We all know the worrying phrase that the government uses to describe our Brexit strategy: “Brexit means Brexit” – an approach to make a three year old cry, but generally not used for adults.

However the way in which the government treats the Irish border question makes them certifiably mad.

They talk of a frictionless border, which will somehow allow for Northern Ireland to still have free trade with the EU, and also with the UK, which won’t be part of the EU.

This is having your cake and eating it, but on steroids.

How do you explain to the government that we have basically four options?

…here we go!

(a) put up hard borders, break the Good Friday Agreement, and restart the Troubles?

(b) make Northern Ireland remain in the single market and customs union, and put the border in the sea?  The DUP will fight over this.

(c) the UK stays part of the single market and customs union, pays for access and has no say – yet has to comply with all trade and customs laws?

(d) the UK remains part of the EU, and keeps a say in how the EU is run, and what the trade and customs laws are?

Whether or not a barking mad government will get the sense to see that we should go for (d) remains to be seen!