Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the reason the Border and such Irish issues were placed front and centre in the negotiations and there has to be sufficient progress made on them before we move on to deal with the future trading relationship. We can understandably concentrate on the economic impact, but as a Border resident, the Deputy is aware that the political aspect is also very important, as is the psychological effect of a border and what that would mean to those communities that have been plagued for a long time. Perhaps our memories are short, but we do not want to find ourselves slipping back into a situation where the Border will become something far more than a line on a map and that will have a psychological and political effect that could lead us back to a darker period in our history which none of us want to revisit. The economic argument is significant, but in many respects a hard border and the things that could flow from it are really important also. That is why appropriate Border arrangements and the Good Friday Agreement are front and centre in our efforts.

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