No Deal is a good outcome for the UK. It means we take back control of our borders, our money, our laws and our fish as promised by the Leave campaign. The deals on offer from the EU fell well short of improving on No Deal. They want to continue overfishing our seas with their huge industrial trawlers. They want to control our law making in any area related in any way to business and trade. They want their Court to adjudicate disputes between us in a clear violation of usual international practice where an impartial Arbitrator is used or the two sides need to argue it through to agreement. Their every word and action signalled that they do not wish to accept the fact that we have voted to be an independent country and intend to be one.
When Mrs May with senior civil servants foolishly sought to recreate many of the features of our EU membership under cover of a so called comprehensive partnership the EU implied if we just wanted a Free Trade Agreement like Canada or Japan that would be easy to do. Once a new UK government offered to do just that the EU decided to impede and prevent it, and to pretend the UK still really wanted special access to the single market which required in turn subservience to their laws. There was little good faith in trying to implement the Political Agreement by the EU , given that it said at the heart of a new relationship between the EU and the UK would be a free trade agreement. The EU has always behaved with discipline and severity in its negotiating stance, assuming it can have its cake and eat it, whilst repeating its mantra that you cannot have access to the single market without accepting many limitations on your freedoms. This of course is simply not true for the rest of the world who trade with the EU without having to obey their laws, and who are happy to see their trade governed by World Trade Organisation rules. The EU as a member of the WTO also has to accept their rules and accept their disputes resolution. The EU has a history of some violations of WTO rules with penalties, as with the subsidies to Airbus.
I was asked to give many speeches during the Referendum campaign to business audiences. I always said No Deal was the only outcome we could guarantee. It was an outcome which would give a good answer for the UK, achieving all our aims to be independent. I used to go on to say it would be very easy – if there was political will – to add a Free Trade Agreement on top of No deal, which would be beneficial to both sides. In most free trade deals there are delays and problems with each side wishing to defend a tariff here and a non tariff barrier there. In the case of the UK and EU we start from a position where there are no tariffs and untowards barriers to goods trade, so it would just be a question of rolling over what we have. I also sometimes added that some thought the EU would not behave well or want to do that. In that event surely it shows how right we are to leave, if EU our neighbours,friends and allies behave in such a silly way towards us, to the point of hurting their own access to our own lucrative market. To the EU the UK has indeed been Treasure Island. They have taken large payments from us in the form of our net contributions to the EU, and have run a huge surplus on goods and food trade through tariff free entry.
The Prime Minister has been right and crystal clear in saying we will leave the single market and customs union. We want our own international trade policy, and will be a more powerful and consistent voice for freer trade than the EU. To do this we need to have full control of all matters relating to trade and business. The single market has been damaging to the UK overall. In our first decade in the Common market as it was then erroneously called we lost half our motor manufacturing capacity as tariffs were removed. Over the years we have seen the loss of most of our steel industry and aluminium output, serial damage to textile and ceramic manufacture, the mass closure of foundries and the break up and contraction of our chemical industry. Our market share in temperate food production has fallen sharply, and we have gone from being a net exporter of fish to a shrunken industry with consumers reliant on imports for much of our demand. EU grants and subsidies have bid some business investment away from the UK. EU rules have often been based around the needs and methods of large scale continental producers at the expense of our firms. The EU has failed to negotiate trade deals at all with two of our largest trading partners, the USA and China, and has not bothered about proper service sector access in other deals despite the UK’s strong position in many service areas. Our average growth rate was faster before entry into the Common market post war than in the twenty years of Common market membership, which in turn was faster than our average growth rate in the years which followed 1992 and the so called completion of the single market. The UK establishment has never been willing to analyse the data and understand what was truly happening. They visited upon us the disaster of the Exchange Rate Mechanism, whose predictable impact caused a major recession at the very point there was meant to be a boost from completing the single market!
So how can now use our freedoms as we leave with No Deal, assuming there is no last minute wish to be sensible by the EU and agree a Free Trade deal? We should be up and running with tax cuts – at last we can take VAT off all those green products from insulation to boiler controls the EU insists on, and lift tariffs from South African oranges and other tropical fruit and food that we cannot grow for ourselves. We should pursue our offer to the USA of removing EU retaliatory tariffs on their goods if they will drop their tariff on Scotch whisky, which was an unwelcome hit from an EU trade spat. We should set up Freeports and Enterprise Zones to marshal new investment and make more in the UK. We should reorient farm subsidies to slash the food miles and grow more of our own salads, fruits,and vegetables.We should land more of our fish at home and add fish processing to create meals and products that we want to eat or which we can export. We should put in more electricity capacity and end our growing dependence on imported EU power.As the government encourages the planting of many more trees we should ensure more sustainable forestry to cut the massive timber imports.
These are all good reasons to press for the No Deal Brexit. The best reason of all is to be free, living in an independent country. I want to help pass on a country that is self governing, a beacon for democracy. Brexit means taking back control of our laws, our borders and our money. That way we will be better governed. If any given government lets us down we can sack them and get the answer we want from another. That is something we could never do as members of the EU. They gave us the laws and we did not control the government.
(Now published by Conservative Home who asked for it)
December 14, 2020
Johnson’s killed our sovereignty, humiliated just about the whole country, LIED repeatedly, sold out NI.
Conservative Party is finished, it’s over.
December 14, 2020
Logically, you would think that the one followed the other. But for most people, Boris is Brexit, and so a Boris BRINO is Brexit in the way that May’s BRINO wasn’t. The only hope proponents of UK independence have is that Tory MPs will leave their party when the curtain finally falls on this farce.
So, Sir John and his colleagues are actually in a familiar position. Are they willing to walk away from a ‘bad party’ and embrace ‘no party’, or perhaps a ‘WTO party’, in the absence of a ‘good party’?
December 14, 2020
With first past the post the sound wing of the party needs to capture the Conservative party/brand even it is is appallingly tarnished.
I initially had high hopes for Boris (he did rescue us from the hell of Theresa May and threat of Corbyn) but it does indeed look like we are going to get some dire Brino deal from him and socialism that will surely prevents the UK from competing in the world and leave the EU in charge.
This on top of his or Carrie’s green energy lunacy, ever higher taxes (Vat in sales to overseas shoppers for example harming exports and destroying jobs), over regulation and endless waste like HS2.
He could still turn things round, but we need a real Brexit, without this he is surely done for. I will be getting all my residual investments out of the UK if he signs Brino.
December 14, 2020
Plus a £15k increase in stamp duty coming at the end of March from tax to death Sunak.
December 14, 2020
I think Sammi Wilson MP on Radio four stated he would not,get rid of hismdiesel van and asked what happened to themConservative free market values! Quite.
He should have asked what happened to all the conservative values that this current immitation party. It has invaded and changed to a left wing New Labour socialist outfit.
December 14, 2020
JR, tell us what you got from the EU in exchange for the WA and NIP where you and your govt annexed N.Ireland, committing it to the EU regulatory control and All UK businesses that trade there?
Moreover are you not embarrassed that EU officials will be on U.K. Soil to check goods passing from one part of our country to another!
Gove confirmed last week this is the case either with or without a deal! So for those deluded souls on this site who still claim the WA and NIP be ripped up, Johnson and co have capitulated. Wake up. He is currently capitulating to all EU terms.
This is goods only. EU will not discuss services!
Johnson has either lost all his senses or has betrayed the nation along the same traitorous path as Cameron and May before him.
December 15, 2020
Sammi is a sensible man.
December 14, 2020
Quite telling that Conservative Home did not publish Sir John’s excellent article. All suggests that we will get BRINO not Brexit.
The BrexitFacts4EU is a good read on this point today.
https://facts4eu.org/news/2020_dec_burnt_brexit
And from above: “Brexit means taking back control of our laws, our borders and our money. That way we will be better governed. If any given government lets us down we can sack them and get the answer we want from another….”
Clearly this is why our own political elite do not want to give the people the Brexit they voted for; they are perfectly happy with this quasi-democracy that allows the main issues to be settled by unelected Europeans; they do not want to take direct responsibility for our affairs, and be sacked by us.
December 14, 2020
No party is better than a bad party.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
Succinct words, I only hope someone at conservative HQ is listening – the Tory voting public don’t trust this government
December 16, 2020
Once bitten ‘the posh boy knows best’ Second bitten ‘ Must be a safe pair of hands’ Third bitten ‘ Bluffer who knows nothing but hires those that do’ When will they learn? When the fool / dictator abandons having GEs?
December 14, 2020
Your position on sovereignty would mean that if your neighbour’s tree were to overhang your property by a few millimetres, then you’d run about wailing that he had dispossessed you of your home in its entirety.
Stop being so silly.
December 14, 2020
Yes, that is a very incisive and clever observation.
NOT!
December 14, 2020
Another ridiculous comment Martin.
PS
You can trim the branches of trees that overhang your own garden
I
December 14, 2020
Martin, Actually our neighbour is telling us how to run our home, taking money off us to do so, and stealing our carrots, while berating us when we decide to put a stop to some of it.
December 15, 2020
All countries are subject to external pressures that are sometimes difficult to resist. Sovereignty doesn’t mean that we can miraculously escape those pressures.
Sovereignty means that we are free to decide for ourselves how best to deal with those pressures.
In the example given you can decide on a number of responses or in this case probably none. But you decide, not the neighbour.
Possibly the great amount on discussion we’re seeing at the moment about the use of this term is a waste of time, an exercise in seeking fine distinctions where the broad concept suffices.
I suspect that great amount of discussion we’re seeing is merely those who did not want to leave the EU seeking to justify their desire to stay at least in part subject to it.
December 16, 2020
wish you would.
December 14, 2020
No. He has simply had to face up to reality, and make some hard choices. The ERG can bleat on about getting a trade deal without having to accept EU rules because (thankfully) they are not in charge. Planet fantasy for the ERG, planet reality for Boris
December 14, 2020
Lensy
“planet reality for Boris”
======
Planet traitor more like.
December 14, 2020
Lensy, No independent country on the planet which sells into the EU’s single market ends up having its own country ruled by the EU. You fail to explain why the UK should be the exception.
December 14, 2020
Sorry to hijack your post steve
I see my post from this morning got deleted. Any reason as to why ?
December 14, 2020
I’ve had posts that passed moderation but only after 24 hours, or even 36 hours. It’s still early days! But hopefully it surfaces sooner or later.
December 15, 2020
No, it’s gone .! Can’t think why.
December 16, 2020
I bet you can!
December 15, 2020
Obviously none.
Thanks.
