The PM should give no ground in talks next week. We need to take full control of our fish, our laws and our borders on January 1 2021.
Nor do we need to delay bringing in checks at our borders on EU food and goods. They should be the same as the checks we currently apply to non EU food and goods. If it needs more people and more checking lanes at ports then there is six months to increase capacity to do it properly with no added delays. We can also use trusted trader arrangements so most of it is pre checked, not needing a border post check. If we know what is on the truck and can spot check or follow up leads if wrongful declarations are ever suspected we can allow easy transit for most goods.
How many more times do we have to explain this to a reluctant Establishment? Ministers must instruct them to do it. Itās what we already do for other countries so why the fuss? People importing food are anyway responsible in law for checking a consignment when they receive it, as it isĀ their reputationĀ on the line. They want compliant and wholesome food, so they do most of the checking and enforcing well away from the ports.
June 14, 2020
Absolutely, but who in this government would wish to do otherwise. We are on the brink of being a sovereign nation once more, so lets start thinking and behaving like one. The starting point on trade, fishing and many other subjects is that we are in control of our own destiny. We want mutually beneficial agreements on all of them, but the final say is with the UK.
June 14, 2020
At the time of the British Empire, definitely.
However in the XXI century, the EU and its 27 member states will also want a final say.
I think you have forgotten this.
June 14, 2020
We are on the brink of fearing another capitulation. Why has JR written this blog if not worried or wants public support not to cave in?
If Frost or Foster led the talks I would have some confidence.
June 14, 2020
Hope, Yes, how can we plan with any confidence when Boris could undermine it all. Look how far Frost and Cummings have got us by standing firm on our independence.
June 14, 2020
Yes, just look.
June 15, 2020
NickC
the negotiations are till going on , so how far has Cummings and Frost actually go us.
Please, explain?
thank you
June 15, 2020
Are the EU really negotiating?
The EU have never wanted to do a deal.
I said this years ago.
Their main aim is to stop others leaving.
June 14, 2020
We have already made a ridiculously generous donation to the EU in the ‘Withdrawal Agreement’. If after that they will not give us the same agreement as everybody else then WTO it must be. As you say, we can’t force the EU to be reasonable.
June 14, 2020
No , I have not forgotten the EU. They can agree with us or decline, but they must realise that they are dealing with a sovereign state and cannot impose upon us any form of control or subjugation to the rules that pertain within the EU that we do not wish to comply with. There is much willing sensible countries cam agree on, but this does not include control of one by the other.
June 14, 2020
On the contrary: I think the EU realise far more than the British government what leave actually means.
Hence its instance on cast-iron guarantees when it comes to level playing field provisions because no one on the continent expects the British to play fair.
June 14, 2020
What a joke that is – Tell us when the EU have played fair
All the UK wants is to be able to make it’s own decisions – Just because the EU has wrapped itself up in red tape, they expect us to do the same, for their benefit.
What they fear is competition.
June 14, 2020
What level playing field ?
Is the minimum wage the same in all EU countries for instance?
The Germans have given their companies far more state aid than any other EU country.
June 14, 2020
So can we have our version of the software engineers who achieve the German car mileage stats? Or Siemens who had had to pay hundreds of millions of ā¬ and US Dollars for cheating?
We really missed out on that level playing field.
June 15, 2020
The EU gave funds, our money, to Ford to move their transit plant from Southampton to Turkey — Turkey ! Is that fair, is that a level playing field.
June 14, 2020
With all the remainer support behind the scenes from the UK, the EU probably donāt consider we are a sovereign state and that we are leaving reluctantly. Plus they really donāt want to lose our money! And all the while people are working behind the scenes against the government they (The EU) feel they still have some control over us.
June 14, 2020
Tabulazero, The EU can have the final say about the EU. But no where else. I think you have believed EU propaganda for so long you have forgotten this.
June 15, 2020
In the destiny of an independent , sovereign state? Rather authoritarian.
June 15, 2020
Sir John you have a lot of comedians commenting on your posts. A pity they don’t have your diligence & accuracy of thought. before putting ‘pen to paper’.
June 14, 2020
The government seems to be afraid of many things, rather like May.
Perhaps it’s something about the combination of Civil Service, media and “yoof” which overwhelms anyone elected. Now they’re caught though. If this lot don’t do it, BXP will.
June 14, 2020
Good one. The delusion is powerful with this one.
June 14, 2020
+1
June 14, 2020
Well, up to now they have never thought we were serious. Have they? Because voices like yours have convinced them we are not serious.
What do you think would happen if the tariffs on German cars meant that people in the UK (their BIGGEST export market) simply stopped buying German cars. You think they’ll just go ‘oh well, easy come, easy go – we’ll lay off a load of our workforce on top of the Covid issues’. Yeah, right.
June 16, 2020
Mike Wilson
Actaully both US and China are larger export markets for German cars
June 14, 2020
Totally agree.
The EU is unwilling to cooperate in any way – we should hint at the possibility of additional tariffs on cars – that might get their attention.
As regards imports and exports, we should also remind them that they need us a lot more than we need them.
June 14, 2020
Ah. The famous German car industry flying to the rescue promise made by the Brexiters.
It is not happening, is it ?
Remember the āthey need us more than we need themā catch phrase uttered by Michael Gove ?
It does not look to be true either.
June 14, 2020
They can’t give cars away at the moment, nor will the market return quickly after this wake-up call about getting into debt. High value cars will still be sold almost regardless of price, so that doesn’t matter.
June 14, 2020
Graham
Agreed.
Personally, I always advocate keeping out of debt where possible. Also I’m not particularly fond of European cars, or cheese, except for German and Dutch cheese.
June 14, 2020
@tabulaxero – Check your rose tinted glasses, and …
Check the facts – the EU exports far more to the UK than the UK exports to them…!
June 14, 2020
The EU represent 50% of British exports while the UK represent 7% of EU exports.
Who do you think is in a better shape to withstand the impact in a head-on collision ?
June 14, 2020
Perhaps you will understand it better in money terms Tabulazero
āThe UK had a bilateral trade deficit with the EU to the tune of Ā£67bn in 2017ā
June 14, 2020
It isnt 50%
It is 40% and that includes the Rotterdam effect.
One or two out of the 27 are heavily reliant on UK sales.
Some other member nations do very little trade with the UK
That is why your 7% figure is misleading.
June 14, 2020
It’s 41% and 8%, not that you’re bothered about accuracy. And those percentages hide the fact that the EU exports Ā£92bn more to us than we export to the EU. Who do you think is in a better shape to withstand that impact in a head-on collision? Let’s even out the money shall we?
June 14, 2020
Tabulazero
“Who do you think is in a better shape to withstand the impact in a head-on collision ?”
In order to be a component of any collision….you have to be there.
June 14, 2020
First, it is not 50% – it is about 40% when you allow for the ‘Rotterdam effect’.
Second, those percentages are meaningless. Try talking in terms of absolute numbers. if they export Ā£2 billion to us and we export Ā£1 billion to them – who has the most to lose? Try and work it out. The percentages are clouded by the size of the markets which are MEANINGLESS. Absolute numbers are all that count.
I’d love to see us stop trading with the EU. We’d have to buy a lot more home made stuff. After the disruption we’d have a lot more jobs.
June 15, 2020
Percentages are not meaningless, they represent a potential level of impact, although the better figures to use are the share of GDP represented by the trade in each direction.
UK exports to the EU27 represent 8% of GDP.
EU27 exports to the UK represent 2.3% of GDP.
Ask anyone running a business which has a bigger impact, disruption to 8% of their turnover or disruption to 2.3% of their turnover?
The EU published their economic assessment of the impact of Brexit in March 2017. Where is the UK government’s equivalent?
The abstract for the EU’s assessment paper includes the following text:
“For the EU 27, the losses are found to be virtually insignificant, and hardly noticed in the aggregate. By contrast, for the UK, the losses could be highly significant, over ten times greater as a share of GDP. Impacts on various Member States ā in particular Ireland ā and sectors in the EU27 could be more pronounced.”
It’s quite clear that the EU’s conclusion is that, overall, Brexit hurts the UK more than it hurts the EU27, and that no doubt informs their negotiating position.
Reply EU wrong again. It shows how frightened they are that we will prosper by leaving
June 14, 2020
And you think that is in their favour if tariffs are applied?
June 14, 2020
That was intended for the EU troll Tabulazero…
June 14, 2020
I think that the UK needs to use European Union roads, ports, rail, and airspace far, far more than vice-versa. They have already made plans for levering UK actions against Eire’s interests too.
