I Am the Border, So I Am

by @BorderIrish

‘Channelling the spirit of Monty Python, Father Ted and Oscar Wilde, [@BorderIrish] trolls the Brexit process with a tone that is whimsical, sometimes surreal and always pointed.’ – Guardian

‘I was living the quiet life, watching the traffic and the sheep go by and then Brexit came along and I listened to people dismissing my importance. I could see the danger coming in the distance, like a cold front on the Tyrone skyline. So I thought, how can an invisible border be heard?’

97 years young, the Irish Border may be a late adopter of Twitter, but with almost 80k followers including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Piers Morgan and Alastair Campbell, the Border isn’t so invisible anymore.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Ireland

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2019

Reviews

[Mr Daniel C Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim is still planning to write something about this

[Clive Grewcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm working my way through the Christmas present reading stack and first up is this one which is an extension of the Twitter Account @BorderIrish. This is a gentle satire on how the UK manged to frame and debate a referendum question without either thinking ahead about the impact on their land border with the EU, nor considering the impact on the Good Friday Agreement. Whilst the Border pokes fun at Brexit (and wider targets) the humour is implicitly laced with a poignancy that becomes explicit in the final chapter.

[Guy Ridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, frivolous but also sad and serious account of how leading Brexiteers of the Tory party unfortunately forgot that Brexit would imply a land border between the UK and the EU, along the 500km @borderirish.

“Deliver us from eejits” but they are now fully in charge in Westminster and the UK will probably not survive being driven over a cliff.

[Michael Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest problem with this book is that not enough UK mainland people will read it, and no Brexiters will dare pick it up for fear of confronting the uncomfortable truths within it.

[Iarfhlaith O'Scannaill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As poignant as it is hilarious, the books provides clarity on what the backstop is, what the alternative arrangement can never be and is critical of the British Government and the DUP. @BorderIrish also seeks the insight of James Joyce, William Carlos Williams Samuel Beckett and the Gibraltar border into what is a serous and scarcely believable scenario.

Bernie, the solicitor, is spot on in his judgements!

Spoilers? Impossible, as who honestly knows what will happen??

[Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous account written from the perspective of the actual border. Farcical at times, just like the current situation

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew a book written by a sentient border could be filled with so much wit and pathos? Really gets to the heart of the absurdity behind the whole concept of Brexit and the potential damage it will cause to Northern Ireland

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just reread this super fun book with its serious undertones of the Brexit shambles.

I do miss the borders tweets. A book that will remain in my bookshelves for rereading many more times.

[Matthew Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page after page of brilliant comedy. Makes me wish I had paid more attention to the Brexit nonsense/drama.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

kas maailmas on mõni näide sellest, et sotsiaalmeedia väljatrükkimisel tekkis raamat, mida on mõtet lugeda? didn't think so.

@BorderIrish twitterikonto on mulle rasketel brexitiaastatel palju rõõmu ja meelelahtust pakkunud, aga just sinna twitterisse ta võikski jääda kõige täiega. jah, soovitan jälgida, saab nalja ja saab mõelda ja see on tegelt kõik üks tõsine lugu, mille juurde nii huumor kui järelemõtlemine ära kulub. sõna võtab siinkohal siis Iiri piir ehk Ühendkuningriigi piir Iirimaal, kelle töö algas 97 aastat tagasi ajutise ametina ja kes lootis juba ammu, et ta saab pensionile minna ja lahkumiskingiks omanimelise muuseumi - selle asemel on ta nüüd aga Brexitil risti jalus (elevandipilt kaanel viitab ühele ta kuulsamale säutsule: "mina Brexiti-läbirääkimistel"e. siis elevant toas...)

aga raamatus muutub see kõik kuidagi jaburaks ja mõttetuks ja korraga on liiga palju lõõpi ja liiga vähe sisu, pluss osad viited lähevad kaduma (Ladybirdi raamatupiltide pealt kokkupandud "õpikud" - siinses versioonis ilmselt nende piltide kasutamiseks luba ei saadud ja on tehtud lihtsalt suvalised joonistused, mistõttu nali ei tööta enam). helgeid hetki muidugi on, aga ma usun, nad on kõik seal twitteris ka alles, täitsa tasuta.

[Shane C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political satire of the highest order. Hilariously accurate on the British/tory approach to Brexit, the border in Ireland and British nationalistic neo-liberal conservatism in general. Have not read a book with pictures in years, the doodles are as hilarious as the prose but this infantilizes the topic, although only to the level that the tories have done so themselves.