No deal is better than a bad deal with the EU

The UK official establishment cannot resist returning to negotiations with the EU. Why canā€™t they learn that the EU has no wish to offer us anything worth having. In or out, they see us as a soft touch for more money, an open market to sell to, and a source of fish. They see us as a competitive threat they must control by lop sided rules and regulations that impede us. As Single market Minister when they ā€œcompletedā€ the single market I saw from the inside how they undertook a power grab and wrote laws designed to advantage large French and German companies and institutions. They even tried to put through a law governing stock exchanges which would have made illegal the biggest European exchange, our market in London. I did get that toned down.

EU aims this tine are greedy and unhelpful. They wish to carry on denuding our waters of fish with ultra large industrial trawlers, damaging the marine environment and preventing growth of our fishing fleet in more appropriate vessels. They want to re invent freedom of movement for young people. They want to control us with more of their over the top laws. They want more money for their programmes. They want to bind us into their inadequate defences more, and sell us more weapons systems.

The Uk pathetically just seeks ā€œfriendshipā€ and closer ties. Maybe the government insists on easier rules for visiting musicians as the EU so far seeks to impede its citizens hearing Ā our talent, and maybe the government gets a vet certificate or two removed from our cheese exports. The paucity of the asks is embarrassing.

I was the only MP over Brexit who made the case for a clean exit, placing trade with the Ā EU on the most favoured nation basis of WTO rules. Anything else was bound to come at too high a price. I did not vote for the final Ā deal and expressed strong criticism of the outrageous treatment of Northern Ireland and the failure to take back control of our fish. The UK paid the EU too much money over a long transition for a free trade deal. Now we have one there is no need to try to improve it when the EU is only interested in making it worse for the UK..

81 Comments

  1. formula57
    February 5, 2025

    But isn’t Sir Starmer’s whole “re-set” effort wherever it blemishes not really more than “The Uk pathetically just seeks ā€œfriendshipā€ and closer ties”?

    And we know, surely, the Establishment’s treachery demands any deal for that for it is better than no deal at all.

    Reply
    1. Ian wragg
      February 5, 2025

      2TK loves international institutions . He says he prefers Davos to Westminster. He will concede anything to get us back on the Brussels gravy train.
      Reform just have to state that any detrimental agreement will be cancelled at the next election and that will kill it stone dead.
      Of course the tories won’t because they basically agree with Starmergeddon.

      Reply
      1. Mark B
        February 5, 2025

        He loves international institutions because they disenfranchise the indigenous populations at the expense of Socialist leaning institutions.

        Reply
      2. Donna
        February 5, 2025

        Precisely. I’m waiting for Kemi to state that the next “CONservative Government” will overturn any agreement Two-Tier reaches and will actually implement the result of the EU Referendum and LEAVE the EU.

        I’m not holding my breath.

        Reply
        1. beresford
          February 5, 2025

          Donna, why would you believe Kemi if she DID state this? Even if she genuinely intended to do this, her party wouldn’t let her. Reform are Britain’s only hope, and a faint one as they would likely be corrupted by the same Establishment that created the Uniparty.

          Reply
          1. Donna
            February 6, 2025

            I wouldn’t šŸ™‚ But she could at least make the pretence of supporting LEAVE.

      3. Lifelogic
        February 5, 2025

        Gravy train for some on the make perhaps? BUT NOT MOST PEOPLE.

        So our envy of the world legal system finds lucy Letby guilty of 15 murders and attempted murders and denies her even any appeal. This when the evidence suggest strongly there were no crimes by her or anyone else!

        How long before this incompetence is corrected by our dire legal system? Will she then be expected to pay board an lodging costs.

        Release her today she is a danger to no one but the reputation or our dire legal system.

        Reply
        1. Wanderer
          February 5, 2025

          +1 Ll. The Letby case seems to be an appealing “miscarriage of justice”. It suited accusers, her employer, police, prosecutors, medical experts to get swift “justice”. Now a doctor whose research was used to convict days his work was wrongly interpreted, and he and 13 other neonatal experts say there is no evidence of murder.

