It’s long been obvious that for both sides it’s not about negotiating a trade deal but politics.
The optics of the outcome, more important than the deal itself. Both need to come out of this with the perception of being the winner. A sucessful Brexit on favourable terms is a threat to the EU political project. The rhetoric and nationalistic politics (irrespective of truth) by Farage and Tories has been damaging, and will have coloured perceptions, trust and good faith.
The disconnect on the UK side has always been wanting to directly compete with the EU. But given geographic position and goods and services struggling with notion that this comes at a high cost. It has to. Not as punishment but a reality of a new separate entity that for year’s to come will likely be a aggressive competitor (undercutting trade, challenging and blaming the EU politically from outside, and diverging on issues because of ideology rather than pragmatism).
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That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
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Johnson and Von der Leyen are beginning direct talks tomorrow. That is either a good sign, or a very bad sign. The EU adores bringing in the ministers etc., to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, so direct talks could mean an agreement is in closing distance this weekend. Alternately, it could mean the negotiators have come to the opinion that between their respective mandates, a deal isn’t possible, so changes from a higher level are needed.
Where that gets very risky is that I don’t think Von Der Leyen is going to be able to deliver much of a compromise at this stage.
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What a strange opening sentence. Trade deal negociations are politics.
Still I think the biggest problem over these negociations was the lack of prgmatism particularly from the UK. The uK wanted to keep preveleges that were due to being a member of the EU and it was always obvious these preveleges couldn’t ever be granted to a state outside the EU.
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This is the shit show it always promised to be. The only thing coming is disorder. But thankfully you’ll all be locked in at home for Covid restrictions.
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What I mean is typically trade deals are based upon pragmatism and mutual financial gain.
This is the opposite, based upon ideology and damage. (On both sides).
That alters the primary driver from being economics (pragmatism), where politics is an influencer. To ideology where primary driver is politics (to detriment of economics).
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I’m privy to a small amount of information about the governments approach to Brexit, via an acquaintance working on strategy within government. They don’t tell me much, but what I do understand is that it isn’t going to ‘be cool’.
It’s going to be fucking terrifying. Like schools and hospitals being required to stockpile non perishable goods terrifying. Nothing about this is good.
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@Noo_Noo Best run out and buy all the toilet paper before the English do…
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Which seems natural when both where intrisically politically linked.
This is why I believe the UK should have just left with no deal. Start with a level playing field in which the UK’s preveleges have already gone. Then I think under those conditions many that saw opportunity with Brexit would have seen the reality and Brexit wouldn’t have happened.
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The truly scary thing about where we are heading as a country, as that no-one is able to admit they made a mistake anymore. Politics has become as tribal as football, as everyone is biased and blind to their side failings.
If it wasn’t obvious that Brexit was going to be a disaster, it should be now. For some largely imagined and irrelevant notion of sovereignty we’ve traded our freedom to work and travel freely across Europe, gone about thirty years backwards in terms of racism, and seeded the worst recession anyone of us will be able to remember.
And people still tell themselves it’s all going to be fine.
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There’s a flaw in your reasoning.
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How would would leaving without no deal avoid Brexit? We’d have to have Brexit to leave.
Am I missing something?
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Anyone wondering how David Frost probably reacted when Gavin Williamson claimed that the UK was better than France and Belgium and wherever else, just at the crunch point of negotiations…
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Just that if it had been layed out that the trade negociations would come after leaving then many who saw opportunity wouldn’t have. So wouldn’t have supported Brexit in the 1st place.
Just another poorly structured post on my part 
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That’s exactly what’s happened though…
Despite it being in breach of Article 50.
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Maybe the solution is a government led by Adrian?
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That’s not how it was ‘layed’ out before the Brexit vote which would have been the determining time factor.
When France speaks on european matters it’s worth listening … 
Btw you haven’t left yet!
Breaches or no breaches I could not care less. It has gone more or less how I anticipated that’s all that matters. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
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Agreed to the point where free trade continues without the “crisis”
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I work in schools and as a governor. There’s nothing in the pipeline about stockpiling anything (and I have more than one contact at the top of education). Not doubting your source, just nothing in education yet.
If it’s cool, cool. If not, we’ll deal with it in January.
It’ll be cool 
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Seems they’re breaking out the big guns. Although ours is more a blunderbuss…
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