What do you think the terms might be for access to all these?
June 14, 2020
Except we are far more concerned about Boris capitulating than with your, and the EU’s, puerile hissy fits. EU threats merely confirm we were right to vote Leave. Haven’t you learnt that yet, Martin?
June 14, 2020
Hilarious, just, hilarious.
June 14, 2020
So no real response Martin, just a heckle.
Fairly predictable.
June 14, 2020
Are you trying to claim roads ports rail in for example Germany France and Holland are owned and under the control of the EU?
You bet more ridiculous as our leaving date is approaching.
PS
airspace is controlled by international treaties.
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
“the Eu hve never wanted to do a deal”
this is a supposition not a fact.
However it is a fact we are still negotiating,
Edward 2 you are using double standards
June 16, 2020
When you say “We” I presume you mean the UK.
Yes we are still negotiating.
We are trying to come to a deal that suits both parties.
My view is that the EU doesn’t want a deal with the UK.
And I am entitled to hold that view having seen the last 4 years of EU/UK negotiations.
You seem to be obsessed with the constant need for facts bill.
Opinions are allowed as comments too.
But feel free to give us lots of facts if that is what you prefer.
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
you are asking for facts and when you cannot produce them you accuse everybody else about accusing you of not delivering them.
Hefner is right you are not up to a real intellectual conversation, But that is OK we will forgive you for not being up to the task, this is not unexpected. We forgive you , don’t feel too bad about it
June 14, 2020
MiC
We are moving towards trade with the rest of the world, EU trade will decline and eventually fizzle out, assuming the Union doesn’t fly apart before then – which it probably will now that France is left alone in the room with Germany, and no longer be able to get her own way and manipulate the Commission.
Already Micron has thrown his rattle out of his pram and had a bust up with Brussels because the EU wouldn’t back him over access to UK maritime resources. This is what can be expected of someone who makes threats in preference to negotiating.
Generally speaking you will find that brexit voters tend not to want any trade with the EU, we desire to go back to trading with the rest of the world instead.
June 14, 2020
Steve: – ‘Generally speaking you will find that brexit voters tend not to want any trade with the EU, we desire to go back to trading with the rest of the world instead.’
Put precisely – -well done Steve.
It has been a long and painful experience – we now realise the error of our ways….au revoir / auf wiedersehen!
June 16, 2020
MiC
Very interesting theories but after Brexit there is now more support for the EU in eh populations than there has been for a long time. SO I will allow myself to disagree with your conclusions
Most of the EU products you buy in this country are produced here, so I am sure the EU does not care what you wish to do with the trade
June 16, 2020
You live in a parallel universe.
Countries like Spain Italy Hungary Cyprus and others have a rising tide of opinion which is against the EU as it currently is.
I hope the EU survives long term.
But unless it helps poorer member nations and radically reforms I fear it will not.
June 14, 2020
How is that proving not to be true ? The Eu are in panic mode, investment is rising into the UK. They are falling over themselves to keep access to our waters .
June 14, 2020
Frankly, Brexit has been relegated to the back pages of the continental press and is now usually mentioned only in relation to the mishandling of the COVID crisis.
“World-beating” as in “highest excess death per 1mm inhabitants”.
June 14, 2020
Except you don’t know upon what basis the death certificates have been completed, here, or in other countries. But then accuracy was never your strong point, was it?
June 14, 2020
Robert
“They are falling over themselves to keep access to our waters ”
In ‘they’ it is widely acknowledged to mean France. Specifically Micron who had told the French fishermen that the UK would have to give fishing access or face being broken up.
June 16, 2020
Robert
the panic mode I find in none of the European capitals, but it might be in your head though
June 16, 2020
Robert
they are already investing so they are not too worried as you outline
June 14, 2020
Bryan
“…remind them that they need us a lot more than we need them.”
How do you make that out? We export 40% of our goods to ‘them’ and ‘they’ only export 8% to us. Divide that by 27 EU countries and it is surely just chicken feed to ‘them’.
June 14, 2020
Margaret confirms yet again that she is no good with figures. If the overall EU export figure is 8% it means each of the 27 – on average – export 8% to us, not (8/27)%. So not “chickenfeed” at all.
June 15, 2020
NickC
Catching you talking about accuracy with other people’s contributions must be one of the biggest jokes of the year.
June 14, 2020
Our 40% is worth less than their 8%. Absolute sums of money matter more than proportions.
June 14, 2020
It’s still true today, as it has always been – we have always bought more from than the EU than the EU bought from us
“The UK had a bilateral trade deficit with the EU to the tune of Ā£67bn in 2017”
June 14, 2020
In 2017 we exported Ā£274 billion to the EU. They exported Ā£341 billion to us. Difference, Ā£67 billion. So, if trade stopped, who would be worse off? Percentages are meaningless. Who cares what percentage of total trade it is? What counts are actual numbers.
June 14, 2020
@Mike Wilson: These Ā£67 billion are in the order of 0.5% of EU27 GDP. I believe that the EU27 have more important business to attend to.
June 15, 2020
Which is mainly to 3 EU members.
Not all 27
June 17, 2020
Yes. But the worry is not the net for the EU?
UK will purchase best value from ROW outside the protection racket tariff wall.
Exports will go to whomever wants to buy from us worldwide, that wont change. World prices determine world exports.
June 14, 2020
@Bryan Harris:
“they need us a lot more than we need them.”
The question is whether thisis true. International assessments indicate a larger damage (at least in the short term) to the UK than to any of the EU27 countries, let alone the EU27 as a whole. This damage may be neatly hidden behind the setback caused by the pandemic but it will be there.
June 14, 2020
Vague innuendos from an EU plant – suggestions that mean nothing
June 14, 2020
@Bryan Harris: E.g. the OECD is not an EU plant. And you could find the assessments of banks and other institutions on the no-deal scenarion for the UK.
June 15, 2020
We’ve heard your project Fear for 4 years Peter.
None of it has come true.
Give up.
We are leaving.
June 14, 2020
The short term is just that, short term. It is the thereafter that we are interested in. We have waited over 40 years to be an independent sovereign nation once more, and it was never about trade, which was, as is, a distraction.
June 14, 2020
PvL, We Leaves do have to put up with the reverse claim from Remains all the time. Every one of the pro EU commenters on here, including yourself, have said the UK cannot survive and prosper without the EU. It is as tiresome as it is untrue.
June 14, 2020
@NickC: It is sad having something I have never said nor even thought attributed to me.
You must harbour a lot of EU-hate to make that up.
I’ve only relayed the damage predictions of expert institutions, all easy to verify on the internet.
June 14, 2020
PvL, Your admission that you uncritically relay other people’s guesses about the supposed inability of the UK to survive and prosper out of the EU confirms exactly what I said.
Don’t you realise even yet how fatuous you sound claiming that whilst a small country like New Zealand can run itself, we can’t?
June 14, 2020
Unilever disagree with you Pieter, they are leaving your country and consolidating in mine. And for 80 years they have been even more pro-EU than you are.
June 15, 2020
@Lynn Atkinson:
Unilever still is pro EU. The HQ move to the UK is related to an earlier investor rebellion over there.
June 15, 2020
Just hilarious Peter.
Do you really believe what you write?
June 15, 2020
NickC
You are getting carried away again in none substantiated generalities with no facts to back them up.
I must admit I am with PvL on this one
June 15, 2020
Complete twaddle.
And yet again no facts.
June 15, 2020
Well, Haiti “survived” the hurricane and other disasters.
People want rather more than mere survival in life.
Prosperity is relative.
Compared to Mali, say, the UK will likely always prosper. Again people would prefer that to be relative to Germany or to Japan, say.
How ever does brexit increase the probability of that?
June 15, 2020
Yes I think trading freely with the whole world and not having to follow the EU’s protectionist policies will improve our export trade and reduce costs of things like foodstuffs currently inflated in price by the ridiculous CAP subsidies.
June 14, 2020
PvL
More to the point France needs the UK more than we need France.
Without the UK, France faces the prospect of not having access to our maritime resources, of having heavy tariffs on their cars etc, and of not being able to dump their Calais problem on our shores. (They will have to look after these people or send them back to the previous country – which is how it is supposed to work)
There is also the prospect of us not buying their low quality cheese, and we couldn’t care less if they don’t buy ours.