          Reply
          1. Wanderer
            February 5, 2025

            Appalling, not appealing. Spellchecker error.

      4. MFD
        February 6, 2025

        well said Ian, we need a total boycott of all eu produce!
        I already do that as I live in Devon and our farm produce straight from the field is so superior!

        Reply
    2. Peter Wood
      February 5, 2025

      Sir J. has it clearly. Starmer won’t actually say what he wants because he knows it is practically returning to EU membership, and will be seen as such. We also know that he’s perfectly capable of hiding discussions and deals to achieve this outcome. We need extreme vigilance from our Fourth Estate.
      Well, ‘Dear Rishi’ kicked this plan off….so?

      Reply
  2. Mark B
    February 5, 2025

    Good morning.

    No one held a gun (so to speak) to the UK’s head. Not back when we were negotiating our entry to the then EEC, and not when negotiating our so called exit. Infact, I think the EEC (of the French) actually did not want us, not at least until the Common Agricultural Policy was in place.

    The fact that we, as has been stated, keep coming back is of concern. If the previous ‘deals’ were not good enough, then why accept them in the first place ? Methinks something else is going on ? šŸ˜‰

    Reply
    1. Know-Dice
      February 5, 2025

      Remember the “Benn Bill” which stopped the UK leaving without a “deal”. What stupidity to tie the negotiators hands like that.

      Reply
      1. Ian B
        February 5, 2025

        @Know-Dice – the ā€œBenn Billā€ was a man’s ego set against the face of democracy just to play for his personal ego. Parliament as now, was against the UK and its People rather than serve they all have focused on personal, very personal self-esteem and ego. Looking for their next ‘free-loading’ place of work with more money thrown at them rather simply do what they ‘promised’ serve the electorate.
        The question we were asked has stay or leave, there was no third question of ‘hell’

        Reply
      2. Lifelogic
        February 5, 2025

        Surely pure TREACHURY FROM Benn, Starmer, Grieve, Subry, May and many more?

        Reply
      3. Denis Cooper
        February 5, 2025

        Likewise Theresa May gratuitously gave the Irish government a veto over any alternative solution to the largely fabricated Irish land border “conundrum”:

        http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2018/12/11/a-managed-exit-without-signing-the-withdrawal-agreement/#comment-980328

        “But it is not good enough to say, ā€˜We wonā€™t introduce a hard border; if the EU forces Ireland to do it, thatā€™s down to themā€™. We chose to leave; we have a responsibility to help find a solution.ā€”

        Nothing in the EU treaties about a withdrawing state having to solve any problems that causes for the others.

        Reply
      4. glen cullen
        February 5, 2025

        ….and 99% of MPs and 100% of the civil service agreed with the ‘Benn Bill’

        Reply
      5. MFD
        February 6, 2025

        āœ”ļøgot it in one

        Reply
    2. Peter
      February 5, 2025

      While we focus on the EU, Trump wants to take over the Panama Canal, Greenland and now Gaza.

      This from the man who going to bring peace and go back to isolationism.

      Like many politicians, once elected the outlook changes. Empire building and ā€˜Make Israel Great Againā€™ now hold sway for the benefit of donors and the presidentā€™s construction companies – but at the expense of the American taxpayer.

      Reply
      1. Wanderer
        February 5, 2025

        With Trump, wait and see. His modus operandi is to threaten, but back off if the threats achieve his aims (e.g. the Mexico tariffs).

        I’m not sure he’s reneged on any promises. No-one asked him if he eas going to take over Greenland…

        Reply
    3. Lifelogic
      February 5, 2025

      Politicians some big business and the state sector behaving in their personal interests or taking bribes perhaps. Perhaps just enjoying more, expenses paid, EU travel trips in some cases. The interests of voters as we see with Starmer is not remotely high on their concerns.

      Reply
  3. agricola
    February 5, 2025

    I can think of only one reason for appearing to wish to renew a masochistic relationship with an old mistress, and that would be to strengthen our negotiating position approaching a trade agreement with the USA.Donald will see them coming a mile off, and I doubt they have the talent for such thinking.

