-introduction of checkpoints, probably because for many, they bring back horrific memories of what happened during the troubles.

However, as I understand it, one of the requirements of the GFA is free movement between the two areas.

The withdrawal agreement matches rules until Dec 2020. After that they're not going diverge greatly or quickly.