"THERE WILL BE A HARD BORDER WITH ENGLAND"

WHAT THEY TOLD YOU IN 2014 AND STILL TELL YOU NOW:

"There will be a hard border. Passport checks at Berwick. Army checkpoints on the A1. You won't be able to visit your family in Newcastle without a passport. Lorries queued for miles at Gretna. Like North and South Korea." They show you pictures of the Berlin Wall. They want you to picture barbed wire at Carter Bar.

It's a lie. And we have 103 years of proof it won't happen.

In 1922, Ireland left the United Kingdom and became an independent country.

On that day, UK and Ireland created the Common Travel Area (CTA).

What does CTA mean in plain English?

• No passport needed to travel between UK and Ireland. • No immigration checks. • You can live, work, vote, use NHS in either country. • Applies to UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey.

I have NEVER needed a passport to go to Dublin. Neither have you.

You get on a ferry in Cairnryan, you get off in Belfast or Dublin - no border guard stamps your passport. You fly Glasgow to Dublin - you show ID to Ryanair, not to border police. That's CTA.

Scotland and rUK would stay in CTA after independence. Scottish Government White Paper said so. UK Government said so. No one has ever suggested leaving CTA. Why would they? It benefits England - 300,000 English live in Scotland, 700,000 Scots live in England. Families.

THE BIG PROOF - IRELAND & UK RIGHT NOW AFTER BREXIT

This kills the argument dead

• Ireland is in EU. UK is OUT of EU since 2020. • One is in EU, one is out. Different customs, different trade rules, different immigration rules. • Is there a hard border between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland? NO. • Do you need a passport to go from Belfast to Dublin? NO. • Why? Because both agreed - no hard border. They use technology, trusted traders, and goodwill.

If UK and Ireland can have NO hard border when one is in EU and one is OUT, why would Scotland and England have a hard border? We are on the same island, same language, same families.

The Windsor Framework (2023) proves it - goods move between NI and Ireland with minimal checks, no army.

WHAT ABOUT GOODS? - THE HONEST BIT

Here's where we are honest, like your currency page:

People: No checks, no passports, CTA, forever. 100%.

Goods (lorries with stuff to sell): Depends if Scotland is in EU and England is out (which is likely, because Scotland voted 62% Remain).

If Scotland rejoins EU, and England stays out of EU:

• England is outside EU customs union. • Scotland inside EU customs union. • EU law says goods entering EU from non-EU country need customs declaration.

So a lorry carrying whisky from Edinburgh to London - would it need paperwork? Yes. Same as a lorry from Dublin to London needs paperwork now. But does that mean a checkpoint at Gretna with barriers? NO

How does Ireland-UK do it now? • No checkpoint at the border. Paperwork done online before lorry moves. • Random checks at destination, not at border line. • Trusted Trader scheme - big companies like Tesco, Diageo, BAE have special pass, almost no checks. • Same system Norway (not in EU) and Sweden (in EU) use - 1,600km border, no queues. They have had this for 30 years. Cameras read number plates. Scotland's border is 96 miles. Most of it is hills, sheep, and the A1, M74, A68, A697. You cannot build a wall even if you wanted to.

THE DOUBLE PROOF - EU / NON-EU BORDERS ALREADY HAVE NO CHECKPOINTS

Ireland / Northern Ireland - No hard border, 2024, open road.

Right: Norway / Sweden - ANPR camera, open, 1,600km border.

If EU / non-EU borders have no checkpoints, why would Scotland and England?

SCHENGEN - WILL WE HAVE TO JOIN IT?

Scare: "Independent Scotland will be forced into Schengen, so you'll have border guards."

Truth

• Ireland is in EU and NOT in Schengen. It opted out. UK also opted out when it was in EU. • EU has said new countries must "prepare" for Schengen but Ireland has a permanent opt-out because of CTA. Scotland would get same opt-out because CTA is older than EU (1922 vs 1973). No one wants to break CTA. • Scottish Government policy is NOT to join Schengen, to keep CTA with England.

QUESTIONS FROM THE DOORSTEP

Q: I live in Gretna, work in Carlisle - will I need a passport every day?

A: No. Same as someone living in Letterkenny (Ireland) and working in Derry (NI) today. CTA = live and work anywhere. No passport. Ever. 103 years.

Q: Will army put checkpoints on A1?

A: No. Illegal under CTA. UK and Scotland would both have to agree to leave CTA. Neither will. It would be political suicide for any English PM to demand passports for Scots visiting family in England.

Q: What about smuggling?

A: Same as now between NI and Republic - some smuggling of diesel, cigarettes already happens. Police deal with it, not army checkpoints. Has done for 100 years.

Q: If Scotland in EU and England out, will I get stopped for bringing shopping from Berwick?

A: No. Personal shopping not customs. Same as you can bring €2,000 of stuff from Dublin to London now, no one stops your car.

BOTTOM LINE

WE HAVE HAD NO PASSPORT BORDER WITH IRELAND FOR 103 YEARS, EVEN THOUGH IRELAND IS IN EU AND UK IS OUT. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A PASSPORT CHECK BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND. THERE NEVER WILL BE. THE ONLY BORDER THEY WANT IS THE ONE IN YOUR HEAD.