    We need to accept that we have placed our governance in the hands of a malign bunch of nobodies. The only positive is that they continue to dig in a hole of their own making. Their negative productivity is marked in shovels full per week. The introduction of blasphemy laws to curb free speach is the next step in the reversal of Magna Carta. Just as George Orwell could anticipate it in 1984 and Animal Farm so will the electorate in 2029 or sooner. I only hope that Nigel and Reform have comprehensive plans for the great reset of UK politics.

    Reply
  4. MBJ
    February 5, 2025

    The value of the pounds had fallen.Petrol price are going up. They’re saying that Trump has lost it offering peace and rebuilding of the strip.Rubbish , if the rivals for land insist on killing their occupants and then have the nerve to dispose of life and cause whole cities to fall ,then they are certainly not responsible custodians of any part of the planet.Grow up Gaza.

    Reply
  5. Wanderer
    February 5, 2025

    You are/were a very well-informed insider, have seen the EU for what it is, and call it out. Good on you. I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis, especially from my limited experience.

    I started off against it in 1975 – I come from a fishing community. The trawlers came, and took our fish. Later I moved away, actually warmed to the EU for a while before I started living and working on the continent. After 10 years in various EU states I had seen enough of the stifling, corrupt, greedy, dictatorial, anti-national nature of the institution. I campaigned for Brexit and have been dismayed that our politicians (you and a very few excepted) turned out to be EU stooges.

    Reply
    1. Ian B
      February 5, 2025

      @Wanderer – EU stooges, that take their orderā€™s from anyone and everyone that has no democratic legitimacy or connection to the UK, their personal ego has got in the way of serving those that empower and pay them.

      Reply
    2. Dave Andrews
      February 5, 2025

      EU stooges they are. They have been beguiled to see a beautiful and desirable maiden, whilst we see it for what it is – an ugly, fat troll.

      Reply
  6. oldwulf
    February 5, 2025

    Sir

    The 2016 democratic vote was “Leave”.
    Your “clean exit” would have honoured that vote.
    “Brexit” was not on the ballot paper and was a betrayal by the Establishment.

    The betrayal by the Establishment continues.
    Why ?

    Reply
    1. Ian B
      February 5, 2025

      @oldwulf – exactly.

      Personal ego of sore losers that wanted the UK ruled by the unelected unaccountable – is the only thing that comes to mind

      Reply
    2. glen cullen
      February 5, 2025

      Agree

      Reply
  7. David Andrews
    February 5, 2025

    I agree with you that a clean break would have been the best Brexit option. Recent insider revelations about KS, “couldn’t run a bath”, owes it all to McSweeny, “HR manager” and so on do not inspire confidence in a government which is beyond inept and obviously stupid. And we are stuck with this for five years unless Labour implodes from within.

    Reply
  8. Hugh C
    February 5, 2025

    The powers that be don’t value living in a democracy where the people are served by the State and our politicians can be removed by the people. The globalists want to run things for us and need to remove power from patriots who love their country of birth. The deception around this for decades is clear to see.

    Reply
    1. Lifelogic
      February 5, 2025

      Exactly. Voting, for blatant liars very often , gives very little control anyway. But even that is too much for them.

      Reply
  9. Sakara Gold
    February 5, 2025

    As once again, the price of gold hit new highs in many currencies, central banks continue to dominate the physical gold market – collectively buying more than 1,000 tonnes of gold in 2024 for the third year in a row and accounting for roughly 20% of total demand last year. Global bar and coin demand totalled 1,186 tonnes, roughly unchanged from 1,190 tonnes in 2023

    The World Gold Council said that total physical gold demand rose to 4,974 tonnes for the year – a record high – in its annual and fourth-quarter Gold Demand Trends report published Wednesday. Global gold supply increased by 1% last year, to a new record high of 4,974.5 tonnes, matching demand

    Renewed geopolitical uncertainty caused by the unpredictability of the new Trump administration sets the ground for further central bank demand in 2025 – central banks have been net buyers of gold for 15 consecutive years.