December 14, 2020
Here is a direct quote from the Political Declaration agreed by Mr Boris Johnson with the EU, as part of the oven ready deal voted for by the British people last December: “the Parties envisage comprehensive arrangements that will create a free trade area, combining deep regulatory and customs cooperation, underpinned by provisions ensuring a level playing field for open and fair competition”. It is crystal clear that the UK never asked for simple free trade, nor did the EU offer it. It was always clear that with free trade comes also with a level playing field, and that is what is now being negotiated. Please, Mr Redwood, stop trying to rewrite history
December 14, 2020
Indeed. And is it not shocking that Conservative MPs voted for the withdrawal agreement – many without reading it.
When Johnson comes back with his lousy trade deal, MPs will not get time to scrutinise it. To properly see if it is good for our country. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of highly technical detail which will be rushed through in a couple of days.
And this document will dominate how our children’s lives will be affected for years to come. What total and utter contempt the Tory Brexit charlatans have for the people of this country. And, remember, the majority of us didn’t even vote for them.
December 14, 2020
All FTAs involve some sort of level playing field provisions. Restrictions on state aid, eg, are standard. None however involve one side being able unilaterally to impose sanctions on the other, without independent arbitration and while preventing the sanctioned party from retaliating.
The EU’s proposal is absurd and will of course be rejected. being clearly in breach of the language agreed in the political declaration quoted above, it is also a breach of international law – I thought you were against that.
December 14, 2020
I am very much enjoying you all getting angry about Brexit.
PS: you do realise that it only gets worse for you all from now on?
December 14, 2020
I am not in the least bit angry about it. I was in 2 minds at the time of the vote & saw good arguments on both sides. Of course I now hope it all works out well for the Country (unlike you). if it is the disaster those such as you forecast so shrilly, I fully accept we will have to rejoin.
On the other hand, I won’t be able to resist enjoying your discomfort if does all work out fine as Sir John thinks it will. Unless of course you were to admit you might have been wrong (again).
December 14, 2020
Good news for Andy and his “children” who will apparently stay children for ever, like their father who will never grow old and be culled.
December 14, 2020
Yet, of course, you do not respond to the facts pointed out by Richard1 – you just go on the usual childish rant.
Can you offer an example of any trade deal in the world where:
No, of course you can’t because the idea is bolleaux and no country would agree to it.
December 14, 2020
Hilarious you say everybody else is getting angry about Brexit.
Do you ever self evaluate andy?
December 14, 2020
Andy
“I am very much enjoying you all getting angry about Brexit.”
=========
Anger, doesn’t even begin to describe it. Being a remainer might not be such a good idea if things kick off.
December 16, 2020
So you have been indifferent these last 54 months?
December 14, 2020
‘…Conservative MPs voted for the withdrawal agreement – many without reading it.’
This must be true as JR has never said it wasn’t.
How can ONE incompetent man force the UK into something it doesn’t want? All Boris’ meetings including cabinet ones should be on TV live every time.
December 14, 2020
It is not one incompetent man, but hundreds of incompetent, dishonest, selfish, cowardly men and women – other wise known as the Conservative Party.
December 14, 2020
Simeon, We are here with a quasi-Remain at least partly because of the Remain civil service and the previous Remain Parliament both of which intended to overthrow our democratic vote.
December 14, 2020
Boring. Come up with something new.
December 14, 2020
Who decides whether the playing field is level, and who referees that decision?
December 14, 2020
The EU.
The EU.
Keep up.
December 14, 2020
You are missing the simple fact that the only thing the People of the UK wanted was to be in control of its own destiny.
What you are suggesting Boris agreed to would have been Boris and his Government fighting his people. He lied to get elected then….
December 14, 2020
He lied to get elected then….
Don’t they all. Cast Iron Cameron said he would give a referendum on Lisbon and was a Euro Sceptic, low tax Conservative at heart he was the complete opposite.
Appeaser May said “Brexit means Brexit” then tried to deliver remain in all but name. Blair even took us to a damaging and pointless war on a lie and Brown said no return to boom and bust! Before delivering a massive bust.
December 14, 2020
That’s a bit of a stretch saying the people vote for the PD
You might as well say the people voted for HS2 and all the Green policies
December 14, 2020
John’s party’s government have killed parody stone dead.
Our best humorists are sat about twiddling their thumbs, with absolutely nothing to do.
This piece could have been written by any of them.
December 14, 2020
Martin, I am afraid it gets no where near Remain saying they would honour the outcome of the Referendum, and then blatantly not doing so.
No one else can trust Remain extremists like you and Andy, not even many people who voted Remain. Democracy is not safe in your hands.
December 16, 2020
Probably founder members of Momentum?
December 14, 2020
Yes, the Fake Tory party knew what they were signing while telling the nation something else. Deceptive liars.
December 14, 2020
It’s always the Tories who sell us out, especially we English.
December 14, 2020
Because you English keep voting them in. If you keep voting them in, who else can sell you out? Duh.
December 14, 2020
Mike, I suppose it’s a case of either voting for the parties which assure us they will sell us out, or voting for the party which assures us they won’t (and then does so).
December 15, 2020
+1
One only needs to look North of the border to see how it’s done.
December 14, 2020
Nonsense. Free Trade Agreements do not normally come with one party having the unilateral widespread powers over the other party’s laws which the EU is now insisting on. Nor do they include the right to plunder the other party’s maritime resources.
December 14, 2020
FTA’s also don’t usually come with zero tariffs and zero quotas. But the EU has generously offered you that. Take it – with limits on Tory pensioner dumping. Or don’t and face tariffs and quotas. Simples.
December 14, 2020
You are making yourself look more daft than usual. Quotas are very unusual and tariffs and either nominal or non-existent.
And, of course, we have NEVER had free trade with the EU. Nothing like it. We had to pay twelve, thousand, million pounds each year to be able to be a member of the Single Market.
December 14, 2020
Nonsense.
There has been no such offer andy.
December 14, 2020
They say it is because we are not Canada; in regards the volume of trade and thus it must be different. We say no, it can’t be different because we are an independent state like Canada.
I have personally thought, from 2016 onwards when the author came onto my “radar” that he really knows what is best for this country, I really did/do, in real terms.
Now I personally backed Mrs May (Thought it would enable us to diverge, in time.) as I was quite sure we’d end up here; begging the E.U for something “anything!” For ever, if we didn’t. Even leaving without a deal, I fear, we will forever be the supplicant; begging for bread. Due to a lack of positive vision.
Sir John has outlined it clear as day for years.
I feel we are a fish hooked on the E.U’s line. No deal would be better per se if the Government would listen to the author and be positive, but I am not holding my breath after 4 + years. And therefore I feel exiting the E.U may well now be pointless, in practice, if not in principle.
December 14, 2020
the most clever fish taste the bait, feel the hook and spit it out. A lesson to be learned?
December 14, 2020
The UK people clearly voted to “leave” the single market,customs union and the EU legal supremacy.
The EU connived with the UK establishment to thwart this. It revealed its bad faith, to its allies, friends & enemies.
A good faith actor, with integrity, should have called this behaviour out and insisted on article 50 being followed correctly, by delivering the “WTO default so called no deal”
This would have at least made true Brits salute your fair play, democratic pedigree and be a benchmark for future relations.
We must end this to start the new begining.
December 14, 2020
Translation: Brexit is going wrong so it is the fault of everyone who told me Brexit was a bad idea which would go wrong – and not the fault of me, who voted for the bad idea which has gone wrong.
December 14, 2020
-1
December 14, 2020
Translation of translation. I can’t stand the fact that the side I voted for lost the referendum and that people with more experience of the world realised any benefits of EU membership were not worth the price. I and my ilk have done everything to thwart the process so that the UK gets a terrible deal – by convincing the EU that all they have to do is play hardball and this country will cave. I hide responsibility for my actions by blaming people who are wiser than me.
December 14, 2020
Mike, You have summed up Andy very well.
December 14, 2020
+1 Good words
December 14, 2020
Anon
“The EU connived with the UK establishment to thwart this”
===========
Course they did.
Do you think the establishment was ever going to honour the referendum result ? Nah.
They dare not overturn it, so they’ve sabotaged it. Now it’s the turn of the people to have their revenge.
December 14, 2020
Not banned by ConHome are you, Sir John? That would make two of us. 🙂
P.S. I am disappointed that Lord Frost wasn’t recalled from Brussels yesterday. I suspect that any experienced negotiator – unlike our amateurish politicians – would have done that and then waited for Brussels to budge. Deep down, the EU knows that it needs a deal.
December 14, 2020
Boris has every intention of bottling it at the last minute.
He will accede to all their demands and say what a fantastic deal he has secured.
He needs replacing now.
He’s totally humiliating this great country.
December 14, 2020
John, the latest graph on Covid deaths peaked 2 weeks ago why does the government persist with these draconian rules when the virus is in retreat.
December 14, 2020
Control Ian, control.
December 14, 2020
@Sea_Warrior:
If you had seen the interview with the Dutch chairlady of the VNO (umbrella of all the employers, comparable to CBI?), you wouldn’t think that the Netherlands needed a deal at all! She didn’t want the EU27 to give one millimeter on fair competition (level playing field) and appeared totally prepared to go for WTO terms. She talked about the British having been fed fairy tales for years now and the Dutch side being far more prepared for no-deal (customs etc.) than the British side.
I was actually surprised to hear such an uncompromising position by the organisation that represents all Dutch business. Ensuring fair competition is a hard red line.
December 14, 2020
Well they are clear that selling flowers, out of season veg and Edam to UK is a mere trifle.
I imagine Elton is having his flowers flown in from S.Africa, we can get the veg from other places, and we don’t need Edam for rubber replacement shock absorbers anymore.
December 14, 2020
It’s quite something – the Dutch have always been close to the Brits. Now even they have given up on us. So sad. I can only hope that once people in the UK really grasp what Brexit means, and how it is a million miles from what was promised in 2016, there will be some sobering up. And some hard questions aimed at those who told us we hold all the cards, easiest deal in human history, frictionless trade, EU needs us more than we need it etc etc
December 16, 2020
The Dutch have woken up to the fact that they are in subordination to the Germans and French – again.
Rather than show some balls – they cower behind them.
Well nobody will rescue next time.
December 14, 2020
Listening to the respective leaders of business organisations in both our countries it is clear that they are barking mad.
December 14, 2020
PvL, A “level playing field” levelled by the EU, where the EU is both the groundsman and the referee, and is also the other side’s team, is patently not fair, whatever else it is. Remember the Dutch voted against the EU Constitution? And then got it as Lisbon anyway? That’s how the EU plays. A majority of Dutch voters could see what you can’t.
December 14, 2020
The European Union *wants* a deal – it would be better for many there.
The UK *needs* a deal – it would be extremely serious for millions here not to have one.
The question is, how many Tories care one jot about the latter?
