Thread by @UKandEU

Our final panel on The All-Ireland Economy and the Border Question with former Taoiseach John Bruton, Graham Gudgin from Policy Exchange, @hayward_katy, Martina Lawless and chaired by @tconnellyRTE #NIBrexit

John Bruton: for many years there has been a lack of understanding in the UK about how the EU works, partly because their legal traditions are different

John Bruton: a bad habit has developed with the UK that EU rules can be applied selectively

John Bruton: taking back control and maintaining equivalence and alignment are contradictions, and the UK has to decide which it wants

John Bruton: Ireland joined the EU with the UK based on treaty obligations, so the UK is the one breaking the contract and it must be the one to come up with the solutions

Martina Lawless: Ireland was a very poor country when it joined the EU and it has caught up rapidly since @ESRIDublin

Martina Lawless: the UK remains one of Ireland's biggest trading partners, but it is not as reliant on the UK as when it joined the EU @ESRIDublin

Martina Lawless: Ireland is the most exposed EU member state to Brexit, so the impact of a hard hit to trade would be almost double that of any other EU state @ESRIDublin

Martina Lawless: because of tariff structures, the impact of Brexit will disproportionately affect poorer households, as it will translate into food price increases in particular @ESRIDublin

Martina Lawless: a 10% increase in the time or documents it takes to conduct trade across borders translates roughly into a 6% reduction in trade, which will affect smaller firms in particular in Ireland @ESRIDublin

Martina Lawless: roughly half of Irish international trade uses the UK as a land bridge, which means solutions at all of the UK's EU borders is crucial @ESRIDublin #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: the UK can't keep getting exceptions like it has in the past - the UK doesn't fit into the EU, which is why it needs to leave @ESRIDublin #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: Northern Ireland is the one part of the UK that doesn't have to leave the EU if it doesn't want to @ESRIDublin #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: the last general election results in NI show that the unionist population supports the UK leaving the EU @ESRIDublin #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: nobody is going to be stopped at the border and it's very unlikely that trucks will be @ESRIDublin #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: we have found huge flaws in the Treasury's Brexit analysis yet they won't talk to us and the @FT won't take letters on it #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: the main impact of Brexit on NI will be on labour, we have been able to import good quality labour from abroad at the expense of training the local labour force #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

Graham Gudgin: an Irish border without any infrastructure is fully attainable, technological solutions will suffice #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

Graham Gudgin: the technology required to make the Irish border work already exists, we don't have to wait for it #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

Graham Gudgin: no hard border can be achieved without remaining in the customs union or tracking individual consignments #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

. @hayward_katy: the proposed customs partnership makes an already complicated problem more complicated #NIBrexit

. @hayward_katy: technology can speed up trade across borders, reduce fraud, detect unexpected movements and reduce intrusive checks #NIBrexit

. @hayward_katy: the suggestion that technology is a solution is offensive because it breaches fundamental rights to privacy #NIBrexit

. @hayward_katy: the longer technology continues to be discussed as a potential solution the further uncertainty will be created #NIBrexit

John Bruton: accusing @campaignforleo of being naive or inexperienced comes from a failure to recognise a government protecting its own interests @tconnellyRTE

Graham Gudgin: there was a significant reduction of UK-Irish co-operation when @campaignforleo took over from @EndaKennyTD #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

John Bruton: the UK shouldn't be surprised that Ireland takes actions to encourage the UK to take a position that suits Irish interests #NIBrexit

John Bruton: the Irish are not going to be difficult for the sake of it, but leaving the customs union and single market were British decisions that the UK has to answer #NIBrexit

Graham Gudgin: to make technological solution work we will have to legislate so all trucks have to carry GPS trackers #NIBrexit @Policy_Exchange

Our director @anandMenon1 wrapping up today's conference #NIBrexit