Re: Should not have Netherlands VAT ...
"Basically, we have been told that we have to have an internal border or the IRA will start killing people again."
That's not true.
The conundrum was that in order to have divergence of import-export regulations from the EU, the UK needed to put down a border somewhere. The British representatives in the negotiations proposed to not put a border until the divergence would actually start (May's backstop) and the EU was fine with it, but your House rejected it. Then Boris offered to put the border in the Irish Sea, and managed to con the DUP in NI with a promise that he wouldn't actually enforce this border - and they bought it hook, line and sinker.
That neither party proposed to put the border across Ireland was not just because of the risk of reigniting the Troubles (they still might reignite soon anyway, if the DUP can have its way...), but because that would deprive the Irish citizens of NI of their rights to do business and trade freely with Ireland (and the EU). And that would be a violation of the GFA, of which both the EU and the USA are guarantors. The status quo of NI people being able to both, Schrödinger-style, be British and do business with GB while also being Irish and doing business unfettered with Ireland, was forcibly broken by Brexit. One half had to give way to the other, it happened to be the British side that gave way so NI remained in the EU in all but name.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