December 14, 2020
Martin, Since the EU sells more to us (for how long after this display of hostility?) than we do to them, the EU will lose more jobs and money than we will if all trade stops. But a total cessation is not likely – under WTO rules only (instead of as well), trade will reduce but not stop. If EU-UK trade is reduced then we will end up buying and selling more to the rest of the world. And the rotw is much bigger than the EU. It’s not that difficult to understand.
December 14, 2020
and the EU knows Johnson will continue to bend. No backbone Boris!
December 14, 2020
The outcome of the deals is certain it just the release timing which needs negotiation – where’s the transparency
December 14, 2020
I see the Eu are still pulling the strings with yet another extension to talks, it’s pretty obvious to a blind man that we’re not going to get a deal so just walk , I’m sure we will survive after all we are British and proud
December 14, 2020
Good grief!
Is he??
December 14, 2020
We are going to get a deal. It will just be a rubbish one.
December 14, 2020
I tend to agree with you for one. He should walk away.
December 14, 2020
Probably true. It will be down to you – and your like. Just own it.
December 14, 2020
But only remaining in the EU and giving up the pound for the Euro would be an acceptable deal to you Andy.
So your views are marginal and of a minority.
December 16, 2020
you may well be correct.
December 14, 2020
The UK will get a deal as soon as it submits to the EU’s higher authority – our children and theirs will be brought up in purgatory. Straight out of 1984
December 14, 2020
Ian@barkham
Can we kindly have some relvantand real contributions instead of cartoons
December 15, 2020
Bill, Can we kindly have some relevant and real contributions instead of your constant whinges about other people?
December 16, 2020
Bill, if the EU aren’t presently a higher authority over us right now, then why is there so much of a problem with us leaving?
When Southern Ireland got their independence there were none of this we still get to make you attend our court, tell you what state aid you can do, tell you what taxation methods you can do. In fact we gave them a common travel area, they can claim benefits here, vote here, they even had a vote in our referendum!
December 14, 2020
Seconded
December 14, 2020
Democracy has taken a hit, the conservatives can’t/won’t make the step towards a No Deal outcome, Labour and the other parties are against a No Deal …so who do the voting public turn to ?
Proud of the British people not of its government – Lions led by Donkeys
December 14, 2020
As far as Leave voters go, I’d say that it was more a case of donkeys led by hyenas.
December 14, 2020
That’s over 17 million voters who will not vote for your favourite party Martin.
You carry on with your insults.
It will keep the Conservatives in power for ages.
December 14, 2020
That’s why you lost the Referendum, Martin.
December 14, 2020
You touch on the problem; our political class, here and especially in the EU, think its perfectly alright to pretend, preen and waste our time with the facade of ‘working night and day’ for our benefit. What rubbish! We need clear terms of trade, get it done!
This could have been wrapped up in a couple of weeks with sensible commercial minds in control. Instead we have nincompoop politicians who’s main interest is to look good on the evening TV shows.
The deeper issue is that our democratic process seems now to produce the worst narcissistic, selfish, arrogant individuals of our societies not the best. This is serious.
December 14, 2020
A cynical view is that the plan is to delay, then immediately issue a bullish statement to mollify critics.
Johnson gets a peaceful Christmas and more time to plan his own future in 2021.
December 14, 2020
+1
…..and all this effort so the 16% of UK companies can export to the EU – its not a trade deal its a political deal
December 14, 2020
Surely it’s better to be the first to walk and make the other side come back with concessions rather than the other way around? Boris is falling into the trap of having to give way first.
December 14, 2020
What, like we wouldn’t get a covid19 epidemic “because we are British and proud” you mean?
December 14, 2020
More pathetic than usual MIC.
December 15, 2020
Extension conditions for the EU
1) pay the UK a contribution of £1bn a month (billed in GBP)
2) submit to the legal supremacy of the UK
3) submit to a level playing field and dynamic alignment with all subsequent UK laws, where UK laws are of a higher standard.
4) re-attest its willingness to consider populism and concepts such as referenda seeking to apply the results in practice , like a democracy.
On 2nd thoughts i would rather just exit on no deal.
December 14, 2020
Sir JR
As far as I know we are still negotiating, so what do we know to enable us to say no deal is better than a deal.
You keep writing about historical issues that are simply taken out of context it terms of historical context
1) Yes ew had lower growth in the 70@s after acess to the EU as did all other OECD cuntries due to the fact that reconstruction after WW2 gave extra imperus during the 50’s and 60’s and on top of that we had an oil crisis in the 70@ and our own strikes.
2) The motor industry more or less didasppered due to bad quality, management and strikes much less tha the EU
3) Most countries in the Eu have lost significant part of their steel and textile industry during EU membership
4) The EU market grew less during the 90s did most countries in Europe and the western world countries.
So, no the facts you ahve presented are correct but the conclusions drawn on the back of them are just taken out of the historical context and therefore very bisaed to support your argument, which I consider wrong.
December 14, 2020
In an Country that is Independent Sovereign and a Democracy all Laws, Rules and Standards within that Country are created, amended and repealed by the people.
Are you suggesting the People have no right to live in a Democracy but must be Ruled by an external Foreign Power were the citizen gets no say.
December 14, 2020
Ian@barkham
No I am not suggesting taht, but what I am suggesting is that SIr. JR’s analysis mostly serves his purpose then the full story about UK membership and the pros and cons of it over 48 yars
December 14, 2020
I cannot understand why you are surprised by this bill.
You are very pro EU and you voted to remain.
It is your democratic right to hold that position.
Whereas Sir John is not pro EU and is a leading voice in Parliament where he presents the argument of leaving the EU.
His diary posts are that side of the debate.
Perhaps you would be more at home on a blog site that is very pro EU.
December 14, 2020
Edward2
Or maybe I just think we shold see the full picture but yes, I agree we see it differently and no I did not vote
December 14, 2020
Full picture…what you really think every post should illustrate every alternative view.
Do pro EU blogs give you the full picture?
December 14, 2020
That may be so but we’re seeing the true costs of globalisation now with the CV-19 crisis. And the creation of super efficient Japanese car plants within these shores using British workers indicates where the blame lies for the demise of our own car industry.
However, they DID outsource our factories to Eastern Europe under the aegis of the EU and take with them the hands-on jobs that were left – then they imported unskilled workers under the aegis of the EU to compete for the manual jobs that remained; that Little Johnny at-the-back-of-the-class could have done. Why is my local recycling centre staffed by Latvians in this area of high unemployment ?
I have no problem with Latvians but they are a net cost when a displaced worker is propped up at home, on benefits and especially when the crime costs brought by unchecked immigration are deliberately are ignored.
And were I a young, unemployed home-loving Spaniard I would have been equally as annoyed to see British coming to staff my bars and hotels.
December 14, 2020
Clutching at straws pro EU – what of sovereignty, democracy and trust
December 14, 2020
To be fair to Bill, I think it’s pretty obvious that Sir John is interpreting the facts in a way to suit his argument. The points Bill is making are a fair assessment. They don’t prove the case for the EU, but they do expose Sir John’s analysis.
December 14, 2020
Glen Cullen,
Look at the details of the analysis this is what I am questioning
December 14, 2020
You want a balanced analysis every day bill.
But this is a site run by an eminent Parliantarian who wants us to be an independent nation out of the EU.
Should I expect that if I read and commented on the Guardian or Independent sites?
December 14, 2020
Edward 2
At least you are not this time cirticising my content, so I suppose I should be pleased. I have no idea about the two newspapers you mentioned I do not read any of them
December 15, 2020
Can you think of a blog site or newspaper ot radio station or TV station that gives you what you want bill?
Despite a huge variety of choice available in the modern world I cannot think of one that would satisfy you.
December 15, 2020
bill you should try reading those two newspapers every day and comment there, you’ll be right at home.
December 14, 2020
Yes, John is appealing to the Infantile Absolutism of the simple mind, I think, Bill.
It has now reached “No deal is better than any deal” rather than “No deal is better than a bad deal”.
The way that politicians make their pitches says something about what passes for the public consciousness these days, you’d assume.
December 14, 2020
what appeals to the infantile mind, Martin, is that a Deal would be worth it, when in reality any Deal with the EU is going to mean the UK got shafted somewhere.
Their whole approach has been clear to those who don’t wave the EU Rules banner, is that they set out to delay, penalise and obfuscate matters until we might give in. Obfuscation would be well understood by you.
December 14, 2020
A right royal shafting
December 14, 2020
Martin, We voted to not be ruled by the EU. Remain declared they would honour the result. Respecting the result is a fundamental principle of democracy. Principles are absolute, otherwise they’re not principles. It is telling that you do not know that or won’t allow it.
December 14, 2020
Bill, you are allowed to reach different conclusions, Bill, perhaps we consider them wrong and trust Sir John more on these details he was closer to power in our Parliament than you.
1) so you blame British unions? and What British workers? So how do you explain:
2) Nissan employs British workers in Sunderland, Rover and Mini got its act together they were taking fleet sales away from other brands that’s why they got bought out, more fool the UK for allowing this to happen. Jaguar Land Rover; Nissan; Toyota and other car companies manufacture in the UK.
I’ve always bought German cars I’m hesitating now because of all this unpleasantness, if we can’t get parts and things get nasty who wants to get stuck with a car off the road. Jaguar is starting to make the ground up too, they need to green up quickly people want to buy British made cars and vans. The quality of the small vans we import now are not great, they go into a function called limp mode that just cuts the engine out and is very dangerous, its very costly to get replacement items all the time too they have problems with stock and the dpf filters all complaints are ignored check online Sprinters – Relays same problems no competition here.
We wholeheartedly want a prosperous UK now we’re leaving, Robert Kimbell tells us that Northumberland is set to be the site of the UKs first ‘gigaplant’ manufacturing electric car batteries 3,000 jobs in an area desperate for jobs, with 5000 in the wider supply chain. This is what we want to hear about. Follow him on Twitter he spreads good news about Britain instead of all the bad.
December 14, 2020
a-tracy
we were talking abou the car quality during the early 70’s not the cars today, so I think this is a misundeerstanding from your side
December 14, 2020
You are writing about a world as it was 50 years ago.
December 15, 2020
Edward 2
this is because it was necessary to pt the whole thing in perspective to udnerstand why we are where we are as a nation
December 15, 2020
Rover and Mini got their act together and the Rover 200 series started to take company car market in the late 80s 1990s. Ford of Britain – in 1960. Ford of Britain operates two major manufacturing sites in the UK, in Dagenham (diesel engine production) and Halewood (transmissions). Ford had massive market share in the UK.
People in the 60’s and 70’s didn’t have the money for motors that the modern market with its rent deals have, most families had one car if that usually second hand from the car fleet market. The Austin Motor Company that got bought out by British Leyland did sell brands most people I knew could afford to buy like the Austin Metro and maestro basic and low cost, the whole market has certainly changed but not always for the better as we’re told how deadly the new engines are and the encouragement to Diesel that Blair and Brown made things worse.