Fact is France and the French led ungrateful EU commission has never played fair with the UK. Unlike Holland, Portugal, Italy. And we’ve had enough.
France, and it’s Napoleonic little President are terrified there will be a successful, strong and prosperous independent UK.
And why shouldn’t there be ? it is our right as a sovereign nation. Although the way Macron’s been behaving lately you wouldn’t think we sacrificed thousands of lives to set his country free of fascism.
We’re getting out, lock stock & barrel and if France is uncomfortable with being left alone in the room with Germany – not our problem.
I would not give the ungrateful EU any concessions whatsoever, none, zilch. Not as long as France is in it. Kick France out and we can start talking.
June 14, 2020
@steve: You obviously don’t like France, but, as written before, this is not a French-led European Commission.
June 14, 2020
but it would appear France is the only country ‘Herr’ Merkel takes any opinion from!
June 14, 2020
No – the Germans are no longer pulling the strings, on our website freenations.net we always refer to āGerman Europeā.
June 14, 2020
Steve
“(They will have to look after these people or send them back to the previous country ā which is how it is supposed to work)”
I thought they were EU rules and after Brexit surely they don’t apply any longer?
June 16, 2020
Steve,
this pathetic French basing is rather funny and stupid at the same time, if you have a particular fetish against France then back it up with facts instead of subjective emotions, and in realities
June 14, 2020
You may be right, you may be wrong but Brexit isn’t about trade Peter.
June 14, 2020
@John Hatfield: As I’ve thought and written over the years: “trade there will always be”.
I’m certainly not against the UK leaving the EU.
In my meaner comments in the past I’ve pointed out that the UK more seemed like an uneasy “half-member” with all its major opt-outs.
June 14, 2020
The question is whether political integration is necessary for free trade. It ain’t and it’s important to let Barnier, Macron and Merkel know that.
June 14, 2020
Bryan
“we should hint at the possibility of additional tariffs on cars ā that might get their attention.”
Why not just ban their cars altogether ?
June 15, 2020
That would breach WTO rules.
June 14, 2020
BH. Your suggested action would be a classic case of “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. Putting tariffs on anything the UK imports, raises the prices to UK domestic consumers. Not exactly a vote winner for Boris.
The WTO does not allow a UK import tariff on a particular good, to be used to subsidise a UK domestic manufacturer of the equivalent good. Likewise, if you relax import controls on an imported good from the EU at Dover say; you are obliged to do the same for all other WTO members the UK imports that good from, at any other UK port.
Alas, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls on imported agri-food products will be the show stopper. That 40 foot container that says Prime Beef on the customs form, but turns out to be full of Horse-meat; or possibly 120 barely alive illegals; won’t bother the EU much.
June 15, 2020
There was never any question of using import tariffs on cars other than a bargaining chip – but it would still be a valid option if the EU play silly games
I don’t see how there can be any issues with such a tariff – the UK already builds cars, so there would be no question of subsidising UK manufacturers
June 15, 2020
Bryan Harris
THe Eu fears competition.
This is about as funny remarks I have heard for a long time a signifiiccant amount of countries have higher productivity than we do and then they fear competition.
Grow up or start reading again
June 15, 2020
They have CAP and CFP
Costing huge sums.
Subsidising farmers inside the EU whilst restricting cheaper imports from other nations with their tariff system.
You need to grow up and start reading again bill.
Try Goigle.
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
you surprise me you read when this did happen
June 16, 2020
@billbrown
Why then do they seek us tied to their pathetic rules and regulations – it is because they know that we will innovate and become more competitive than they are, and while our economy will grow theirs will stagnate.
Simple as that, but you really should grow up and recognize that the EU is a disaster, not a demi-paradise as you seem to think – They’ve lost their way, and become vindictive when they lose out
June 16, 2020
Bryian Harris
absolute nonsense the Eu could not care less
June 14, 2020
It is hardly as if there is a shortage of people to undertake these jobs, indeed an opportunity to help boost the economies of the port towns and cities. Letās start setting up whatever is needed now and be in front of a situation instead of always catching up.
You are closer to the situation than any of us so I guess that the commentary suggesting we are once again going to crumble, has an element of truth? Although this morning, presumably no 10 spin, a couple of papers are saying Boris will hold the line.
I am afraid, back to the Brexit slogan. We donāt believe you. Worrying times and again the need for you and the ERG to be strong.
Off topic I see it is being suggested 10 years prison for desecrating war memorials. People who use knives, beat up their wives, embezzle hundred of thousands etc donāt get that or indeed I doubt whether any of the thugs from either side of the recent protests.
Another virtue signalling panic off the cuff response just to grab headlines. The Home Office continues to be unfit for purpose. It is said Priti Patel is building bridges. That obviously means succumbing to the blob. Once again the Establishment survives, your voters suffer.
June 14, 2020
Yes, that’s what we need, Nigl, a massive Public Sector, all doing non-productive work, just to satisfy the brexit puritans.
June 14, 2020
This would be the same work that the EU is rushing to do on the other side of the Channel…….
June 14, 2020
As opposed to being furloughed or on benefits. Which bit of the public sector always pays donāt you get?
June 14, 2020
Well the vacuum is about to be filled, Nigel is back under the banner of the Reform Party. Watch this space.
June 14, 2020
Great.
He will split the vote of the uninformed, of the vicious, and of the cynical.
June 14, 2020
Martin, I didn’t know you voted for him?
June 14, 2020
You could have summarized this by simply saying the he will split the Conservative vote.
Quicker.
June 14, 2020
I think you will find ex-Conservatives will split their vote.
June 14, 2020
You keepp abusing the voters Martin.
It will keep the Labour party out of power for decades.
June 15, 2020
Ah, you recognise yourself then.
That’s progress of a kind.
June 15, 2020
I don’t abuse people like you do every day on here Martin
But your behaviour is typical of the left.
You and they think this abuse will somehow persuade them to vote for Labour.
But you carry on.
June 14, 2020
There is no point in increased penalties for crime if the criminal is never apprehended.
Is it time to instigate a national guard run the army to deal with disorder so that the police can concentrate on non violent crime.
June 14, 2020
Will P, Don’t take any notice of these MSM stories about lefty thugs getting apprehended in 24 hours or spending 10 years in clink, it’s all Nudge Unit propaganda to make the public think the government is doing something.
June 14, 2020
Peter Hitchens article today answers JRs questions and addresses his blogs over the last few days. Absolutely spot on article. The left has control of the levers of powers. It has grown since Blaire left office not shrunk. The Tory Govt has treated water for ten years moving carefully to the left not to upset voters.
The blonde bottler is more likely to cave in, again, this week and lie to say he did something different. You have his record on May’s servitude plan. He lied to say her deal was dead, he implemented most of it which JR and other voted for! He lied to say he had an oven ready deal, he claimed repeatedly Brexit is done. If true what is being negotiated next week?
This weekends events, like last weekend, are attributed to left wing police politicized by elected commissioners that the public did not want. Blunket under Jackie Smith changed the tripartite governance of policing system that existed since 1964 Police Act. Tory Govt came to power and implemented Labour’s policy!
June 14, 2020
Hope, +1
June 15, 2020
In the morning we saw a throng of middle aged men arriving, presumably from outside London, in shorts, with bare heads and bare faces, and carrying nothing. Within minutes the police had donned their full riot gear and barricaded them in with a double row of metal barriers. Crammed in closer than cattle. Chants went up: “Where the f… were you last week?”
If there had been any violence from that side it would be on all the front pages now, with politicians queueing up to denounce it, but all the MSM can find is a man relieving himself beside the Palmer memorial.
We never saw the violent BLM mobs being kettled or confronted with police in full riot gear. Rather did we see them being escorted through the lines to where they wanted to go. Then we saw them on the rampage, with their battle chant of “F…ing Hell!”, having been worked up into a frenzy in Trafalgar Square by their rabble rousers. Etc ed
June 15, 2020
This double standard, which was clearly mapped out in the morning for all to see, is naked Rowleyism.
June 15, 2020
Here is an angry first hand account of the way the men were set up by the police. It tallies with what I saw.
https://britannianews.co.uk/2020/06/15/must-watch-ex-servicemen-gives-a-hard-hitting-truthful-account-on-his-time-in-london-it-was-orchestrated-by-the-media-and-police-to-make-us-veterans-look-bad/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
June 14, 2020
Indeed “how many more times”
It’s not as if there will be a lack of labour about is it, given that’s many people are or will be out of work.
