Frontstop, backstop, allstop

Back in 2016 when I first started to write about Brexit, I came across a post which listed the problems that had to be overcome to achieve a Brexit. Four years on, some have been solved, but many ignored and kicked into the long grass to be sorted out later.

Well, we are running out of time, and those issues will have to be addressed sooner as time is running out.

One of the main problems, I quickly learned, was the Irish Border. You could get the a particular Brexit by where you were willing to have the Irish Border. You could have it in the Irish Sea, which would be easier to manage, but would be politically poisonous, for Unionist parties in NO and even for the Tories, whose official name is the Conservative and Union Party. You could have it across the island of Ireland, between the Republic and NI, but it would be impossible to police and regulate. Roads cross the border back and forth, farm yards can be spit between both countries with the border running down the middle. The entire Britiah Army with support from the RAF could not police the border during the troubles, so policing it from Brexit would be impossible. Then there is no border at all, which would mean Britain and NI remaining inside the SW and CU, but May ruled that out. Which leaves the first two choices.

So, GB is now divorced from NI, at least in economic terms, down the Irish Sea. When I say economic, it is a regulatory one, as for many goods, NI will be under EU rules and regulations to facilitate All Ireland trade. So the border is implicit to ensure goods arriving in NI are compliant with EU rules. Being outside the EU's regulatory orbit would always mean that such a border is necessary at every point where trade from UK or Britain entered into the EU. You could mitigate this by having automatic systems in Britain that would mirror EU regulations and rules, but that was unacceptable for those pushing for a "Global Britain". Notice it was always Britain, not UK, NI was never considered.

So, anything linked to the EU was ruled out, meaning a hard regulatory border has to be built and policed. Ferry companies have a legal duty to ensure all vehicles and goods they carry have to correct paperwork form it to be accepted on the other side, so in taking back control the UK gave control over our exports to the EU.

Clever.

All goods exported to NI (that EU regulations apply to) and the EU will have to satisfy the EU that the good(s) are compliant. That means CE markings where needed, using all EU directives and also satisfy EU rules of origin checks so that goods from blacklisted countries or sub-standard goods cannot be imported. Britain will have to comply with these with or without a deal now it is outside the SM and CU, infrastructure, staff, training and IT systems need to be built and provided for. And need to be up and running at all points of Entry to the EU regulatory area by the end of the year. A rock hard deadline. And IT systems would need to be up and running, tested by November.

There needs to be customs posts, areas for checking vehicles and goods, waiting areas, office space, 50,000 customs officers to be recruited and trained, all be able to cope with 400,000,000 customs declarations a year. Every year.

And there is no way out of this, unless the UK agrees to stay inside the EU regulatory area. This was always the way it was going to have to be. So, knowing all this, the UK Government waited until July 13th, less than 5 months before all work needed to be completed, checked and working, to begin constructing the first such facility here in Kent. At least four more in the county needs to be built too, and five more round Britain. All will cost huge amounts of money to construct, staff, train, all to make imports and exports more expensive and less efficient.

It is madness on stilts, but it is what Brexit really means, in the real world, rather than the vast empty spaces of a Brexiteers head. This is just one aspect of Brexit, one that will effect most parts of life in these islands, making things more expensive, more difficult. Worse.

But we all knew what we were voting for, apparently.

In May this year, Michael Gove published a Command Paper outlining what needed to be done. Or some of what needed to be done. The final form of Brexit has yet to be decided, and how exporters, importers as well as haulage and ferry companies needing concrete details as to what to prepare for, what the systems and processes are going to be.

And there has been nothing for nearly three months. Nothing. No consultation either, and now Westminster is on its summer holidays, so nothing will be done until the end of August, which will give Gove and the UK Government four months, max, to tell people and businesses how to prepare for the upheavals to come on January 1st next year.

But preparations are needed Now. And detail. Great detail. From the people who have ideas and believe in things like Brexit, rather than facts.

You have been warned. For years.