December 14, 2020
Bill, You keep repeating that, because we don’t know the final deal, we can say nothing about it. That is totally false. Firstly we know quite a lot about the deal already. Secondly I can say that no deal is better than any deal as a result of the known modus operandi of the EU. There is not a single thing that the EU could now say that would make me trust it after its 49 years of lying, hostility and vindictiveness. The EU is a rotten ideology, and it would be better for Europe if it collapsed.
December 14, 2020
Can you please ensure Boris reads this and gets on with walking away from these ridiculous and seemingly endless talks please. The EU has shown it’s true colours, not just now but for many years to the detriment of the UK and successive governments have allowed it to continue. Things may be tough to begin with but we can get through this. People running businesses need final clarification. Great post John. You and Farage would make a brilliant team. It’s a shame you’re not working together instead of with some of tge spineless wonders in your party.
December 14, 2020
Or maybe Mrs T could visit him in a dream?
She could tell him exactly what to say!
What was it?
“NO, NO, NO.”
It might take a while to commit those words to memory or even to pronounce such sensible ones….but he could always give it a go!
“Nuuuuu…nununun…..NOOOOOOO!”.
December 14, 2020
Assuming that F is not actually rooting for the tories ( and he does do some weird things IMO)…then the all-consuming, wholly illogical “terror of the Right” would have to be overcome!
December 14, 2020
Agree
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
He is reported to have vowed not to walk away! Do they never learn? We have been down this path before. That means he will accept any deal.
How can talks go on u til 31/12/2020? How about businesses? Barnier wants capitulation on fish and there could be a deal this week! In other words Johnson has capitulated.
I just wish the Fake Tory party would get out. Failures on every major policy issue for over ten years.
December 14, 2020
Remember those forty-three glorious years pre-2016, when European matters barely bothered us at all?
How’s it been since then?
Well get used to it, because you have many years of obsessing as you have done for the last four or so.
So how many problems did your silly little vote solve, as against those which it has created then?
Went well, didn’t it?
December 14, 2020
The European debate has been with us every one of those years.
The controversy has impacted political debate.
It has led to the resignation of cabinet ministers and the downfall of Prime Ministers and affected the result of elections.
December 14, 2020
Don’t be silly, Martin, we have had to take time to try to get the politicians to obey the Referendum (as they promised to do). It is the Remains who have obsessed for over 4 years about losing. If they had been honourable from the start the negotiations could have been over in a year and we could have been independent since 2017.
December 14, 2020
Aren’t we getting to the point where these endless talks should be relocated to a more appropriate location – like Punmanjon?
December 14, 2020
Still no discussion of making the vaccination priority order rational by adjusting for the very different risks of men and women, blood groups and other factors. Also not wasting vaccine on the many people who have already had it (at least initially). They are not remotely following the science here.
This clearly will kill more people than the lunacy of the fire service in telling people to stay in their flats at Grenville and this can still easily be prevented.
So are the experts idiots and negligent in not pointing this out or have the politicians vetoed it to killing more people? Why not even any discussion or questioning of this?
December 14, 2020
vetoed it so killing more people?
December 14, 2020
How many more times will we be marched up to the top of the hill only to be marched right down again?. It’s pathetic, embarrassing and supine. It’s way after time we walked away.
December 14, 2020
A cat knows that a mouse can deliver a dangerous, abscess-causing bite.
So the cat “plays” with the mouse, who being smaller, with less stamina and not understanding the cat’s tactics, becomes tired out.
One snap of the cat’s teeth and it’s all over!
They call it “Brexhaustion”, I believe.
And yes, The Grand Old Duke of York …except there ain’t much grand about this particular carry-on.
December 15, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
It is Brexit.
December 14, 2020
But, it didn’t have to be. Man up. Take the blame.
December 14, 2020
Fingers crossed.
December 14, 2020
No, Andy, it’s not Brexit – that’s why we’re so concerned.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
Its important that the world and the few rational and balanced remainers in our society see that the government is prepared and trying to get a sensible deal. Boris and co must keep talking but not bending from the core values any independent nation must control.
December 14, 2020
Robert, Boris and co have already bent from the core values of an independent nation:
1. The WA – mainly Theresa May’s fault;
2. Folding on half a dozen deadlines;
3. Accepting EU rules in a regression clause in perpetuity;
4. Northern Ireland remaining in the EU.
Why must Boris keep talking? What purpose does it serve except allowing the EU to run rings round him?
December 14, 2020
The U.K. was never going to get a good deal. A bad one was the only option to prevent other countries leaving. The date the U.K. Was going to leave changed so many times it is hard to cite.
May claimed 108 times in parliament the U.K. would leave by March 2019 in all manner of circumstances raised by her own politicians questioning her. Why has she not be investigated and sanctioned by parliament let alone her party or authorities?
How many times has Johnson said he is walking away? EU is bound not to believe him.
December 14, 2020
Get used to it.
This is going to run for many years.
Johnson’s deal will be rubbish, and elections will be fought over how to improve the position.
The European Union will always be willing to listen to good sense, you see.
December 14, 2020
Martin, The EU only listens to anything that will increase its own power.
December 16, 2020
you never fail to give me a good laugh.
December 14, 2020
They have a massive coast line, let them fish that. Whoops forgot. They have overfished that out.
Let them subsidise their fishing industry not us. They are petrified of a competitive independent country on their doorstep. Let them step,up, not dumb us down.
They can’t if course hence their desperation.
A majority voted to leave, apart from the occasional nonentity like Fat Pang Patton who should be reflecting on mess he made of Hongkong and the BBC, the naysayers have finally quietened down reflecting even more people now, noting the EUs bullying negative stance refusing to accept our sovereignty.
Continue to tell Boris we will accept no compromises dressed up in weasel words. Keep Gove away from the negotiations. Let him do the planning.
December 14, 2020
An excellent piece! Well written and so true.
Our membership of the European project has damaged so much of our country in so many ways. Trade/businesses – as you say- most of it is now based on the continent; our institutions even think and behave in the EU way- we know best and and we’re doing it our way.
A no deal (plus ripped up WA) is definitely the best way forward.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
Sharon
+1
With the WA, which I read that whatever the outcome of these talks the Withdrawal Agreement signed last year will remain in place. Also the NIP with the effective annexation of NI would we not be better as we were?
When two parties represent completely opposite values – one striving for independence and sovereignty, the other for domination and subjugation – there is nothing to negotiate about. So cut the cackle and just leave. Simples.
December 15, 2020
+100
December 14, 2020
This has been published by ConsHome this morning, Sir John.
December 14, 2020
Boris is Theresa May 2, he’s weak and has already gone pass his cut off Date many times. When will the conservatives get a really strong leader.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
thats a big ask….I have looked and looked and ….
December 14, 2020
I am in need of a laugh. Who do you have in mind?
December 14, 2020
Can’t think of anyone who could step up.
December 14, 2020
Donald Trump.
December 14, 2020
I’m sorry, Sir John, but your party is led by weak clown. When he finally caves in, as we all know he will and delivers what the BBC thinks he should, he will instantly become the last ever Conservative PM and your party will disappear. The last four and a half years have shown that you are collectively not fit to govern. You will need to join with others to form a new party with at least some conservative values
December 14, 2020
Reading comments like that makes me wonder how many people on here are detached from realilty. At the next election you have the same, awful choice that you always have. Tory or Labour. You might abstain – but not many will.
December 14, 2020
Mike, Usually around 30% abstain, so quite a lot. I guess the Liberal party thought like you too. I accept it is very unlikely, but “detached from reality”? Not really.
December 14, 2020
Watching the trade talks being extended over and over again is like watching a cat play with a mouse that it has caught.
The only difference is that this mouse has had numerous chances to escape to freedom and has refused to take them.
Meaningful talks – yes. Continued humiliation – no.
December 14, 2020
A couple of years back or so I’m confident you confirmed that had your government joined the Euro you would have resigned from the Tory party.
It is clear you fear that Boris will sign up to a deal which keeps us tied to the EU as you describe here and this will of course be a betrayal. If so will you resign from the Conservative party to be true to your beliefs?
December 14, 2020
No deal is not a good outcome for the U.K.
It will costs some of your constituents their livelihoods. It will probably cost some their lives.
It makes all of us poorer. It makes our country weaker.
You for what you wanted Mr Redwood. We left the EU.
It is as rubbish as we told you it would be.
And in 10-20 years we will get what we want. Public inquiry: prosecutions.
December 14, 2020
As you are getting older you are getting marginally more liberal andy.
Only a few weeks ago you wanted show trials and to throw the key away for anyone who supported leaving the EU.
Now it is only public prosecutions.
Progress of sorts.
December 14, 2020
Andy, you regularly suggest prosecution and imprisonment for those that disagree with you regarding EU membership. Which law has been broken?
December 14, 2020
Andy, Since the deal means: being tied to current EU rules in perpetuity, giving a £40bn bribe, for NI to remain in the EU, and many other capitulations – it is obviously Remain. All these are what you wanted. So Remain is a very bad deal. Hence why we voted against it.
December 14, 2020
This further extension will, I expect, be followed by a decision “to stop the clock” at 11pm 31 December 2020. This will be in keeping with that other EU policy of “kick the can down the road”. It is a deliberate waste of time, a monument to political incompetence, dither and delay.
December 14, 2020
Indeterminate extension – this fudge will carry on after 31st Dec
December 14, 2020
Ah well.
Another day another deadline.
December 14, 2020
I listened back to Boris Johnson’s Downing Street speech the other day where he said “The doubters, the doomsters and gloomsters are going to get it wrong again.”
I’ll admit Boris I did get it wrong. Even I didn’t believe you would be such a monumentally useless prime minister. I knew you’d be bad. But none of us expected you to be this quite so inept. Even the people who voted for you – a minority – mostly think you are useless. Thank you for proving us wrong.
December 14, 2020
I voted for him, I think he’s doing OK, in very difficult circumstances. Attacked by an unprecedented pandemic and fighting against the remaining remainers and the eurocracy to implement the democratic decision of the people.
December 14, 2020
Good grief you deluded soul. Do not buy a second hand car it will destroy your finances.
December 14, 2020
JR: ” If any given government lets us down we can sack them”
Looks as though this will be the fate of this government unless the moves towards authoritarianism take away our freedom to vote along with much else.
December 14, 2020
The problem we have now is both sides don’t want to be blamed for walking away from the Talks. They will keep going until the 31st December when we have to leave the transition and therefore no one can be blamed for walking away.