Once again the difference between the attitude of private business and State or Local Authority run Departments.
Can do, must do, will do, verses it’s difficult, it will take time, no extra money, no extra staff, and Gold plated rules and systems.
Certainly Boris needs to stand his ground, give in on this, give in on Brexit proper.
June 14, 2020
Alan, come on look at his record to date. He capitulated to agree the servitude plan after condemning it in writing and speeches! Johnson’s manifesto claimed to make changes to unions. The Education are in control not Tory Govt, this has a direct impact on the economy, they know it, he knows it but he is a bottler.
Johnson is all strap lines, gimmicks, czars, task force to distract overwhelming failure. These are all bureaucratic quangos which we were promised to be put on a bonfire ten years ago! They keep growing.
June 14, 2020
More checking lanes at ports … Have you ever been to Dover? There is no room. And we need 50,000 new customs officers. You cant train them in 6 months. What a fiasco. You must be getting nervous, all your Brexit promises are going up in smoke. I dont think the British people are going to be very forgiving
June 14, 2020
There could, of course always be a deal.
June 14, 2020
Dover is principally a port for passengers, not freight other than ro-ro.
June 14, 2020
Carrie, Are you sure it’s only 50,000? I thought it was 500,000 though someone down the pub (that I don’t visit anymore due to The Virus) said it was 5,000,000. That means of course that the customs section of HMRC must be at least 10,000,000 because we only have to inspect EU stuff on the same lines as rotw stuff. Certainly we won’t have an unemployment problem if you’re right.
June 14, 2020
So what have the government being doing for the last 4 years ?
June 14, 2020
The fact that you needed to write your first paragraph is disturbing. But perhaps I should not be surprised given the history of recent years. Perhaps also there will be a better chance of achieving a mutually acceptable trading arrangement after 31 December 2020.
June 14, 2020
Not really.
The EU would be mad to let British companies compete inside the Single-Market without being subject to the same state aid rules, environmental or social legislation as all the rest of the other market participants.
Do Barnier or Von der Leyen look stupid to you ?
What Boris wants would be like the EU willingly opening itself up to all kind of unfair competitive practices from whatever government end up running the UK.
This will not change and so the EUās offer on the table will remain pretty much the same.
Yes trade with the UK is important but what the EU trade within itself is 5x the size. Safeguarding this is more important.
June 14, 2020
They do with China America Canada and Japan.
They sell billions in value into the EU.
June 15, 2020
But the UK is not China, America, Canada or Japan. It is far closer to home and as a former-member of the EU, its companies are starting from a position of deep integration inside the Single-Market.
The EU would be stupid not to take that into account.
June 15, 2020
Take it into account by all means.
Geographic features mean nothing.
Companies meet requirements of all world markets.
June 14, 2020
Tabulazero, Rubbish. The UK would only be competing on the same basis that the USA or India already do. Does the EU demand those countries adhere to your self-serving “level playing field”? Of course not, because the EU just made it up.
June 15, 2020
As mentinoned before: the UK is neither the USA nor India.
No. It is much closer to home and its companies are starting as deeply integrated into the existing supply chains criss-crossing the continent.
I cannot understand why the Brexiters refuse to understand that.
June 15, 2020
What has geography got to do with it?
Goods can be ordered today from thousands of miles away and arrive a few days later.
You live in the past.
And plainly have no experience of modern international trade.
June 14, 2020
Oldtimer, The entire article by JR is disturbing.
June 14, 2020
The PM must not go on one knee before the EU. Not after all the internal battles fought here, particularly since the EU membership referendum. Remember the May premiership? The rejection of Corbyn by the electorate after a promise by Boris that he would take back control? It seems like years ago, but thatās what he was mandated to do.
The government has appeared weak and timid and wrongheaded and inconsistent during its short existence. There was HS2, Huawei, and more recently Coronavirus and the BLM disorder. Itās time to for the government to show its mettle against Brussels and the establishment here. Otherwise what use is it to us?
June 14, 2020
Been Tax
That list does make one feel nervous…
David Frost has done a sterling job of negotiating, but I feel nervous that Boris might go in, so desperate for a deal, and cave!
June 14, 2020
Johnson is putting his legacy before the needs of the nation. We cannot keep suffering these vanglorious fools.
June 14, 2020
So Brexit means more barriers to our trade. Dont remember that on the side of the bus
June 14, 2020
That was because they thought we were dealing with reasonable, rational people who would accept the result of a referendum and want to do a deal in the interests of both sides. The Remoaners and the EU performance in the last few years proves they are neither and we were right to vote out.
June 14, 2020
We have known for years that we are not dealing with reasonable, rational people. And you Brexiteers and Faragists have repeatedly proven us right.
June 14, 2020
And your, and other Remains, hysterical lies about Leave has repeatedly proven us right.
June 14, 2020
Do not worry : the German car industry will save the day any minute now…
June 14, 2020
Tabulazero, Without more electricity generation capacity being built in the UK, BEVs won’t be needed. And since ICE cars will be banned from 2035, that means we won’t be buying German cars anyway. So the German car industry can go hang.
June 14, 2020
Don’t know where you get that from. We can trade with the world on our terms, not on the terms of control freaks in the eurocracy. If the EU wish to place tariffs on our trade it is well known, by those who read the facts, that we import from the Eu than we export to them — we win financially. Oh, and we export more to the world, and rising.
June 14, 2020
Robert, you obviously donāt understand who pays tariffs. Do please go and find out, you are embarassing yourself by suggesting anyone āwinsā from the imposition of tariffs
June 14, 2020
But the UK will get more in tariffs than it pays.
Cars are 10%
Unless both sides prefer a zero rate.
Which is quite possible.
June 15, 2020
Edward 2
Tariffs have never made any country richer just more poor. This is like your support for Trump not particular thought through
June 15, 2020
I’m not in favour of tariffs.
The EU are.
I want tariff free trade for the UK.
PS
Why are you trying the Trump sideline?
Is that all you have left?
Pathetic
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
because your support tells us alot of your judgement of characters, absolutely no judgement
June 14, 2020
Len Peel, Don’t be silly, if we put 5% tariff on cars then EU cars would be 5% more expensive and cars from the rotw would be 5% cheaper. It simply means we’d buy fewer EU cars and more from the rotw. That’s a win for me!
June 14, 2020
Far too simplistic. With the EU it comes down to whether we can agree an FTA. However with the rest of the World, much of which we were prevented by the EU from having tariff free trade, we are now free to trade as is mutually beneficial. The USA for instance. Before you get all leery about chlorinated chicken, you are quite possibly eating chlorinated salad from the EU.
June 14, 2020
Your last paragraph suggests resistance and negativity have been met from within?
Thereās too much of this canāt do attitude from some quarters, clearly thereās no will, or a way would be found ….or in this case, followed through.
June 14, 2020
Nonsense Sharon, Leave won the referendum, the UK left the EU months ago and the country is run by a Conservative Party with an 80 seat majority. There is no āreluctant Establishmentā, every lever of power is in the hands of Brexiters. If things are going badly there is no one to blame except the Brexiters. Do not let Mr Redwood distract your attention by trying to blame anyone else, Sharon.
June 14, 2020
Hope solo
I agree with what you say in principle…but there are a lot of remainers behind the scenes working against the government…
Time will tell.
June 14, 2020
Hope Solo, We have not left the EU. The UK abrogated the TEU and TFEU treaties and immediately signed up to a new treaty of subservience to the EU on 31 Jan. EU law still has primacy, as does the CJEU.
We’ve just had over 3 years of Remain mayhem where it was touch and go whether we’d leave at all. Many of the powerful in the establishment – civil service, CBI, BBC, etc – are clearly still opposed to Leave.
June 14, 2020
Those talks are a complete waste of time.
Boris Johnson has obviously no intention of respecting the basis for the future relationship with the EU he agreed to last December and which forms the political declaration of the withdrawal agreement. I am not surprised.
It is therefore not about giving ground but rather about ripping up everything and somehow hope that the EU acquiesce to it. We all know what is the likelihood of this happening.
No deal preparations are well advanced in Calais, with infrastructure already built and personnel being trained, something the UK has failed to do despite preparing for 3 years. This should tell you what kind of outcome France or the EU is expecting from those talks.
It is time to put this sorry distraction called Brexit to rest because the EU and its member-states have a lot of work to do with managing the post-COVID economic crisis.