    Yesterday the spot price of gold hit Ā£73,566/kg or Ā£2288/oz, according to the London Bullion Market Association. The smart money continues to buy physical gold – in size.

    Reply
    1. IanT
      February 5, 2025

      I hold Gold ETC’s as a currency/inflation hedge SG and I am not unhappy with it’s performance recently. However, I will admit to not understanding exactly what is going on ‘under the surface’. It appears that very large amounts of physical metal are being moved from London to New York, possibly as arbitrage trades and worries about ‘paper’ gold. Trump’s potential tarifs seem to be a factor and possibly why folk are demanding actual physical delivery. There have also been shipment delays out of London (that further have worried some) but may simply be down to the rather arcane fact that different countries store gold in different ingot sizes.

      So unless someone really knows what they are doing, the Gold price is most certainly not something to speculate on. Having said all that, as a long term store of value, gold is much less volatile than the ‘ethereal’ virtual currencies.

      Reply
      1. Mitchel
        February 5, 2025

        FirstPost.com,30/10/24:”Why India secretly flew its 200 tonnes of gold stored in England back home.”

        Reply
      2. Sakara Gold
        February 6, 2025

        @IanT
        As far as I can gather, somebody is buying physical metal in size and shipping it into the COMEX exchange from London, Hong Kong and India. As is common with bullion trading, the buyer (s) are playing their cards close to their chest, but doubtless all will be revealed in due course. But the buying pressure is so strong there are opportunities to arbitrage as the physical price exceeds the futures price.

        A large buyer (s) in America is desperate to hold physical gold – and something similar is happening to physical silver. At a guess, i’d speculate it’s narcos desperate to dump $

        Reply
    2. Lifelogic
      February 5, 2025

      It is rather the price of fiat currencies, bit of paper plus government promises hit new lows.

      Reply
  10. Mickey Taking
    February 5, 2025

    We have successfully run for the hills, escaping the cold, foggy valley of restrained living and working.
    Why would we now look back and wish to turn again to search for ‘friends’?
    A bit like the institutionalised, given freedom they want back into routine and rules enforced by others, doubting being able to think and decide for themselves.
    We should continue to ‘look back in anger’.

    Reply
  11. Michelle
    February 5, 2025

    A heavy dose of incompetence in the initial negotiations matched only by the sheer hatred of the electorate and their audacity, and a sheer hatred of the nation itself.
    The propaganda that we would shrivel and die once out of the EU was endless (and I don’t even have a TV) The psychological warfare pushed on our younger ‘Uni’ types that have known nothing but left wing dogma in education and common culture, was and still is astounding. My experience of that group is that they believe the (leavers ed)have destroyed their future by voting to leave. It’s why they can’t get decent jobs, affordable housing, medical appointments and so forth (nothing to do of course with mass immigration of cheap Labour, not least Patel/Johnson’s extremely liberal policies).
    As for all those who voted to leave yet voted Labour in the last election, what can I say, it literally leaves me speechless.
    This is Labour for Heaven’s sake, they hate the nation state (particularly England) and want us bound and gagged in an International Socialist State.

    Reply
    1. IanT
      February 5, 2025

      I watched a political ‘commentator’ on TV (on the 5th anniversary) insist that our current high debt levels were solely down to our leaving the EU. She did this on several occassions and went completely unchallenged. Not once did the ‘Host’ point out that Covid has been (by far) the single largest cause of increased national debt.
      I turned off the TV and did something useful instead.

      Reply
  12. Sakara Gold
    February 5, 2025

    We have to get on with our neighbours, especially Ireland, France and Germany. They and the rest of the EU are signalling that they wish to improve relations with us. We should be trying to reduce the enormous costs of leaving – and agreed, we should be catching more of our own fish.

    A little under half of those who voted in the referendum wanted to stay in. Unfortunately the deal negotiated by Johnson, Govey and his lordship was awful. I voted Leave, but I did not vote for the “hard Brexit” favoured by Farage and Tice.

