Quote Originally Posted by Burney View Post
m, I love you dearly and enjoy our chats. You’re a very bright chap generally, but sometimes I do wonder about the way you get ideas stuck in your head.
The WHOLE POINT of the backstop is to keep us trapped in it unless we accept a permanent customs union (ie de facto EU membership).
Someone today likened it to getting into a car with someone who has a gun in the glovebox. You ask them to get rid of the gun, they say ‘Don’t worry about the gun - I’ll never use it’
‘So why do you need the gun?’
‘Never mind the gun. Let’s just get where we’re going’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Wherever I say’
‘Can I get out, please?’
‘No. I have a gun’
You really think the EU would be content with a situation where we had access to the common market while having control of our borders, not having to pay them any money and with limited requirement to adhere to their laws (I believe this is only in two areas of trade)?

I'm not convinced. They're leaving themselves open to internal implosion if that state exists for too long. I agree with Monty that the backstop would not actually last if it were ever implemented and the only reason MPs are saying otherwise are political.