What is the Brexit Backstop? - Brexit Explained

There's a lot of talk about the Brexit backstop. This is a legal assurance that there won't be a hard border between the Republic of and Northern Ireland. Despite both the EU and UK agreeing on the need for a backstop, they can't agree on what it should look like.

[Biskawow]

is it considered undemocratic to ask people living in NI what they want?

[satiricalrunner]

You've managed to produce an entire video on the Northern Irish border issue without once exploring why this is so important to the people of Northern Ireland or Ireland. It isn't just the technicalities of trade. Nor is it about what some Brexiteers want. When the border was imposed in the 1920's, splitting communities, it caused nothing but hardship, pain, violence and death for the next 70 years. The beauty of the Good Friday Agreement was that it made this go away. The border still existed, but only as a political abstraction. It was there, but not there. If you were an Irish Nationalist, you were effectively living in a United Ireland, with only slight differences in road signs. If you were a Loyalist, you were still living in the United Kingdom. Any number of sensible cross-border institutions and economic cooperation started growing. Things were getting better. And now what do we see? From the viewpoint of Nationalists - and border communities are almost entirely Nationalist - English Tories, for their own selfish reasons, are threatening wreck their lives. Again. The DUP are playing it for their own ends. Again. The supposedly "United" Kingdom government riding roughshod over the constituent peoples of the union for their own internal reasons. How will this end? How is it worth it?

[pentapa]

This is kind of petty but, at 1:00 Liechtenstein is displayed as part of the EU but Liechtenstein is actually, like Norway and Iceland, a member of the the EEA. Otherwise good video!

[biostephan]

I think all of this is just a sick joke gone too far

[QALibrary]

@TLDR News Just done your survey - coming from a professional survey writer back in the 1990s - it was very good and pleasant experience - very well done to who made it/come up with the idea

[TheSerec]

I'd just love to see May throwing in the towel on the 29th of March and resigning out of frustration on the day of brexit. lol

[diamondjolt]

Living in a border county myself, I'm kinda afraid we might go back to the troubles if the no deal happens

[Boreas]

I doubt the average English Brexiter gives two figs about Northern Ireland.

[PhilipOConnell]

This could be simply solved if our MPs were not selfish pricks. They keep talking about "The will of the people" well then why not respect the will of the people in NI as the temporary solution for the backstop. NI voted in a majority to remain. So leave it in the EU especially as it will be the people in NI who will be most affected if Brexit causes tensions to reignite.

[SpectatingBystander]

Just give back northern Ireland that'll make the Irish happy. Scotland can also join them as the voted to say in the EU. Then England and Wales can continue with brexit. I'd say that's reasonable.

[swanpride]

Eh...no. The backstop the EU has suggested is the ONLY backstop, and that is the one the UK signed off on last year because if they hadn't negotiations had broken down. But they are NOW claiming that they didn't understood what they signed on to. Thing is, the only thing THEY have to do in order replace it with something else is to make a viable suggestion for the border. They haven't one, though. But they are also refusing to accept the default option they already signed on to. And NATURALLY a time limit on a backstop is nonsense, because then it ceases to be a backstop.

And why all this nonsense? Because apparently it is totally okay for the DUP and Torie unionists if Northern Ireland has different laws for all sorts of things, but this is suddenly not okay for them, never mind that this is the best solution for the people of Northern Ireland.

[neweric]

You guys are doing a FANTASTIC job. Keep up the good work. This is your answer to fake news. Factual, unbiased and cool.

[SonicSP]

Just make a referendum in Northern Ireland whether they are okay with the EU Custom border or not (and be open to Ireland) or choose to exit the EU Customs with UK.

No reason why votes in England should affect Northern Ireland borders. Let Northern Ireland decides what happens to Northern Ireland.

[MrPatrick]

NA has always been a pain in the arse. Ireland should be one unified republic and this should have been done years ago to avoid these 'complexities'

[sumakote]

Whats so bad about Northern Ireland joining with Ireland?

They should hold a referendum on Northern Ireland to unite Ireland.

Remember Brexiteers love Choice, Sovereignty and Freedom.

[FredGumbo]

The Backstop is like a 'WALL'. It is technically a boarder/customs post which requires customs officials to check passports and goods carried. The EU want Boris to build a 'WALL' and Britain has to pay for it - Boris says he will NOT BUILD A WALL under any circumstances...

[artificialgravitas]

Why are they afraid of NI leaving the UK? That's the whole bloody point of the GFA, once their differences are settled Ireland reunifies, that's part of the plan. And Scotland has been making moves to escape from the moment england annexed them, that's nothing new and it will likely always be that way until/unless the SNP suceeds... eventually. Don't worry, you probably won't lose Wales

[eireplane]

A lot of you are saying in the comments that we should just have a referendum in NI to re-unite. The Taoiseach (Prime Min.) has already stated this is not an option until after brexit. It would strain the current leaving process even further and likely cause violence to break out among unionists and nationalists.
I'm all for the united Ireland but it's not fully viable right now to my knowledge.

[haatpraat]

Is it me, or does anyone else get the impression that Farage, Boris et al never spoke about this during the referendum campaign? Just how many more things are going to come out of the woodwork if we leave? I'm sure they never spoke about the possibility of the 300 year old Union falling apart.

[philipocarroll]

NI is missing a fantastic opportunity to be the only part of the UK which will be able to exist in two trade zones. It would be a huge boon to private industry which is sorely needed in NI. At partition in 1920 the NI economy was 5 times the size of the rest of Ireland. Now the situation is reversed. The NI economy is 5 times smaller than ROI. Partly this is due to the troubles but a lot has to do with the differing economic choices. When the manufacturing jobs left NI became expert at getting money from the public purse and state jobs. ROI could not do that and after decades of stagnation they pursued a business friendly policy of lowering corporation taxes and attracting FDI. The ROI economy is one of the most open in the EU. The potential now exists for NI to copy this policy and extend it.