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Let’s try to get to the bottom of this based on the article itself (thread)
1) It was a plan drawn up by the Border Force, dismissed by HMRC as unworkable. That doesn’t sound like the best of plans, but let’s look at the other information in there.
2) The article says that it is based on Swiss technology. Awesome. Anything Swiss gives us confidence. Except that Switzerland operates a border with facilities and checks. Physical checks. Physical border posts trucks pass through (and not just “electronic verification”)
3) The article also says it would operate on the basis of license plate recognition. I am not an expert of license place recognition, but even I know you need a facility actually recognising the license plate.
4) So at the very best we are speaking about a technology even the country it comes from doesn’t use to achieve what we want to achieve.
5) Which means the logical consequence for ERG would have to be: Sign the PM’s deal which ensures that there’s no border. Test, operate, improve the technology until operability is ensured.
6) But the fact that the alternative arrangement groups is not even speaking to Northern Irish Industry doesn’t inspire confidence that operability is the goal.