When it comes to European affairs, the fate of the UK is to end a bit like Russia: āon the outside looking inā albeit a bit more friendly .., though I am not even sure of that given that destroying the EU looks to have become an article of faith for a fringe of the Conservative party.
June 14, 2020
Exactly right.
Meanwhile we have serious troubles on the streets. This is not at all surprising give all the encouragement given to this illegal activity (by Kahn, Cressida Dick and policeās earlier tacit approval, the appalling BBC line for the past three weeks and very many left wing politicians.
June 14, 2020
A great shame Farage is not on LBC today. Instead we get an absurdly woke Ian Dale sounding absolutely pathetic. His attacking of the perfectly reasonable caller at about 10.28 was appalling – clearly desperate not to lose his LBC job and so is towing the line like he is on a rope with a ring through his nose!
Strange that the police are far more concerned with one person having a pee next to (not on) a memorial than they are with people tearing down and defacing statues. Have they made any arrests for the criminal damage in Bristol and elsewhere yet?
June 14, 2020
Agree
June 14, 2020
And more concerned about that than those counter demonstrators, and even people just suspected of being counter demonstrators, who got their heads and faces jumped on. Horrifying pictures too of counter demonstrators with blood pouring off them. If there had been anything like that of BLM demonstrators it would have been on every front page and the politicians would be queueing up to denounce it..
June 14, 2020
Good morning.
For the first time our kind host lays the blame, quite rightly, where it belongs. With the Establishment and not the EU.
We have had double the amount of time the usual transition period requires and, we still have not left the EU ! We are still subject to their laws and cannot do the things we want to do.
The rEU27 do not want the UK to be competitive. If they cannot have our money they will make damned sure that we cannot use it for our benefit. Hence the so called, ‘Level Playing Field’, which is nothing of the sort, as they get to set the rules and arbitrate who is right and wrong. No other sovereign country would accept this. Our negotiators have made this clear yet, those in the UK who are for Remain continue to work against the UK and its interests in favour of their own narrow ones. The government and the PM needs to be reminded who put them where they are today and, the reasons why. Leave really does mean LEAVE !
We will not get a so called FTA because the EU and the rEU27 do not want one and one is not on offer.
Better to just go and then discuss matters. Perhaps as they see both their UK and Global market share they might be compelled to offer better terms.
June 14, 2020
Re the Establishment there was a whinge piece in the DT yesterday about Cummings obviously unattributed as befits all cowards. He must be getting through if the poor darlings in and around No 10 are feeling uncomfortable.
Good. long may he continue. They would certainly feel uncomfortable if I, and I suspect many of your correspondents were in his place with my āboot up their backsidesā and out of the door.
June 14, 2020
I always honestly believed that the govtās word was law.
Now it appears that others are in control.
The teaching unions are stopping children from returning to school.
The police are policing according to the rules of Common Purpose and Left Wing politics.
And someone or other is refusing to man our borders ( do we still have any?).
Not to mention the fact that our āGet Brexit Doneā PM appears a tad wavery
No wonder there are rumours of a Brexit Party relaunch.
June 14, 2020
I fear your assessment to be correctā¦.no leadership, no confidence, no plan
June 14, 2020
Any Government that permits rules and laws affecting the way we run and live our lives in this country (any country for that matter) that then cant be changed by the electorate through the ballot box is in neglect of the basic principles of democracy, sovereignty and freedoms.
Although our stories only come from an ill informed MsM which has a different agenda to the advancement, security and welfare of the UK, the impression given is that the UK has to be punished to stop anyone else believing they can run their own lives
June 14, 2020
We should be making plans to commercialise our world-beating expertise in the management of pandemics. Also inventory management systems for just-in-time PPE and Chinese plague virus test kits.
June 14, 2020
Agree on PPE & testing, that’s what you get with a monolithic state-run NHS – what you get with a mix of pubic and private provision is Germany’s health service.
June 14, 2020
When you blag the NHS you should differentiate between it’s administration and the front line medical staff. The latter are giving their all and dying in the process. The former were responsible for the supply deficiencies, no doubt shared with government.
June 14, 2020
Indeed the organisation, structure, method of funding and general management of the NHS is generally appalling. A dire state monopoly rationing system, totally unresponsive to demand or customers. Nearly half have died without even getting into hospital some were kicked out to infect others.
This is perhaps one of the main reason we have mortality rates per positive case of about 4 times those of Germany and 200 times those of Singapore. What do their Doctors and Nurses do that keeps so many more infected patients alive that the NHS do not? At Singapore rates of deaths we would have had about 200 rather than circa 70,000 (as indicated by excess death figures).
June 14, 2020
The secret of our success is that the government, the civil service and quangos are run by Arts graduates who through the magic of obtaining a degree in nothing useful, are automatically transmuted into ‘generalists’ who can rely on to manage our affairs with the utmost finesse.
June 14, 2020
Indeed they do not have a clue what entropy or energy density is or even what a megawatt hour is and yet they are put in charge of our energy policy.
They endless confuse energy and power, the transport minister even thinks electric cars a zero emission and save CO2.
The Governor of the BoE (History I think) in his last job seemed to think overdraft rates should be 40% or 78% at one bank for all regardless of customer credit risk! Scientific, economic and mathematical illiterates almost every single one of them. Osborne even thought taxing landlords at over 100% was a dandy plan. Very sustainable mate!
June 14, 2020
The Tories have been in power for TEN YEARS.
You have the NHS, PHE, Civil Service, and every other agency that they alone have fostered.
June 14, 2020
I think you will find your list has been in existence a little more than ten years.
June 14, 2020
PHE was formed in 2013 under the auspices of Andrew Lansley who has an Arts degree. It’s CEO does not appear to have had any tertiary education at all. It’s ‘reforms’ under its formation were opposed by the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing who represent educated people with useful skills.
June 14, 2020
So 2 out of 3
Still a decisive win.
June 15, 2020
Actually whilst PHE started in 2013 it was just a merger of many long existing organisations in the NHS like the Health Protection Agency.
So Martin’s claim is still a false one.
June 14, 2020
We also need to charge appropriately for the use of the U.K. as a land bridge from Ireland to the continent.
Given the stress on the environment caused by air and noise pollution, the strain on infrastructure capacity, the security risks and the administrative burden at ports a charge of about Ā£1,000 per transit would be about right. Comparable to what Austria and Switzerland charge.
June 14, 2020
I agree, although Ā£1000 seems a bit high. Why should Irish vehicles use our roads for free? Especially the way they have treated us. Time to introduce a road tax for vehicles passing through England, similar to the Swiss system.
June 14, 2020
Well, the European Union can impose similar charges, for the UK to use its ports, roads, rail, airspace, and airports, then.
Can’t it?
June 14, 2020
Only if member states agree.
The EU doesn’t own any of the things you list.
June 15, 2020
I think that they just might, Ed.
June 15, 2020
The ownership is with member states.
It isnt going to happen
France and Germany will not bring in charges unless the UK do.
June 14, 2020
Hear, hear. I have long thought this. But our politicians love giving everything away for nothing. They think they can hold up their heads higher on the world stage if they do..
June 14, 2020
In 9 days, 4 years will have elapsed since our Referendum decision. The UK and the EU should have been fully prepared to enable us to manage our own affairs.
Those within the Establishment who obstruct the will of the elected Govt restrict our freedom. They should be removed, with penalty if appropriate, such as the loss of their own freedom.
An awkward Establishment must be re-established with higher quality operators who are fit to fulfil & maintain proper UK standards of performance.
June 14, 2020
The entire delay has been caused by the staggering incompetence of the Brexiteers. Every single day of the delay.
In any case, because trade is complicated it took more than 8 years to fully implement the outcome of the 1975 referendum.
So it is time for you Brexit toddlers to stop your tantrums and to leave it to the grown ups to clear up your mess.
June 14, 2020
You regard the May government with their 3 years of delay as Brexiteers? Truly astounding, even for you.
June 14, 2020
Toddlers?? I thought we were 17.4 million angry Tory pensioners just waiting to die to enable you to chortle in glee at our demise?
June 14, 2020
Hear hear !
June 14, 2020
I hope at some point we say to ourselves if goods and services come from the EU / the USA / Switzerland / Israel / Canada / Singapore / Australia & NZ etc then thatās good enough for us, they can be sold in the U.K. without quotas tariffs, checks etc. Of course if shortfalls in standards are suspected there can be checks at any point in the process, and anyone wilfully defying the law should face the consequences. In other words have full free trade. Some of the countries above will readily agree reciprocity in such arrangements. Not unfortunately as it seems now the EU, but if our various EU friends see such a structure working without problems and generating prosperity in the future then they might also come round to the idea.