December 14, 2020
Stephen, That’s the narrative – “both sides don’t want to be blamed for walking away”. But why just accept that narrative? Why not walk away from humiliating talks? What’s so wrong about walking away? After all anyone who does not walk away from such spite and vindictiveness is suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
December 14, 2020
Well said.
Does Boris and the rest of the government understand how frustrated and annoyed many of us are not just with delays to BREXIT but many other things that tell us they are not acting as we’d expect a Tory government to do?
I fear Boris lives in a gilded ivory tower with no input from the people that used to believe in him.
December 14, 2020
“The best reason of all is to be free”.
The trouble is we are now less free than at any time in our history.
December 14, 2020
To be a good negotiator you have to have skills associated with good gamblers in that as each card falls they can reboot their strategy to as necessary to win.
The other ability they have got in abundance is to know when to fold and leave the table.
That time is now. Walk away do not gamble on giving away £39bn for nothing as your opponents will still have full control of the table.
December 14, 2020
“If you’re gonna play the game, boy…you gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, and know when to walk away”.
The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
December 14, 2020
The £39bn was agreed in the withdrawal agreement and is now in a legally binding international treaty. Voted for almost exclusively by Conservatives.
Though actually it is not £39bn exactly. Instead it is worked out as a formula. We will be able to work out exactly what we paid in 2064 – when the last payment is due. 44 years from now when I will be in my 90s and my teenage daughter will be nearing retirement. Having spent her entire working life paying off your Brexit bill.
December 14, 2020
She’s not going to earn that much. Still, you must be proud.
December 14, 2020
I’ve spent my life contributing to paying off the second world war debt, it just comes with life. I didn’t even get to vote for it either, but had to live with it, it’s known as a bum deal, but worth the freedom.
December 14, 2020
No deal no payment.
December 14, 2020
Please thank her on my behalf.
December 15, 2020
Andy, It can be un-agreed. Why pay money to a rotten ideology just to keep it alive? It’s almost as though you think Leaves must stick to agreements whilst Remains don’t have to.
December 16, 2020
Do you really imagine you will live for another 44 years?
Storm trooped by China, maybe Russia, even USA?
Played with by virus agents, given the coup de grace by openin ga letter when you step out of line?
Dystopia here we come.
December 14, 2020
Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
December 14, 2020
Sir John
Thank you once again for your informative and non-sensationalised summary of where we stand on Brexit.
As the EU negotiations have been confirmed as continuing up to New Year’s Eve, do you have any comment on the preparedness of the UK for no deal on 31st December?
Do you have any comment on this unique opportunity to enhance marine conservation in UK waters to our benefit and that of the seals, whales and dolphins so dependent on our degraded marine environment?
December 14, 2020
The priority now should be to ensure that Boris does not give way to some last minute poor deal.
December 14, 2020
Not looking good, Nigel.
Ambrose in the Telegraph :-
Yet despite securing so much already, the EU has upped the ante with the ratchet clause, which compels the UK either to “shadow” EU legislation as legal dependency or face sanctions. This is the same “dynamic alignment” rejected long ago and now reintroduced in another guise.
December 14, 2020
The offer from the EU is clearly unacceptable and must be rejected, as seems to be happening fortunately. (imagine if we still had mrs may or the Labour Party….)
We will just have to try WTO terms and see. No doubt there will be some months of disruption, but certainly no worse than we’ve had with lockdown. If sir John is right and we do prosper relative to the eurozone with no deal that will be a huge boost to confidence in the U.K., as it becomes clear that the EU does not in fact hold the sword of Damocles over us.
Obviously if he’s wrong we’ll have to pass a new surrender act and at least go into the EEA, if not rejoin the EU (inc the euro).
December 15, 2020
Richard1, We cannot prosper tied into the EU. That was one of the main points of Leave.
December 14, 2020
I am confused by reports of Mr Sunak’s response to no deal. I must have misunderstood but if someone could clarify it would be appreciated (thanks in advance).
Mr Sunak will give money (borrow, print, tax, cuts?) to businesses subject to tariffs from the EU. Presumably the net effect of this would be to subsidise these businesses, allowing them to reduce prices to offset tariffs and continue to sell into EU – so essentially equivalent to paying for market access but indirectly. I am sure I must have this completely wrong, but when I look at the lamb rumours I think I might be right.
December 14, 2020
As much of that lamb was exported live and the Government is going to ban live animal exports for fattening or slaughter, that contract would be short lived anyway.
December 14, 2020
Obviously the meat exporters are not interested in banning live exports as they could have done that already for themselves unless it is illegal to export dead meat.
December 16, 2020
never heard of Halal?
December 14, 2020
Do we import lamb/sheep meat? Nigella, Mary Berry, Jamie and the other favoured Chefs could all do ‘how to cook British produce’ series, minced or kebab mutton; curried mutton; tagine of mutton, people dont eat it now because they’ve never been encouraged to but who’d have thought quinoa would have a market in the U.K. A few fancy food shows.
December 14, 2020
‘UK Ministers plan new state-backed loans for SMEs’ Sun 13/12/2020. That looks like a ‘permanent’ replacement/prolongation of the £65bn Covid loan support programme.
December 14, 2020
Oops, silly me, FT Sunday 13/12/2020
December 14, 2020
Good morning Sir John
No Deal is a good outcome for the UK. It means we take back control of our borders, our money, our laws and our fish as promised by the Leave campaign.
Anything else is a betrayal of the referendum and the Government fighting the people. In a Democracy all Laws, Rules and Standards within a Country are created, amended and repealed by the people through their representatives in Parliament. Any deviation and it isn’t a Democracy.
December 14, 2020
Very true Ian
December 14, 2020
Ian@barkham
This is a distortion of the referendum, we never voted on wheter it would include a deal with teh EU or not, so your position on it not being democratic I am afraid is nonsense
December 15, 2020
bill the one big FACT no one can deny is that Cameron sent every household a leaflet I believe it cost £9m he told everyone what leave meant. His government supported remain, every news program they told the people in the UK what leave meant.
December 15, 2020
But we did vote on whether to Leave the EU, or not, Bill. And we voted to Leave. That means being a country independent of the EU, where we control our own money, borders, laws, courts, and fish. As Ian said. It’s not that difficult to understand.
December 14, 2020
Your summery of events over the past forty odd years, says it all really, nothing to add other than perhaps during those forty odd years our Country and many of its politicians have lost some of its national pride in the World.
The EU in effect suffocated the UK on the World stage and got us to pay for it in many ways, including financially.
December 14, 2020
No Deal is the only true form of Brexit (or as near as we’ll get to one).
All this delaying achieves is to encourage absurd reference to Remainer constructs conjured from their fertile imagination such as “cliff edge” and “soft and hard” Brexit.
On top of this the media engage in a feeding frenzy based on stories that are largely fictions, where we are entirely at their mercy because we have no way of knowing what is actually going on (especially if ministers like Messrs Gove and Raab don’t stay on message/strategy in line with the Prime Minister).
This is wholly unsettling for business confidence and preparations (something highly undesirable) while the chaos is often exacerbated by fake surveys that are released by those who hate the UK and which are patently designed to put a spanner in the works.
December 14, 2020
Boris has no consideration for British businesses which will have 3 seconds to make arrangements for their ‘new, secret, trading conditions.’ The man is a bloody blight.
December 14, 2020
Lynn Atkinson
Or maybehe does and therfore he does not give up?
December 15, 2020
He has given up, Bill. Boris should have walked away in July to give British businesses 6 months to prepare for WTO only trading.
December 15, 2020
Boris doesn’t care about hotels, wedding businesses, pubs, entertainment I could go on and on. These occupations employ millions of people, but foreign big business well, of course, we have to bend to those. The CBI should tell us how many of the members that pay them subscriptions are owned 100% by the UK?
December 14, 2020
Neither side wants to be accused of crashing the talks which is all well and good but a bit late for the EU to be on it’s high horse about that. They have negotiated in bad faith pretty much from Day One. We can be a little more patient because ‘No Deal’ is the default position from 1st January and requires no extra legislation.
I believe the EU have trapped themselves. They are frightened of a successful UK presenting serious competition and also they are seeking to discourage other members from thinking of leaving. Their chosen solution is to punish and hog-tie us even if it means risking damage to themselves. The reality is that the main damage will be caused to EU consumers. I believe the EU care more about their political project than they do about their citizens.
I agree with every word of your post. I am in my late 60’s and I remember that we used to have Oranges from Israel, out of season Apples from South Africa and New Zealand (what happened to the thousands of acres of orchard we used to have?). What happened to the hundreds of acres of glasshouse we used to have in our Country? Citrus fruit from Morocco? I have wonderful memories of family holidays by the seaside, where harbours were crammed with locally registered fishing boats. Fisherman’s Cottages were lived in by local Fishermen and their families and not by wealthy second home owners from inland. Young local people could generally afford to live locally.
We could produce more at Home.
All I hear from the MSM lately are complaints about price rises and disruption to supplies. If sellers wish to pass on the their high, protectionist Tariffs to the consumer then I will source products that come from outside the EU and I suspect I will not be the only person to do this. It will only be a matter of a few weeks before the Supermarkets realise that they will need to source more of their products from outside the EU.
If the EU wishes to allow disruption at the borders, that will be more evidence of their willingness to break International Law.
I look forward to 2021 and fervently hope that the Government does not disappoint me.
December 14, 2020
No deal is indeed a good outcome, a great shame we did not get this many years ago thanks to the appalling “leadership” Cast rubber Cameron and Theresa (9% support) May. May who was inflicted on us by backstabbing Gove costing me my wager.
But Boris shows every sign of caving. If so he is surely done for with a lame government until and a Major like defeat in four years time.
December 14, 2020
Lifelogic
whlst the nogitiations are on-going you really do not have a clue do you ?
December 15, 2020
Yes we do, Bill. Much of an agreement is already there, and we know what it is.
December 14, 2020
We must not continue “negotiating” beyond 31st December.
December 14, 2020
We must not continue negotiating beyond TODAY
December 14, 2020
we haven’t actually negotiated for months – possibly years.
Merely conditioning the population to accept a miserable ‘Deal’ as being worthwhile.
December 14, 2020
+1 more than likely true
December 14, 2020
glen
The traitor should have stopped talking / grovelling to the EU on Oct 15th.
But, the conservative party obviously think they’ll survive and be re-elected. It doesn’t seem to sink in that we’ll be going for the throat.
December 16, 2020
Oct 15th – but which year?
December 14, 2020
It is clear that the 4.5 years delay by EU was to demonstrate their power over us.
However things have moved on fast in the world.
The EU is looking slow by comparison.
Leave EU behind. They are past their sell-by date.
December 14, 2020
“If any given government lets us down we can sack them and get the answer we want from another.” Except you rigged the market with five year parliaments. One of my early political mentors said “A political party or its politicians, should never be more than two years from an election; it concentrates their minds on the job not the political infighting”.
