Soil ban highlights a reason why we are better off out of such a system of EU governance

A letter from Archibald Toner:
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Whilst the NI Protocol prohibits the transfer of soil particles from other parts of the UK just typifies how ridiculous EU bureaucracy really is.

It highlights one reason why we are better off out of such a system of convoluted governance, and why Brexit was the right move for us to make.

It also raises many questions, if not suspicions, too.

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For starters, given there have been no problems this past 50 years or so, I would like to know how the soil from the UK has changed over the past few weeks as to now make it a threat to Europe’s and the Republic of Ireland’s ecosystem?

Also, do all our sportsmen and women need a ‘licence’ regarding the riddance of soil particles from their boots etc when returning home from the mainland? What about foot passengers and cars on our domestic ferries, even the freight lorries themselves that undoubtedly drive through wet and mucky roads to get here?

On watching Sinn Fein’s John O’Dowd on the news, smirkingly accusing our unionist politicians of ‘sabre rattling’ — I wonder too what type of weaponry that was ‘rattling’ within republican circles during the Brexit process that prevented such checks being conducted at our land frontier?

The irony of such hypocrisy is that were, God forbid, the Shinners ever to get their United Ireland, far from it being their Brit loathing land of bliss it would likewise be severely impacted by their beloved EU’s restrictions and conditions on UK trade etc (and movement of soil particles) — no talk of that in their propaganda releases !

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All the while then republicans are loving every minute of EU ludicrousness because the unionists are all (understandably) riled up and, in their eyes anyway, it adds to the un-governance of our province.

Archibald Toner, Dromore, Co Down

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