sheldrake wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 1:13 pm
Bird on a Fire wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 1:01 pm
I thought EU HGV drivers were allowed to work in the Republic of Ireland, and therefore can also serve Northern Ireland?
With less paperwork and delays at the border for direct Continent-Ireland shipping?
Unlikely to make any difference for fuel tankers. There have been more non-fuel shortages in NI than the rest of the UK.
Why did you not mention that instead of this?
sheldrake wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:51 am
Um.. you know that it's no easier for an EU driver to go and work in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK, right?
Could it by any chance be because you are just making it up as you go along?
The non-fuel shortages in NI have been mostly due to GB-NI shipping and customs/inspection difficulties. There is no critical shortage of HGV drivers in Ireland and they can roll across the open border with no issues around customs, VAT, goods inspection, ID cards, driving licences, or ability to work, all of which are maintained by NI's continuing membership of the Single Market and Customs Union.
sheldrake wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 2:23 pm
Yes, having a customs border in the Irish sea is an unacceptable condition that was only ever meant to be temporary whilst the EU worked with us to solve it in good faith. They haven't been doing that so article 16 is likely to get invoked soon.
Can you point us to the article in the Withdrawal Agreement or the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement which mentions this "meant to be temporary" thing? Otherwise, you do know that international treaties consist only of the text on the paper that the parties sign, and not the thoughts that one side might have had in their head at the time, right?