The ERG62 virus that has badly infected the Conservative party needs a vaccine to flush it out. The only vaccine that is available is another Brexit referendum or a General Election. The efficacy of either under FPTP system has proved ineffective in this decade at least.
This Brexit disaster has been brewing in the Conservative party for 30 years (John Harris Guardian). Margaret Thatcher helped turn the Tory right into a force for instability – and now we are all living with the consequences. Bruges, 1988. ‘The speech that launched modern Tory Euroscepticism.
December 14, 2020
Fixed term Parliaments are being stopped by this Conservative government.
Presumably you will be in favour of this move acorn.
Another election will be along soon.
4 years.
Oh the Guardian..a good analysis of Conservative party politics.
Hilarious acorn.
December 15, 2020
Acorn, Euroscepticism existed in both the Tory and Labour parties well before Mrs Thatcher’s Bruges speech in 1988.
December 14, 2020
King Canute (aka Cnut the Great) tries to force back the tide…..
December 14, 2020
It is alleged we have made minor concessions on the level playing field. Here we go. Either we are totally free or we are not. Why does the country almost totally disbelieve the BS coming out of government.
Because over umpteen years we have heard it all before, red lines etc, apart from Thatchers rebate, almost totally sold out.
December 14, 2020
As it now looks certain Boris is about to wave the white flag and cave in to the EU, I hope you can summon enough votes in Parliament to scupper any such “deal”.
Boris is hell bent on a plethora of half baked, pointless and expensive green projects – these and the imminent surrender to the EU will certainly spell the end of the Tory Party.
December 14, 2020
“it would just be a question of rolling over what we have”
But it is the UK position not to want this to happen.
It is an unreasonable position to take to say that you want to leave, but want to roll over what we have, oh, apart from this bit and that bit, I don’t like those so I don’t want to roll over those, but these I do like, so I do want to roll over those. Cherry picking and cakeism at its finest.
You talk about a Canada-style deal. Let’s talk about some of the things the EU-Canada deal contains. It includes some level playing field provisions. It retains some tariffs. It retains some quotas.
So when you say you want a Canada-style deal, are you willing to accept some level playing field provisions (even though you are saying such things are unacceptable), and the imposition of tariffs and quotas (that you say you don’t want) where none exist today?
December 15, 2020
Peter Parsons, EU control over the UK is unacceptable. Remember, we voted to Leave.
December 15, 2020
I asked about some of the components of a Canada-style deal, which includes level playing field provisions (which the UK would need to agree to), plus the introduction of tariffs and quotas.
Any Free Trade Agreement involves a certain loss of sovereignty. Signing up to the WTO involves a certain loss of sovereignty. It is the nature of such things which seems lost on come.
December 16, 2020
There is loss of sovereignty in agreeing mutually advantageous trading terms with another sovereign country nor in using the WTO to facilitate trade with the rest of the world.
We are not obliged to pay tens of billions a year, nor are we forced to accept every new rule, regulation, directive and law that is created in the future.
December 16, 2020
Sorry typo.
Should say NO loss of sovereignty obviously.
December 14, 2020
Every day the papers show pictures of mutilated dolphins, seal, and porpoise washed-up on our beaches, an estimated 10% of the casualties of industrial fishing.
We must grasp this opportunity to ban super trawlers from our waters to end this carnage.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
what papers? I’ve never seen them. I suggest you change your buying habits.
December 15, 2020
++1
December 14, 2020
It’s clear the EU has been less-than-enthusiastic about creating the right environment to bring a mutually beneficial trade deal to fruition; indeed, they have routinely threatened the sovereignty crucial to setting our own direction, even one in parallel with the EU. They have consistently sought to bind us to worse terms than trading under the independent conditions of the WTO, because their ultimate objective is control and they see trade as the ultimate weapon. Of course, while their 20th century scatterguns might hit some of their targets, our agile 21st century drones can simply be reprogrammed, i.e. providing no-one surrenders our ability to do so.
December 14, 2020
Sir John I fully agree with your comments today and the sentiment behind them
However it doesn’t answer the contempt this government has had for the people and in particular the majority of voters that voted leave
4.5 years; deadline after deadline after deadline, backroom deals and sell-out of our waters and NI, diluted sovereignty….and no political party in the house of commons that will comply with the instructions of its people, utter CONTEMPT
I agree with No Deal and complying with Article 50, then in the future negotiate an FTA on equal terms
December 14, 2020
Ps ps it is now said by ministers that we could agree a glide path of 5/7 years plus compensation for French fisherman. FFS why. Whose side are our negotiators on?
December 14, 2020
Nigl
+1
Another 5/7 years. They have already had 4 1/2 years. This is just not leaving.
December 14, 2020
Look on the bright side. A year ago the EMA was moved from London to Amsterdam because the EU said it could not stay outside the EU after we left. The UK was the first in the world to roll out the vaccine – all the EU countries are still waiting on the EMA.
So Sir John remember it is not just about trade when you leave a bloc.
December 14, 2020
It makes precisely no difference in approval of the vaccine. We could have approved it anyway. Though we did lose many thousands of well paid jobs.
The EMA has made it clear – quite rightly – that the public do not expect this rushed. They rightly want to take a little extra time not just to ensure the vaccine is safe but to ensure the public accept that the vaccine is safe.
Our regulator has rushed it – for political reasons -and there are concerns about the vaccine for many as a result. Which means we are likely to end up with fewer vaccinated people and a worse outcome. Remember, the tortoise beat the hare.
December 15, 2020
“We could have approved it anyway”
Which other Country in Europe approved quick use of the vaccine Andy?
December 15, 2020
It is slow because the EU is cumbersome.
The delay in Europe is going to cost many thousands of people their lives.
There is increasing criticism of the EU’s failure to act faster by member nations.
December 15, 2020
So the FDA have rushed it as well?
Those EMA employees who were exempt from income tax?
December 14, 2020
The best thing to do is go to Downing Street on some pretext and hide all their pens so they can’t sign anything.
December 14, 2020
Boris is beyond pathetic – only good news is Reform UK will see him off and maybe the two party state.
December 14, 2020
Well said Sir John. All very true.
Please find a way of holding Boris Johnson’s feet to the fire until he agrees to just leave.
As for the ‘Conservative Home’ website, you are wasting your time there. They would sooner host David Gauke than a Brexiteer. It’s Conservative in name only.
December 14, 2020
A couple of positive news items:-
– there’s been an FTA signed with Singapore, one of the world’s most dynamic economies with amongst the highest GDP per capita. Such FTAs were of course something we were assured by Remain could never happen before we had agreed an EU trade deal. (Note to Continuity Remain: Singapore has a population 1/10 of the UK’s and isn’t in a political union with any neighbouring group of countries).
– during the referendum, the LSE estimated that 232,000 jobs would move to the EU from the City of London as a result of Brexit. To date that number is 10,000. And more than that have been created. A little remarked upon consideration is that new remote working practices established in 2020 will do for the EU’s ludicrous and protectionist insistence that financial services must be provided by somebody physically sitting in an EU country. How do you monitor that on zoom?
Boris should stick to his guns. If he can get a good deal, great. If not it needs to be thanks but no thanks + WTO terms.
December 14, 2020
“No Deal is a good outcome for the UK.” – and would have been an even better outcome four years ago.
Do we reclaim the monies paid under May the quisling’s treacherously ill-judged Withdrawal Agreement?
December 14, 2020
Nigel Farage is surely right on Twitter though I do hope he is not. We shall see very soon.
No Deal is the only way Johnson can keep his election promises, I don’t believe he will do it. This is all a charade.
December 14, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
Lovely job john.
December 14, 2020
Johnson will cave. He did so with May’s “turd” which he just rolled in glitter before signing it, breaking a promise to NI in the process. He will do so again.
December 14, 2020
We need a clean break so we have none of this clinging on to our shirt-tails in order to stop us running off free to please ourselves.
We need to take stock of the damage the EU membership has done to jobs. We need a new agenda for opening up our country to trade and protect companies that are part of our security whether it be food, tech or natural resources.
I get the feeling that we have had our nation’s family silver sold for us by the EU to support this project that protects Germany’s exports and France’s agriculture.
It is high time this brow beating stopped – they are playing the long game to keep us in!
They never had any intention of letting us have a free Trade Agreement.
Their best endeavours is to keep us from leaving!
December 14, 2020
I agree with every word you say. The problem though is that the Government does not appear to, even the present one that was supposed to believe in Brexit. If it does, it has lacke the confidence in its belief to explain and promulgate to its electorate the real advantages that ‘No Deal’ would have for this country. It also does not seem to believe in the small state, low tax economy that would enable us to take the fullest advantage of freedom and control of our own affairs. Worst of all in the short term, there is little evidence that I can see that it has done all that is necessary to prepare for the short term disruption that ‘No Deal’ will entail.
December 14, 2020
Ursula von der Leyen to go the extra mile not kilometre
Does any one know how long it takes to go the extra mile
Why isn’t the media ripping into Boris for missing the deadline
December 14, 2020
how does the song go ? – – I’d walk a million miles for one of your (EU) smiles…
December 14, 2020
Is a kilometer really that long
December 14, 2020
it is so much longer. An old Swedish business friend tried to explain what a mile was over there, he ran what we call half-marathons. It turned out he was describing 10 miles.
So I think EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been guided by the Swedes, when Boris said we should agree to go the ‘extra mile’.
December 14, 2020
COVID not a problem when you are making a speech apparently?
Mask off…laid on lectern.
Picked up again wi’ unwashed hands and put on when exhalation of virus through speech ceases.
No wonder we have a …hmmmm….New Variant. 🤪
Boris has prob taken it to Brussels with him!
December 14, 2020
“No wonder we have a …hmmmm….New Variant. ”
======
There is no new variant. It’s a bullshit job to draw our attention away from BRINO.
December 15, 2020
ah but there are variants – none so far are important nor change anything…..the drowning man grabs anything!
December 14, 2020
I had my hopes of a No Deal raised by Boris’s tough talk last week but now his latest extension to the negotiations has dashed them. I fear Boris’s red lines will crumble along with his red wall and the Conservative party.
December 14, 2020
Good to hear your interview on Unlocked this week. It is so refreshing to listen to a group of people who love our country and can have a good laugh together, rather than the dour, depressing mainstream media.
December 14, 2020
Boris should walk away from these talks today. We know that there will be difficulties,probably for the first 6 months or so. When the EU wake up and find there is a shortfall in their budget,they will want an FTA. The French fishermen,by this time, will be out on the streets demanding the little general alters his position on fish before they all go bust.
December 14, 2020
Dear Mr. Redwood,
I so wish you were right. But it is not going to happen.