To give it a try we must of course make sure we have complete freedom to make such agreements in the first place. We cannot for example be in a position where we need the permission of the ECJ!
June 14, 2020
What an absolutely silly post.
In 2016 the leave campaign promised we would be part of a free trade area which stretched from Iceland to Russia once we left the EU.
Leave also promised less red tape – and yet you are now delivering 50,000 extra customs bureaucrats to process the 400m extra forms needed for your Brexit.
You have been told by the food industry – and the drug industry – that border delays will caused shortages of fresh food and medicines.
Refusing to listen to their concerns is nothing but criminal negligence. As the public inquiry will conclude.
June 14, 2020
Andy your brain is addled. You have never exported nothing to the EU have you – itās NOT frictionless!
June 14, 2020
Andy, Are you sure? Border checks don’t cause problems for the food I buy from New Zealand, Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Brazil, Chile and the USA. Aren’t your wishes over-riding your sense? Again? Don’t forget none of your doom predictions have come true so far.
June 14, 2020
You have my absolute agreement and there is certainly no need to even suggest or hint at any concession whatsoever.
The remainer smoke screen of border checks is complete rubbish. As you say, we do it now with countries outside the EU and there are no delays and if anyone in the EU sends us substandard goods they will lose their contract.
The French won’t go short of fish as the supply chains are already in place and the only change will be that they will buy it from British boats and from waters under our control. As you rightly say, if any adjustments are needed we have 6 months to implement them.
One change I would like to see is for EU trucks to pay a flat fee per visit of say Ā£50 for the use of our roads. We pay via fuel tax and duty but most EU trucks that come regularly to the UK have enlarged tanks to avoid buying fuel here. We have to pay to use their motorway network
June 14, 2020
I couldn’t have said it better. Let’s hope the ministers have the guts to do it and override the hindering civil servants
June 14, 2020
I hope Cummings is working the PMs strings. After the pathetic response to ER and BLM plus the total failure of the border force, I’m not convinced.
June 14, 2020
The EU is right to impose full custom checks on British goods comes January 2021.
You cannot really blame the EU for taking back control of its border, can you ?
June 14, 2020
Under WTO terms, which Mr Redwood and his friends now aspire to, the EU is obliged to carry out full customs checks on goods coming from the UK. If it didnāt it would have to apply to same standards to every other country in the world.
Similarly, under WTO terms we are obligated to treat goods from everywhere in the same way. So if we donāt check goods from the EU we canāt check goods from anywhere. It is a smugglers dream and the exact opposite of what the leave campaign promised in 2016. But they no longer care about what they promised they have become extremists.
June 14, 2020
Exactly.
I cannot for the life of me understand how Michael Gove and the current government could come with such a hare-brained scheme ?
Either the UK applies this light-touch approach to all imports, meaning that any good from anywhere can pretty much flow freely in the UK (and the EU better raise the drawbridge) or it decides only to apply to EU goods and thus start 2021 by breaching WTO rules at a time it want to rely on WTO rules for trade.
It smacks of desperation from the government’s part.
June 14, 2020
Not quite, IMO, Andy.
They do not care about their promises because they are, and always were morally degenerate, I think.
The noises of moderation that they once made were insincere, then.
June 14, 2020
Andy, What on earth do you gain by peddling such complete tosh all the time? Contrary to your claim, the EU does not “carry out full customs checks on goods coming from” the rest of the world. Even under EU customs rules only about 3% of rotw imports to the UK are fully checked.
June 14, 2020
So how do we manage to trade already with most countries in the world?
June 14, 2020
100% agree with you Andy
June 14, 2020
That’s fine, if they want to put their Ā£80bn pa trade surplus with the UK at risk.
June 14, 2020
No, think about it.
The harder it becomes for the UK to export to the European Union, the bigger that surplus becomes.
Doesn’t it?
June 14, 2020
Not if the British start buying elsewhere as is already evident .
June 14, 2020
Why harder?
Do you see queues at UK ports when containers arrive from all over the world?
Go to Felixstowe or Hull and see what happens.
You know nothing about international trade.
And it shows.
June 15, 2020
Edward 2
Great and very informed contribution thank you Constable
June 15, 2020
Hmm, so our exports “arrive from all over the world” do they, Ed?
June 15, 2020
What a pathetic response bill.
No facts I note
June 15, 2020
The point you fail to understand Martin is that trade carries on, in and out of the UK and Europe without delays from all over the world.
Your complete lack of practical experience in importing and exporting is plain for all to see.
June 15, 2020
Operation Stack, but at ALL ports, not just at Dover, and for MONTHS on end, not just for a few days, anyone?
June 15, 2020
No
It’s just your ridiculous Project Fear.
Unless the EU try to play up.
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
you are right no facts are needed to this sort of nonsense
June 16, 2020
Can you rewrite your post so that it can be understood.
Thanking you in advance bill
June 14, 2020
The good news is that Nigel Farage is back on the scene with a new party. This will serve as a timely reminder to Mr. Johnson of the consequence of any backsliding.
Farageās Party may not win seats but it may draw a massive number of votes from Boris.
Boris has not performed well. We knew from the prime ministerial debates that he was not a good speaker. The bluff, hail-fellow-well-met persona is his way of covering up that problem. Like many, he is good with the written word but not so good with interviews, parliamentary questions etc. Gove and Rees-Mogg, in contrast, are in complete command when talking. They are confident, clear, self assured whatever you think of their personalities or politics. It would be best if Boris let others do the talking around Brexit and he just came in at the end to sign of on an exit.
June 14, 2020
ā¦and there are lots of unemployed people who can help hereā¦
June 14, 2020
It’s your party in government.
Perhaps we were wrong to trust them over and above BXP?
Perhaps you were wrong too?
June 14, 2020
Boris – mumble, bumble, stumble, crumble.
June 14, 2020
I tend to look at results. So far, coronavirus is in retreat; we ARE LEAVING the eurocracy Dec 31 2020.
June 14, 2020
This is the government that only a few weeks ago wanted to introduce systems to track and trace every human in the country but is now having difficulty persuading it’s civil service to institute tracking of goods crossing our borders. Doesn’t it make you confident of their abilities?
June 14, 2020
Alec
“civil service”
There be the source of the problem.
June 14, 2020
Systems are already in place at major ports with documentation submitted before the load arrives at the port. Don’t forget that the EU is not our only trading partner.
June 14, 2020
This backtracking does not surprise me at all. Most of the cabinet, Mr.Gove included, could be replaced by stronger back benchers. It is a mini transition extension.
June 14, 2020
Sorry to say that Boris is failing to show the leadership required at this critical moment in our nation’s history. The silent majority is horrified and exasperated in equal measure at what Peter Hitchens in today’s DM article calls regime change. It’s quite a strong description but in fact one can’t argue with its veracity. It is extremely worrying and it’s inexplicable that this government with its sound majority is standing by and resorting to facile headlines when in fact it should be taking control of our streets, the BBC, places of learning and the economy. As for policemen and women kneeling in front of BLM protestors, words fail me. There is a rising tide of anger amongst the law abiding people of this country. The Prime Minister ignores it at his peril.
June 14, 2020
+60 million upticks for that one!
June 14, 2020
I think there is a huge worry that Boris has been weakened by his bout of Coronavirus in the same way that Mrs Thatcher appeared to be by the Brighton bombing.
June 14, 2020
Good morning JR.
A welcome topic.
Though I note you deleted some of my comments on a previous item – perhaps you thought I wouldn’t notice ? Still, your site your rules and I recognise that you have been quite lenient with us lately so no worries š
I hope Boris stands firm. I must admit to being somewhat disillusioned by his apparent lack of action in dealing with labour’s anarchists. I was also not happy with the fact that said vandals and anarchists were allowed to do their worst, but we the defenders of our history and culture were heavily constrained by the police.
Public perception is important and I think Boris needs to come out of his shell and be seen to be defending our sovereignty and values.
He needs to give us something to maintain our support. I don’t condemn his government for cover handling, after all any government would make mistakes and anyone who thinks labour could have done better needs to think again.
However, I think now would be a good time to show that we have a bruiser in charge when it comes to matters of national pride and sovereignty.
No concessions that would be in the interest of France, especially fishing.
Immediate return of cross Channel illegals.
