Boris gets the check book out.

[JohntheBike]

Ah, Mr Rees-Mogg, you believe you don’t need to research anything to understand it.

I realise that until I mentioned Stranraer, you’d probably never heard of it, now you’re grasping it for all it’s worth. But maybe you should have read what I wrote - Stranraer/Cairnryan. Up until a few years ago, half the ferries went to Stranraer and half to Cairnryan. The older generations would know this. What’s the sailing time of a ro-ro Belfast to Stranraer? How many per day do that route?

You mention there is “no motorway from Belfast all the way to Dublin”, care to share which parts of that road are not currently dual carriageway or motorway, based on you having driven it?

You mention the distance from Stranraer to the M6 as being the same as Holyhead to the M6. Do you know what both roads are like? How much of the A75 is dual carriageway compared to the A55?

"you’d probably never heard of it, now you’re grasping it for all it’s worth"

that's a great assumption on your part.

I had already studied many of the sailing routes between the whole of Ireland and the UK for other reasons. I just hadn't found it easy to find comparative statistics of any figures connected with trade, and saw no reason to search diligently. That's why I'm posing the questions here.

On the Welsh news, we only hear about issues concerning Holyhead and hear nothing about any of the other routes. There is a great deal of traffic between Fishguard and Rosslare, but this is rarely mentioned in an EU context.

I believe the BBC is a left wing propaganda machine, but where do you draw the line about what is reported and what not to believe? Are you sufficiently convinced that man landed on the moon? What have you seen with your own eyes which supports that? Have you seen the film Capricorn One? An interesting concept.

What have you seen that convinces you that the pictures of the sunken ship portrayed as the Titanic are actually of that ship? With all the details that the ROV has shown us, I've never seen a shot of the bows where the Titanic name resided. I guess after all this time, some elements of the name should still be visible.

It's interesting to note that recent ROV film of the Hydro still shows the name prominently displayed, despite the craft having been underwater for over 70 years, albeit at a much shallower depth.

So, I guess we all need to keep an open mind on all things that we are told and see.

[WTFH]

Perhaps if you kept an open mind rather than posting absolute guff, you might find that people who know based on experience are able to educate you.
Or, continue on, changing the subject when you get called out, or complaining the subject gets changed when you aren’t happy.

[Old Greg]

Perhaps if you kept an open mind rather than posting absolute guff, you might find that people who know based on experience are able to educate you.
Or, continue on, changing the subject when you get called out, or complaining the subject gets changed when you aren’t happy.

A spotted cockwomble never changes its spots.

[JohntheBike]

Perhaps if you kept an open mind rather than posting absolute guff, you might find that people who know based on experience are able to educate you.
Or, continue on, changing the subject when you get called out, or complaining the subject gets changed when you aren’t happy.

so where are the statistics which can clarify my perceptions?

e.g.

1. What percentage of the trade between the ROI and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade?
2. What percentage of the trade between Northern Ireland and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade.

The perception that the BBC Welsh news is portraying is that the majority of such trade passes through Holyhead. Is this true? or is it BBC biased reporting?

[Old Greg]

so where are the statistics which can clarify my perceptions?

e.g.

1. What percentage of the trade between the ROI and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade?
2. What percentage of the trade between Northern Ireland and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade.

The perception that the BBC Welsh news is portraying is that the majority of such trade passes through Holyhead. Is this true? or is it BBC biased reporting?

Linky?

[meridian]

so where are the statistics which can clarify my perceptions?

e.g.

1. What percentage of the trade between the ROI and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade?
2. What percentage of the trade between Northern Ireland and the UK goes through all the ports which handle such trade.

The perception that the BBC Welsh news is portraying is that the majority of such trade passes through Holyhead. Is this true? or is it BBC biased reporting?

It took less than two minutes to find this, which suggests that the heaviest routes are Dublin - Holyhead and Dublin - Liverpool.

If you want the source data, email the CSO.

Data shows ports rely heavily on UK trade

External Trade - CSO - Central Statistics Office

[darmstadt]

It will be irrelevant soon as Boris the bulltulipter has other plans: Boris Johnson's bridge between Ireland and Scotland would go over an undersea weapons dump - Business Insider Deutschland

[JohntheBike]

It took less than two minutes to find this, which suggests that the heaviest routes are Dublin - Holyhead and Dublin - Liverpool.

If you want the source data, email the CSO.

Data shows ports rely heavily on UK trade

External Trade - CSO - Central Statistics Office

"It took less than two minutes to find this, which suggests that the heaviest routes are Dublin - Holyhead and Dublin - Liverpool

yes, which is what would be expected. However, it may be that personal travelling has a major part to play in the statistics, whereas this isn't the case for other ports. In terms of tonnage handled, Holyhead is only third in Wales, after Milford Haven and Port Talbot, where there is no personal travelling involved and none of the imports come from the ROI. Also tonnage handled by Belfast (pos 10 in top 10) is half that of Milford Haven (pos 4) (2017 figures).

What is difficult to extract are the values for imports from the ROI which are used in the UK and imports from Northern Ireland coming through Dublin which are also used in the UK. The statistics suggest that a substantial part of the imports through Holyhead are ongoing and do not remain in the UK.

The problem with all issues is that there are vested interests at play and as is always the case, statistics can be used to prove or disprove any argument.

[WTFH]

Boris gets the check book out.

The problem with all issues is that there are vested interests at play and as is always the case, statistics can be used to prove or disprove any argument.

Which then goes back to your earlier claim that you refuse to substantiate about “current arguments”.

Current arguments being put forward contend that the passage of goods from Belfast to mainland UK must continue to pass through Dublin, when this may not necessarily need to be the case.

Where are these arguments that you are claiming? Are they from sources that will back them up?
We’ve asked you already, but you decided to change the subject.

[Old Greg]

"It took less than two minutes to find this, which suggests that the heaviest routes are Dublin - Holyhead and Dublin - Liverpool

yes, which is what would be expected. However, it may be that personal travelling has a major part to play in the statistics, whereas this isn't the case for other ports. In terms of tonnage handled, Holyhead is only third in Wales, after Milford Haven and Port Talbot, where there is no personal travelling involved and none of the imports come from the ROI. Also tonnage handled by Belfast (pos 10 in top 10) is half that of Milford Haven (pos 4) (2017 figures).

What is difficult to extract are the values for imports from the ROI which are used in the UK and imports from Northern Ireland coming through Dublin which are also used in the UK. The statistics suggest that a substantial part of the imports through Holyhead are ongoing and do not remain in the UK.

The problem with all issues is that there are vested interests at play and as is always the case, statistics can be used to prove or disprove any argument.

Where is the link to the BBC story?