Just look at what the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab hinted at only yesterday on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme ‘that lawyers could pour fudge over a final agreement and that there could be “creative contours in the drafting” to help a deal over the line’.
We also have the possibility that the UK could compensate French fishermen in order to ‘sweeten the deal’. After what has happened to the UK fishing industry these last 45 years, how could a Conservative government contemplate that? I’m sure UK taxpayers would be delighted.
This is the sort of devious and underhanded approach that we have come to expect from our politicians over the years on the question of our relationship with Europe and particularly so from the Conservative Party.
It looks as though the Prime Minister will try deceit and obfuscation to get his grubby deal past the ERG.
December 14, 2020
Or get EDF to build a power station with cost overruns which could loosely correspond to their loss in fishing revenue… Contours…
December 14, 2020
If the reports in the Guardian are true Boris has agreed that the EU may impose unilateral tariffs in response to any future change in U.K. legislation. That is completely unacceptable as it will allow the EU to play silly buggers indefinately interfering in our domestic affairs. Boris has to be replaced if he has given the farm away in this manner.
December 14, 2020
Unilateral tariffs- but only in the case of changes to UK legislation that undermines competition between us- but these penalties will apply only on goods we export into the EU- it will not in any way affect our exports to our new trade partners around the world. Alternatively as a free sovereign nation there is nothing to stop us imposing our own unilateral tariffs on them if they bring in legislation that undercuts or undermines our UK industry- sauce for the goose
December 14, 2020
So what’s the point of a trade deal if either side can ignore it?
December 15, 2020
The unilateral tariffs would be used as a weapon against us every time we tried to change our own regulation. They would also be used as a deterrent to stop us agreeing trade deals with other countries to allow their products (produced under non-EU rules) into the U.K. You have to be very naive to believe otherwise. This gives the EU complete freedom to interfere in the British economy in any area indefinitely and prevents the U.K. responding. It will obviously be used as a thorn in our side whenever divergence from EU law is attaempted and to thwart the future benefits of Brexit.
It would be better to trade with the EU in WTO terms, use tariffs on their exports to raise funds for HM Exchequer and to reduce the EU surplus while we agree real free trade deals with other countries that allow British consumers to benefit from goods not produced under the dead hand of Brussels over regulation.
December 14, 2020
Exactly but can we be free of being strangled by UK red tape, taxes, tax complexity, fake green nonsense, expensive energy, massive government waste, HS2, this absurd second lock down and all the other complete lunacies that Boris/Carrie now seem to like.
December 14, 2020
Sir John,
Despite the ranting of some of the far left trolls who write on your site , I agree with the direction you would like Britain to go. We must work hard to achieve a return to prosperity, dumping the hangers on as we go, no flab to hinder, we need a lithe and fit workforce.
The eu over the years have been proven to be untrustworthy so we must keep them at arms length, they cannot even be relied on as allies.
I believe Boris is cunning( as he should be) and his persistence will show the eu did not negotiate in good faith. He therefor can dump the WA and kick the eu officials out of Northern Ireland as he get rid of eu control.
I pray daily for success
December 14, 2020
There’s certainly an outside chance that Mr Johnson possesses unknown depths of cunning and is playing the EU at its own game. He might be continuing with talks simply to show that, despite a determined effort, there’s no option but to trade on WTO terms. He might be negotiating such dreadful terms for trading that it forces Parliament itself to reject them; presuming they get a say, of course. Or, he might simply be a strategically weak and ineffective leader who will betray those who have supported him. The jury’s still out and our hope could turn to despair on the toss of a sovereign.
December 14, 2020
Very accurate comment, well said.
December 14, 2020
Mike Durrans
Considering the amount of anger against the EU in this country, Johnson could easily have walked on Oct 15th and would have had virtually the whole country behind him.
But he didn’t. Why?……because he’s a remainer.
Don’t believe for a minute this guy is prepared to stand up the EU, it’s all bullshit.
Oh, and…within 24 hours of the latest deadline LIE, what have we got?….yes, another covid scare. Well stone me ! what a coincidence.
It will go down in history that this is how remain did it…..by getting their man in.
same tactic Blair used to poison the civil service, to hell with democracy, cheat and get your man in there.
Still, one good thing will come out of it; the so-called conservatives will never again be elected, they’re dead. Most of ’em won’t be able to walk the streets let alone look us in the eye.
December 14, 2020
JR, A wonderful, heartening article – right in every respect.
December 14, 2020
NickC – agreed but pity it won’t make any difference.
December 14, 2020
The media keep telling us that food prices will go up under no deal, because we shall be operating under WTO terms where import duties apply.
However, I am told that under WTO rules, the importing country can decide whether to apply the relevant import duty on specific items. In that case the Government could easily decide to continue importing selected items of food, that we cannot produce ourselves without applying the duty.
Can you find out from Government if they are prepared to do this in the event of no deal?
December 14, 2020
Nigel,
Even if import duties are charged, it will be the UK government that receive the benefit of this to do with it what they feel fit, whether it be fed back to affected industries or help pay off the Covid deficit…
Add to this the £4 Billion CET that used to be paid to the EU 🙂
December 14, 2020
Yes, but it would be nice to have someone refute the fearful comment from Sky news and other media about the huge increases in food basics that could come in January after a no deal.
December 15, 2020
Nigel, You can see the UK Tariff schedule on line by typing it into your search engine, then searching in the schedule for the commodity whose tariff you want to know:
https://www.gov.uk/check-tariffs-1-january-2021
December 14, 2020
Correct and the media is going to town interviewing remainers who are gladly saying that hundreds of thousand and millions of jobs will be lost AGAIN
December 14, 2020
but they were lost years ago since 2016….and those left were lost this year due to Covid. It is heartening to learn that there are still jobs we could lose. I thought the market was empty already.
December 14, 2020
Food prices will mostly go up. But don’t worry. Because you will be FREE! (Free to spend more on food).
Why on Earth are you asking this now and not in early 2016? Did you, perhaps, not know what you were voting for?
December 15, 2020
Andy, That’s your serf mentality speaking. Freedom to grow your own food, or to work to pay others to grow food for you is the only possible way of living. The EU will not feed us for “free” in any sense of the word.
December 14, 2020
Dear Sir John,
Thank you for continuing to campaign on all matters Brexit.
–
Boris Johnson may well have served a useful purpose when his apparent enthusiasm for Brexit was a key factor in the election victory of last year.
Unfortunately and quite obviously he has precious few negotiating skills. Simply repeating ad nauseam that Britain now has her sovereign rights doesn’t cut any ice at all with the high priests of the EU’s single market. The more he repeats this empty mantra the less believable it becomes. In a negotiation such as this it’s your body language and what you don’t say that matters; it keeps the other side guessing. Instead we were treated over the weekend to news pictures of the PM shuffling around the corridors of Brussels in von der Leyen’s wake.
I see in today’s news that there is some new optimism from EU officials that a deal can be struck. Roughly translated this means “we’ve devised a novel way of inserting poison into a deal that in your haste you won’t notice until it’s too late.”
–
Boris Johnson is not a leader; he’s a laughing stock. He has outlived his usefulness.
–
You are quite right when you say in your post that no deal is the best outcome. Any so-called deal would be paltry. It would amount to a permission from on high to continue to incur the massive trade deficit with the EU.
December 14, 2020
My heart sank, yesterday, when I heard that the talks had been extended with no time limit.
Just when we had the EU running scared, Boris has taken the metaphorical foot off their collective throat. We cannot afford to allow a fudge on any of the remaining issues as any ambiguity will inevitably be used to push the boundaries towards the EU’s position later.
I would much prefer to terminate discussions now, and wait for the 27 to come back and request further talks in January.
December 14, 2020
Look ..it has already been agreed.
We are still in very deep with the EU
I believe they have been working on this since Cameron.
An Economic Partnership and a Security Partnership. ( Involving many aspects).
“Brexit” without the exit.
December 14, 2020
Everhopeful
Agree. We were lied to, betrayed, conned.
I think the fists need to come out now.
December 15, 2020
What in the friendly BLM fist pump in the air that our betters tell us we should support and see as an innocuous friendly gesture. It would soon get stopped if football fans started to silently fist pump back in the air.
December 14, 2020
ChrisS
“I would much prefer to terminate discussions now, and wait for the 27 to come back and request further talks in January.”
===========
And then tell them to piss off.
December 14, 2020
sTEVE,
thank you very much two serious and very valuable contributoins
December 16, 2020
but better than yours!
December 14, 2020
Brilliant!
Exactly right..
But will Boris go for it ?
December 14, 2020
What you say is accepted by most contributors here, trolls apart of course. The unseemly desire of Boris to go the extra mile is worrying, just too many deadlines and a suggestion that the criteria for sovereignty is being eroded in the process. I hope he understands the political cost, get it wrong and the conservatives are yesterdays chip paper.
December 14, 2020
What you say is accepted by most contributors here, trolls apart of course. The unseemly desire of Boris to go the extra mile is worrying, just too many deadlines and a suggestion that the criteria for sovereignty is being eroded in the process. I hope he understands the political cost, get it wrong and the conservatives are yesterdays chip paper….
December 14, 2020
From The Telegraph
Michel Barnier has told EU ambassadors a Brexit deal can be reached this week. The EU’s chief negotiator said that the UK had moved on the level playing field negotiations. The UK just has to submit to EU control of the UK EEZ area and it will all be sorted.
Does that mean the EU defines what a level playing field is? Whose rules, who agrees them as time go on. Who’s Court? Surly not the ECJ the non-independent Political Court of the EU. Is it a one way street does the UK get to define the EU’s legal system without consultation?
So Countries that trade with the EU mustn’t compete with them. Yet China and the US do more trade with the EU individually than the UK does – without political interference. While at the same time competing aggressively with the EU on the World Stage. In the wider world competition is good. The EU knows their internal mechanisms hamper and distort trade.
It still comes down to the UK becoming a EU Colony through the back door.
The EU keeps confirming it, these talks are not about Trade but who gets to rule and Govern the UK.
There is no half way house or even compromise when it comes to Democracy, or when it comes to being an independent sovereign Country. If laws and rules are dictated by foreign rulers, that means the people of the country have no say. If these same laws and rules are handed to the Country we have no need of the HoC and its MP’s – simply they would not be the UK’s Law makers, as they would have no right to amend, no right to repeal.
The level playing field is a constraint on how the UK is Governed and takes away the right of individual responsibility and the opportunity to prosper. In that the EU would see that their job is done.
December 14, 2020
It also means that we haven’t actually left the EU
December 14, 2020
Ian @barkham
What a load no nonsense everybody in the EU can only be interested in a properous Britain, this means richer consumers
December 14, 2020
Let’s have no deal please. It’s a good outcome I agree.