No defence treaties.
June 14, 2020
‘for cover handling’
Read: covid handling. Damned autocomplete.
June 14, 2020
Four years since the referendum and you still arenāt ready. This either shows incompetence or an unwillingness to deliver a true Brexit. Remember this ā many people only lent you their vote and the clock is ticking. So far, this Government has failed to deliver any meaningful changes. They pander to the minority who shout loudest but seem to ignore the majority of the population who are becoming increasingly angry. If you donāt get a grip on immigration and leaving the EU then what has your party to offer?
June 14, 2020
Best post of the day. Well said Christine.
June 14, 2020
easily the best and most important.
June 14, 2020
Christine,
There is no need for them to remember that votes were lent:
Left in Govt, left in opppsition, left with no vote.
June 14, 2020
On further reflection, I would add we should have seen this coming when the Conservatives failed to stand by the late Roger Scruton, but instead stood with the New Statesman. It was perhaps wishful thinking to believe that the stepping down of May from leadership would have any real meaning.
June 14, 2020
“The PM should give no ground in talks next week”.
You obviously think he might. If Cummings had been forced out by the media then he almost certainly would, but maybe not now.
June 14, 2020
Well said Sir John, your comments are a reflection of what the majority voted for
āāāBut we still donāt believe youāāā we’ve been let down by this government too many times
June 14, 2020
You are, of course, exactly right as far as the UK is concerned.
However, it’s a cast-iron certainty that Macron will ensure that there will be all sorts of problems for goods and people passing through France to and from the UK. He is under the illusion that the more difficult he can make it for the UK, the less likely other member states will vote to leave. I believe the opposite to be true. Macron won’t legislate for disruption himself, of course, he will rely on the communist-led French Unions to do it for him.
It won’t actually matter what kind of deal, if any, emerges from the talks ( I won’t call them “negotiations”, we know that the EU doesn’t do “negotiations”). Even a minuscule reduction in fishing quotas and access rights for French boats will trigger widespread disruption. We all know it’s coming so we might as well prepare for it now.
June 14, 2020
Excuse me, but what was the problem, that all this disruption was supposedly worth suffering to solve?
I just can’t seem to remember one.
Everything was fine, until Cameron pulled his silly General Election gimmick referendum stunt.
June 14, 2020
Still living in the past Martin.
June 15, 2020
Macron will swiftly find he’s become the most unpopular leader in the EU when he allows almost the entire trade between the UK and the EU to be held to ransom by his fishermen.
He’s probably too weak to send in the CRS to sort it out so the other countries will simply bypass France and introduce more ferry services to the UK from Rotterdam.
When Calais and LeHavre are at a standstill and see their ferry services disappearing, that will give Macron even more problems at home.
June 14, 2020
Off topic, but is there anyone anywhere in the country who believes a single person who vandalises a war memorial will get 10 years in jail ? Why does the government even brief out nonsense like that to the newspapers ?
June 14, 2020
Roy G, It’s propaganda, done to head off public alarm in the hope the public will forget after the furore has died down. The government has no intention of actually implementing it.
June 14, 2020
Who is threatening to vandalise war memorials?
June 15, 2020
The Cenotaph is a war memorial. The Cenotaph was vandalised on 6th June.
June 15, 2020
Do they forget black people fought to save us from Hitler etc.? Black people died for us, too.
One of the most solemn memorials should never need protecting. You have to wonder about the mental state of anyone wanting to damage it.
June 15, 2020
By whom?
June 14, 2020
Currently you’re in office but not in power … do you think that a long game is being played such that any of your gains are going to be reversed after the next election?
June 14, 2020
Remainer speak.
June 14, 2020
Sir John, could you address the very serious situation that we are facing, as described by Peter Hitchens in MoS? It is of such huge import and is an immediate and deadly threat, and simply cannot be swept under the carpet/ignored by Tory MPs.
Many of us are only too aware of the march of the Left into all aspects of our society and how they have used the COVID crisis, and now George Floyd, to rapidly cement and strengthen their grip. There seems to be an insurrection taking place and our Cons politicians seem blissfully unaware, or unwilling to face it and take immediate action. They are now perceived by many people as being either “supportive” of the insurrection, (simply by refusing to take swift, decisive action to stop it) or too weak to do anything, having already been overpowered by the Left.
Boris seem utterly ineffectual. Hitchens states that the people of this country are not going to forgive Boris for the handling of the COVID crisis and the economic ruin it has inflicted on the country, nor are they going to forgive the lapse of law and order in this country, aided by a police force that seems to reject traditional policing but involves itself instead in social engineering.
The role of the BBC in helping to sweep forward this insurrection is, in my view, criminal, and should be addressed immediately. They, and the rest of the media, helped drive the fearmongering and dissemination of misinformation during the COVID crisis, resulting in government policy apparently being driven by so called public opinion.
A key question that should have been asked is where is the money coming from that is funding the insurrection? Is it coming from outside the UK i.e. is a foreign power/individual complicit in trying to take down by illegal means this elected Conservative government?
Peter Hitchens believes that this Cons government are now merely keeping the seat warm for Keir Starmer, who will complete the takeover of this country by the Left. A real regime change. We ordinary people who trusted the Cons will have been utterly betrayed.
June 14, 2020
Yes, keep things simple, using proven methods.
If the EU want to make trade difficult then our trade will move elsewhere.
Need to concentrate on getting good trade agreements with other willing countries.
June 14, 2020
The EU doesnt want to make trade difficult, its your choice to leave it and make it difficult. When will you Brexiters ever stand up and take responsibility?
June 14, 2020
Waken up; the EU wants to keep control over us using any possible means.
June 14, 2020
Do try and learn. We left the EU to regain sovereignty. We are happy to trade on the same basis as other independent countries with FTAs, but not as part of the single market or custom union or the ECJ.
If the EU chooses not to oblige then trade will go elsewhere and we will have less and less to do with them. We do not control the EU, Brexiteers can take no responsibility for the EU’s obstinacy.
June 16, 2020
Edward2
he mentions empire all the time but you are asleep or just loosing it
June 16, 2020
I think it is you that has a problem bill as you keep placing your witty comments in the wrong places.
June 14, 2020
Parr, Because most of our trade is within the UK single market and our exports to the rotw (c87%) – this will be made easier. And you can’t blame us for EU vindictiveness.
June 15, 2020
NickC
There is no empire and there is no vindictiveness either
June 15, 2020
It is a fact that Nick never mentioned the word empire.
June 14, 2020
Why not auction the fishing rights? Charging an annual rent for use. And as we want the highest price then leave the market open to foreign fishers. There’s no worry in this. If a foreign govt foolishly subsidises the rights, then bingo. Even more free money given away by them for the UK. The rental proceeds could go into improving the fishing grounds, the stock of fish and the policing of the waters. In a virtuous circle further raising the rent fishermen will freely pay at the next auction. We could go the other way which is to give money away to foreign governments or local protected industry who sit idle?
June 14, 2020
This is what the Falkland Islands do. If our kind host allows.
https://www.fig.gov.fk/fisheries/
https://www.fig.gov.fk/fisheries/overview/license-types
June 14, 2020
The govt is in bed with the supermarkets, the supermarkets 2m signs on the floor and permanent. What do they know? The 2m rule is a plot by the supermarkets to destroy all their competition. This govt loves centralizing control, if you control the supermarkets you control the food chain and they have us on our knees.
June 14, 2020
Iām not sure that the pandemic will mean the supermarkets will be able to destroy their competition.
From my experience a number of small independent traders using locally grown/reared produce have taken a substantial market share by being able to supply whilst supermarkets are still refusing delivery slots even to those designated as āvulnerableā.
June 14, 2020
Our country and world in relative chaos.
Let’s please bring basic, Christian, traditional moral framework:
Bad behaviour leads to Unhappiness in this life and Hell in the next (God forbid)
Good behaviour leads to Happiness in this life and Heaven in the next (Please God)
Life is ultimately about Love – Love of God and Soft + Tough Love of Neighbour
‘Be Joyful at all times’ – Thessalonians
That we should rely on Family not State
That Patriotism (not Nationalism) is a Virtue
How happy / ordered / fulfilled our great nation would.
June 14, 2020
Not “the world”, Ed.
The US, UK, Brazil, Russia, and a few other such basket cases are in this mess, yes, but perhaps more than half of it is not.
