The UK’s new visa waiver, the electronic travel authorisation (ETA), finally came into full operation yesterday. However, it has been effectively in place for a year in Northern Ireland, confounding widespread predictions of disaster. While that does not rule out serious negative impacts, it is another example of how political discussion across Ireland would benefit from more gradualism and less catastrophism.

Yesterday marked the start of strict enforcement when boarding transport to the UK, hence Aer Lingus requiring passports on all flights to Britain – despite the fact that thanks to the Common Travel Area, an ETA is not required by Irish citizens.

The requirement to carry a passport does not apply when travelling north from the Republic and the British government insists it never will. The situation remains as it has been for at least a year: an ETA is mandatory for citizens of the 85 countries and territories who can visit the UK without a visa, but it is unenforced in Northern Ireland. A cross-Border traveller is no more likely to be asked for it than to be asked for their passport, which is almost never.

Northern Ireland’s tourism industry had still been expecting a calamity – a reasonable prediction, with 70 per cent of holidaymakers arriving via the Republic. Few tourists and even fewer tour companies will thumb their nose at immigration law, enforced or not. Each ETA costs £16 (€18), with no discounts for children. While most are........

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