31 December 2011, 08:29
I think the UK has always treated RoI differently to other EU states and besides, there are at least two important strategic reasons why NI has to be included in any UK-wide contingency planning, namely, the huge MI5 back office near Belfast and a training base run by ex special forces and currently being used by the US to train bodyguards for the 2012 Olympics. So, just as the RoI is not part of the Schengen visa zone (pretty much at the UK's insistence, one suspects), it might also be exempted from any emergency ban on travel from the EU, just as long as it too enacts the same ban. I can see the other Eurozone states not being very happy about that... As you say KE, maybe the RoI needs to revert to Sterling again... They already use it in border areas at present anyway, even in parking meters!