LETTER: It's the EU who will ‘harden' the border

SIR – No sooner had their masters in Brussels inferred that Brexit is going to mean a hardening of the Irish border – not by any action of Britain, it appears, but by the EU – when Irish Dáil politicians who have no say in anything, and especially former government ministers of Fianna Fáil, who slinked away after they’d made a disaster of our country, are now making anti-Brexit noises.

One of these is Dermot Ahern, who was out of the traps like a whippet, having just recently plodded off the stage like a beaten puppy, when he and his colleagues made paupers out of us citizens, while enhancing and throwing our money at the banks, which are effectively more important than the wellbeing of the people.

The current government is like-minded in its fawning and cringing to the failed EU, but erstwhile self-indulgent ‘politicians’ such as Ahern really should just keep quiet. Their cosy situation could be the makings of a best-selling book, which they could call ‘Nein Kampf,’ as they enjoy their hefty pensions courtesy of the Irish taxpayers’.

We know what Fianna Fáil did to make beggars of this country, so to be trying to re-establish some type of relevance to the state of play now is purely cynical in the eyes of citizens who prefer to think for themselves.

Another comical aspect is the outright rejection of Theresa May’s contention that, as far as her government is concerned, there will be continued freedom of movement

in several aspects between the republic and Britain, and Northern Ireland, as is the case now.

‘We’re on the EU side, anyway,’ whimpered Enda Kenny recently, which still makes me blush when I recall his slapped and red cheek turned to the world. We are constantly subservient to the EU, which cares nothing for us but as a hollow cane with which to use against Britain.

Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin and Dermot Ahern are in agreement that any EU enforcement of a version of border controls is preferable to the existing arrangements which work very well. The relationship between Britain and Ireland is separate and external to EU membership and is one of agreed political and citizenship rights, which took one hundred years to arrive at. 

Simply because Ahern, Adams et al are aggrieved at the Brexit vote outcome, it includes Northern Ireland and, like Scotland, cannot now say they are different because of the will of the people. Future measures to accommodate everyone can be seamless with careful planning. 

The noise from folk like Dermot Ahern is simply groundless waffle, which we could admit can play into the hands of ‘republican’ dinosaurs. He speaks the language of dissent rather than endorsing democracy, which declares itself at the ballot box.

Tread carefully when using Northern Ireland as a political football. It is much more than that as we sadly know from so many years of horror. 

Give peace a chance.

Robert Sullivan,

Bantry.