June 14, 2020
Sir John, your government is in charge and has an 80 seat majority giving it complete authority. What is this imaginary force you feel might prevent you Tories from doing exactly as you wish regarding our future relationship with the EU? It seems to me that once robbed of the ability to blame remain voters or the EU for any issues over Brexit, you have had to create an imaginary ghost to divert any criticism. Why not just keep as confident as you always have been about this and should things not turn out as you hoped, have the courage to admit you were wrong?
June 14, 2020
Villaking, The problem is not that Brexit has been tried and found wanting, it’s that Brexit has never been tried at all. Don’t try to cover up all the Remains beavering away within the establishment, we’re not falling for that one again.
June 14, 2020
Have you forgotten that we traded with the EU and rest of the world before Heath signed us up on a false promise?
June 14, 2020
No.
June 14, 2020
@Sir John,
Apologies for proselytising but traditional Christianity in this country (Catholic + Protestant) has rightly always been about communities in general and one’s country not just about one’s personal life (important as that is). And one of consequences of demise of trad Christianity in this country is lack of general respect to our political leaders (‘general respect’ as opposed to blind respect). And I have been guilty of that myself which I regret.
June 14, 2020
‘guilty of that myself’ – to PM Johnson
June 14, 2020
Lastly, thanks in part to this website, I now have a wonderful vision of what Patriotism is – something beautiful like a Faberge Egg. Allowing the Strong to strive to achieve their potential whilst protecting the Weak. Work Ethic and Principles are important but NOT imposing Utopian Ideals and Equality on people. To be Realist but have Values. And that we all strive at the best we can do at for our Country, whether that be in Politics, Business, Home-making, Science, Arts, Armed Forces, Judiciary, Health, Education, Sport, Farming, Charity Work, whatever.
We need to be reminded of these things and what Patriotism is again and again and again.
June 14, 2020
‘their potential’
– Their best potential
June 14, 2020
I understand that changing the procedures & rules for checking goods that we have at British ports today may in some cases be difficult, but I hope that politicians don’t lose sight of the importance of such checks. The outside world is full of unscrupulous traders who would welcome the opportunity to exploit laxness in checks by selling sub-standard products into the UK market. There is recent evidence of this happening going back several years, as external suppliers – many from China – took advantage of weak enforcement in the UK to get sub-standard goods into the EU Single Market. If our new customs arrangements are weak they will keep doing this, and thereby make meaningless any attempts by government to achieve “Brexit” policy goals by adjusting UK regulatory standards away from those used within the EU Single Market.
June 14, 2020
The biggest substandard product perpetrated upon us was the German diesel engine testing fraud and because we were in the EU our consumers have been unable to receive compensation unlike those in the US.
June 14, 2020
It seems to me that a lot of people commenting here are either remainers or people who let a few setbacks mar their judgement. Boris is doing a good job under difficult circumstances.
He will do a good job with his chief advisor by his side so stop whingeing and let them get on with it. Sort out the lefty anarchists that are causing trouble as well.
June 14, 2020
Where did you get those rose tinted specs’ ?
June 14, 2020
Andy’s comment / WTO, checking goods: Andrew Marr asked about this when in discussion with the Dir General of WTO Robert Azevedo this morning. My interpretation was there was rather more nuance in his response, basically depending on what agreements there are in place with other countries.
June 14, 2020
Given the behaviour of the last parliament I feel we need a law change that when the public vote for something in a referendum MPs cannot block it. Parliament cannot be sovereign in a topic where the voters have spoken directly in a referendum.
June 14, 2020
+1 and that takes care of PR too.
June 14, 2020
Agreed, LA.
June 15, 2020
How so? The public have never been offered a refendum on PR.
June 16, 2020
Election in the Republic of Ireland in February
And still no decision.
Months of chaos as a man who was voted out still says he is the main man.
PR at it’s ridiculous best..
June 17, 2020
Election in the UK in 2017. Two years of chaos. FPTP at it’s ridiculous best.
You have previously claimed that the person who gets the most votes should win. You should study the outcome of recent US Presidential elections. In 3 of the last 6, the person who got the second highest number of votes won thanks to the way that FPTP decides the electoral college.
June 17, 2020
Edward2, it has not been months of chaos in the Republic of Ireland the same in Belgium, which had been without a government for 20 months. Did it disappear from the map?
For somebody who along with others on this blog appears to advocate a minimum government it should be the proof that governments might not be that necessary. Or is it not? Or can you not make your mind?
June 14, 2020
This is a good point. Parliament handed the decision on whether to Remain or Leave the EU. It was OUR decision and they said that they will implement whatever we decide. Since then they have tried to move, prevent and then waterdown BREXIT.
June 14, 2020
We’ve really got only 3 months (July to September) to reach an initial agreement with the EU. After that, import/export procedures – forms, information, tariff rates, track and trace – must be implemented so that from 1st January 2021 there are no unnecessary delays to imports and exports in either direction.
It must be made clear to the EU that if they cause any unnecessary delays to British exports, the cost of those delays will be estimated by the UK government and that cost will be deducted from the amount of the exit bung that we have to pay to the EC.
June 14, 2020
What āexit bungā! We just gave them Ā£775 million to find a CV19 vaccine! May as well have given the money to me for same!
June 14, 2020
“The PM should give no ground in talks next week. We need to take full control of our fish, our laws and our borders on January 1 2021.”
Absolutely true.
And yet, seeing how Boris is making heavy weather of lifting the lockdown, I wonder if he will hold firm. I hope he does, but my confidence in him has waned during the coronavirus situation.
June 14, 2020
The problem is always the same
The Establishment acts as if it is Sovereign and having been trusted yet again by the good people of this Nation .
Sadly people ! Parliament is still not working for those that are Sovereign, that is allof us, those that voted, the population .
It is worse than that, because the vast majority in Both Houses, and I think you can include the entire Civil service.
Are still all Remainers, nothing has changed people, nothing !
Unless the whole of Westminster are washed out, no matter there Social stations , the best place for them all is yes the EU.
Lucky for us there is one party outside of this Parliament , and he is coming back, you probably read in your paper today,
Nigel is coming back, his team are all Buisiness people, so no excuses needed , they are more than qualified to run G B inc.
We can yet make our Votes work for we are Sovereign, yes we are not going to Be hi jacked !
Our
June 15, 2020
Do you expect principled, amiable, fair-minded people to become cynical, vicious, and bigoted overnight, just to fit in with those who already are?
You are in for a long wait, but patience is a virtue.
June 15, 2020
Still abusing the voters I see .
Keep at it Martin
That is the way to keep Labour in opposition.
June 16, 2020
Edward 2
no facts of igures?
June 14, 2020
Seems to me that another transition period is being added even though we leave the end of the December. Its a u-turn and its NOT what we wanted or expected from this new government.
June 14, 2020
Hope we also hold firm with USA trade talks and not get sold out and tided into big US Corporations guaranteed profits. There are some serious demands coming from the US in their free trade requirements. A small majority voted for freedom from the EU but this does not mean we should lose our freedom in a US trade deal.
On the subject of trade it occurs to me the business needs the Business Rates cut and VAT to kick start the economy.
I feel business needs some clear direction from the GOV about whats going to help for coming months.
I would like direct tax rates to rise to pay for Covid 19. There is a number of suggestions about a Asset Wealth Tax
June 15, 2020
David B, I don’t think the USA will demand our fish.
June 14, 2020
Well said John. I do worry that Boris tends to do as he is told. In this case by the wrong people.
June 15, 2020
He certainly does over HS2 and on climate alarmism, expensive energy, carbon capture and renewables. His fiancƩe pushing him in the wrong direction perhaps?
June 14, 2020
Get Churchill’s statue from under hoarding and the Cenotaph too.
Get off your knees.
June 15, 2020
+1
June 15, 2020
+1
June 14, 2020
Yes, indeed, it all seems so blindingly obvious.
June 15, 2020
The EU will not believe we will hold firm if we allow them to drag the talks close to New Year. They will figure that a renewed drumbeat from the Remainer media and lack of preparations will force the U.K. to climb down. It is therefore imperative that the U.K. say now that talks will come to an end after the June EU Council unless the EU Council changes Barnierās negotiating mandate on LPF, fisheries and ECJ jurisdiction. Anything else is signalling weakness to the EU.
June 15, 2020
The press release from Brussels makes no reference to the U.K. not accepting LPF, CFP continuance or ECJ Jurisdiction. The EU will therefore conclude that the U.K. will cave in and accept all these. Why canāt British governments learn to say No and mean it?