December 14, 2020
Even if we leave the EU in practice, there will be no recovery in industrial production whilst the government is intent on single-handedly SavingthePlanet. Expensive and unreliable energy cannot support proper industries which require cheap and dependable energy that only indigenous power production derived from carbon can provide. Of course this is why the globalists are so insistent on convincing people without any scientific knowledge i.e. the government that carbon is the enemy when it is they themselves who are the enemies
of Western civilisation.
December 14, 2020
Hancock imposing additional Tier 3 lockdowns without bothering to inform the Commons as usual. Aren’t you lot supposed to vote on this or something ? Or was that last vote to give him the power just to do whatever came into his head at any subsequent time ?
December 14, 2020
Oh my Dear God!
A “New Variant”.
What??
Ah ha! So nothing we have done so far has worked?
December 14, 2020
How very odd that the NV COVID should raise its spiky little head just at the point when the unicorn vaccine is being “rolled out”!
A nice new emergency!
December 14, 2020
There is no super-spreading new strain. There are various strains already known and it is unknown if they spread faster. Hancock is just using scaremongering and fear to try to justify his policies. Anyway, new strain, no point having the vaccine then eh Matt ?
December 14, 2020
Yes…I know!
December 15, 2020
They realise the 5 day free-for-all is a mistake, so now have to take measures to cover the resulting rise in infections and deaths. Keeping schools open right up to the ‘holiday’ is so irresponsible they should be held to account. Arrested and tried for wilful policies endangering lives!
December 16, 2020
1000 infections of it all the way across Europe. Is that ALL!
There must have been more than 1000 infection mutations already.
Han cock getting desparate.
December 14, 2020
A new flu variant occurs every year. Its what viruses do, and each year a suitable vaccine is offered.
December 14, 2020
Everhopeful
“Ah ha! So nothing we have done so far has worked?”
=========
Yeah but at least it puts a screen around Boris’ Brexit betrayal.
December 14, 2020
SJR
Please tell Boris that information. It is quite clear the anger that is there should we be strapped to the EU after 4 years. Please tell him to walk away. Please.
December 14, 2020
BW
Gone past asking him to walk away, it’s now time he was arrested.
December 14, 2020
There’s no Brexit.
Just a rehash or a continuation of Cameron’s “Best of Both Worlds”.
December 14, 2020
We will still be politically tied to the EU.
We have been lied to SO MUCH.
December 14, 2020
There aren’t any half measures, we are either in or out
December 14, 2020
In..pretending to be out?
Keeping quiet about all the ins? (Partnerships”).
They are very good at behind-the-curtains signing.
December 14, 2020
The evening news from Brussels is following the usual course. The EU keeps pushing and the UK keeps giving.
Why have we been fooled into thinking that this time we would stand fast?
December 14, 2020
According to a German businessman today, he said No Deal is not important for Germany. A French official interviewed on radio this morning was rather upbeat about the Calais port situation & the forthcoming changes and any possible “difficulties” with any additional checks & paperwork. A very reasoned, reasonable and reassuring response adding that, no, he was not anxious even with a No Deal outcome.
It is sounding as if there is some positivity from ‘Brussels’ if headlines are to be believed. I only hope that any commitments we might be landed with are ones we can extract ourselves from pretty sharpish when reality emerges, although Mrs v der Leyen still seems to be talking about level playing field needing to be ‘over time’ Translate that as you will. Fisheries fiasco persists and all because they refused / failed to treat it separately from their control freakery overall ‘deal’. It could have been all sorted out well in advance of this last minute madness. CFP seems a mess all round. Interesting to see a report / video ( MSN.com / Daily Motion ) & debate in Irish parliament re all the same problems off the Galway coast. Article : ” Monster vessels hoovering up fish off Donegal as locals struggle ” The Member ( to their Minister for Agriculture, Foods & the Marine) was questioning EU’s quota system, the problems with EEZ, oversized ships, factory vessels, lack of accountability, lack of surveillance, huge discards, what they had had to give up.
That aside, whether or not this last minute thrashing out is all choreography remains to be seen but I sincerely hope that Boris Johnson does not attempt to sidestep Parliament with whatever is arrived at. There seems to be confidence though, that it can be done & dusted on our side in around 24 hours. How efficient !
I see Norway politicians are now gearing up ( for future elections ) with their own EU issues citing their current relationship needing attention, looser ties, perhaps less contribution to what is considered presently as a bad deal. Mrs May’s ‘ No Deal is better than a bad deal ‘ is still up there hopefully.
December 14, 2020
“a beacon for democracy”, but unfortunately not when it comes to the Green Juggernaut bearing down upon us.
December 14, 2020
An excellent article Sir John and I was feeling in good spirits this morning.
As the day has progressed and the news has trickled out of Brussels it looks like we are heading for an almighty FUDGE
Whatever you do DO NOT let Boris spirit an agreement through parliament over the Christmas and New Year holiday
We must leave on WTO terms and nothing more. If he attempts to slide something through he can expect his P45 the following morning and Labour will be in officer for the next 15 years. God help us
December 15, 2020
George Labour will be in officer for the next 15 years. God help us
Mmmm, I’m beginging to think it couldn’t be a lot worse than this lot, our host excluded of course.
December 14, 2020
Whatever the deal, it has to ensure that we regain 60% of the quota of fish caught in our waters and we are free to set the actual total tonnage of each species caught each year in accordance with the need of sustainability.
Then there is the level playing field. We have no need for there to be any regression on existing trading rules and worker’s rights but there must be no racheting up either. If the 27 want to introduce more restrictive trade rules, then that is their right but they cannot be allowed to insist that we follow suit.
December 14, 2020
No deal would be great indeed but please Sir John, corner Boris and give him a good talking to; I simply cannot bring myself to trust him.
December 14, 2020
Sir John
I wonder if you can help.
Unusual for me I have been catching up with what’s laughingly call Main Stream News on the TV this evening.
It is reported in a serious context that without a deal with the EU there will be shortages of food on our Super Market shelves. Logic suggests the only ones that would set out to block imports into the UK would be our own Government. So the question is, is it our own Government about to stop the flow of food into the Country?
Clearly it wont be the EU, their producers would take rioting to a new level in that situation
December 14, 2020
Trump wins Wisconsin!
December 14, 2020
Quick, a cold shower.
December 14, 2020
Lynn Atkinson
Trump wins Wisconsin, can we please kindly have the proof?
December 14, 2020
We were at the EU top table for forty five years and failed to make our mark- so no point in blaming the EU, how is it that smaller countries like Sweden Denmark etc are thriving and happy in their skins while we go on tearing ourselves apart- something very wrong here
December 14, 2020
Doesn’t matter if its right or wrong, the government has to comply with the result of the referendum and the instructions of the people to leave the EU
Its called democracy
December 14, 2020
No deal is a stupid outcome.
That said, it seems to be what the EU is after.
December 14, 2020
Matt Hancock MP performance during tonights 6pm covid-19 TV brief was truly dreadful – also 80% of the 40mins was thanking NHS staff and lots and lots of other people….didn’t achieve anything
December 15, 2020
Sees himself replacing The Blonde Chancer.
December 14, 2020
Mr Redwood, I fear Johnson is right now negotiating an arrangement effectively “being out of Europe, but still run by Europe”, reversing William Hague’s inane mantra, because he fears a few weeks of lorries queuing up in Kent. The Conservative Party always runs as a patriotic party at election time, but between elections, we see a very different animals. This is a malign organisation that opposes our national interests.
December 14, 2020
Some good points, Sir John, as we would expect from you. However, as another commenter has written, there is not trust in Johnson or his government.
My personal view is that Johnson is aligning us to the Great Reset, and he will destroy this country in the process. As I have said before, our only hope is President Trump, who will be re-elected.
The globalist/CCP plan for one world government under a system of global communism (spelt out in UN Agenda 2030 and which Johnson apparently wholeheartedly endorses) is well under way in the UK, but the strategic drops about infiltration of the UK and its major bodies/institutions by the CCP has sounded the early warning bells for this dangerous approach by Johnson. People, and politicians will wake up.
The globalists will not succeed with the Great Reset/NWO call it what you may as the USA will survive and prosper as the great global superpower under President Trump, thus dashing all plans for global governance with China as the power hub.
December 14, 2020
The EU talk about fairness and a level playing field but of course that’s not what the extreme brexiteers including JR have in mind, they very much want a bespoke agreement with no strings for themselves only to export into the bloc with no regulation but am afraid that that’s not the real world
December 16, 2020
‘not the real world’ . . . . .’not the real EU world’
December 14, 2020
The same thing time after time. What a theatre for those in power and the power seekers to focus on. The EU are quite frankly playing silly games.We don’t have to play by their rules.We don’t want in.
December 14, 2020
JR
Perhaps you could ponder on this;
How do you rate your party’s chances of being re-elected? or indeed surviving until the next election ?
With it being so obvious that Johnson is betraying our sovereignty and independence, do you think we will take this treason lying down ?
I predict a riot, a very big one.
December 14, 2020
Another excellent article Sir john, thankyou
December 14, 2020
Come next general election or sooner, there will be no such thing as the conservative party.
December 14, 2020
Please God!
December 15, 2020
+1
December 14, 2020
Another brilliant piece Sir John. If only we could just leave.
December 14, 2020
I see that the crazed govt. is now homing in on avian flu.
They are putting an end to “free range” tonight and slaughtering swans.
What next?
Will they tell us we are at personal risk from birds and must get another jab?
Or is this an attack on poultry farming?
No farm animals?
Just deer and wild game running free in overgrown “wilded” farmland.
And you get hanged if you trap a rabbit for the pot.
December 15, 2020
I repeat.
Those the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
December 14, 2020
Quite. So why is the PM still negotiating? For Brownie points?!
December 14, 2020
In other Covid news hidden away 3 days ago BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55267010
University of Portsmouth, sample of 4,500 students, a rate of 0.2% positive results, or about nine students
University of Cambridge – with zero positive cases from more than 10,000 students being screened
Edge Hill University – with zero positive cases from more than 2,100 students who took part in the mass testing since last week
University of Reading, 3,500 tests have been carried out for students without symptoms – finding 15 positive results, about 0.4% of tests
Why are we being told again and again that there is a problem at universities ???
December 14, 2020
Why is the PM caving in? All these one sided concessions!!!
Please tell him to get a backbone, the EU must not have control over us.
Do not lose sight of what they are up to which is part of their long game of tying us up again but with humilation!
I will not buy german kitchen appliances nor cars from now on. Neither will I buy french wine etc. if he caves in. And in doing so reduce the Trade Deficit by my few pounds in doing so.
At least I hope I would will stick to my principles!
December 16, 2020
You speak such common sense Sir John, how I wish you had belated John Major.