    We have lost the skilled Polish tradespeople for example, who have gone home – to be replaced by millions of unskilled economic migrants, who are after benefits and access to the NHS. Many would argue that what we have lost in leaving the EU outweighs the gains

    Reply
    1. formula57
      February 5, 2025

      @ Sakara Gold – I do not recall Leave or Remain offering “..millions of unskilled economic migrants, who are after benefits and access to the NHS”.

      And don’t our neighbours have to get on with us, especially Ireland, France and Germany?

      Reply
    2. Donna
      February 5, 2025

      The EU “doesn’t wish to improve relations with us.” They want to control and exploit us and our resources. Just as they always have.

      There was no such thing as “a hard Brexit.” There was Remain or Leave. We voted Leave.

      Reply
    3. Denis Cooper
      February 5, 2025

      There are no “enormous costs of leaving”, the economic impact has been marginal.

      Reply
      1. Sakara Gold
        February 5, 2025

        @ Denis Cooper
        Absolute rubbish. The UKā€™s continuing payments to the EU since the end of the transition period have exceeded Ā£20bn. If we include the 11 months of the transition period after the UK supposedly exited the EU, then the total increases to a staggering Ā£33.1bn. In July 2022 the government’s own estimate put the bill at Ā£42.5bn. It said the increase is due to the most recent valuation of the UK’s obligation for EU pensions. And that is before you factor in the lost exports, financial services income etc

        Reply
        1. Denis Cooper
          February 6, 2025

          If you think that these diminishing payments to the EU budget are “enormous costs” what would you have said if we had stayed in, that the increasing Ā£20 billion plus a year we would be paying in was not a lot? And arguably you would be right, in the context of our GDP which is over a hundred times bigger.

          Reply
        2. Denis Cooper
          February 6, 2025

          This summary has it about right:

          https://ukandeu.ac.uk/five-years-on-and-brexit-still-defines-the-uk-economy-and-will-continue-to/

          “Ultimately Brexit has not been the economic catastrophe some feared, nor has it delivered the transformative gains others envisioned.”

          but fails to acknowledge that little has been gained so far because there has been no transformation in the type of people running the country, who are still overwhelmingly pro-EU. My own estimate is that we have sacrificed about 1% of GDP through Brexit and another 1% through people trying to stop Brexit, and those anti-democratic disloyal elements feel no guilt at all for the damage they have done.

          Reply There is no evidence we have lost GDP from it. We have saved 0.7% of GDP per year in costs and taxes.

          Reply
    4. IanT
      February 5, 2025

      By coincidence, the guy about to refurbish our bathroom is Polish. He’s been here for over 20 years but has been buildng himself a new house back in Poland (it’s quite a palace too!) which he intends to retire to one day. He’s a skilled, self employed person, who contributes to our economy and pays his taxes. That’s fine by me.
      Brexit clearly did give us the ability to control our borders, at least as far as “legal” migration is concerned. The fact that it has not been managed at all well (and has been abused) is an entirely different matter.

      Reply
  13. Bryan Harris
    February 5, 2025

    The UK paid the EU too much money over a long transition for a free trade deal.

    That was down to the establishment that refused to stand up to the EU and the government of the time. Boris with his alleged brinkmanship has a lot to answer for.

    There’s nothing to trust about our current regime – it’s all too clear that they will do all they can to give the EU a winning hand while we all suffer their oppression.

    Reply
  14. Donna
    February 5, 2025

    No deal has always been better than a poor deal with the EU. But the amassed ranks of MPs from the Westminster Uni-Party refused to implement the result of the EU Referendum and actually LEAVE the EU. We got stitched up with a deal which was designed and intended to keep us semi-attached so that we could be dragged back in the future. Sunak started the process with the Windsor Treachery; Two-Tier will continue it.

    The Establishment will never learn. It isn’t a question of “learning” anything. The governing class has vastly more wealth-generating career opportunities in supra-national organisations like the UN, EU and WEF. Their roles in the UK are just seen as a stepping stone to their “global opportunities.”

    Until we get a Parliament which has a majority of British Patriots who are prepared to actually LEAVE the EU and dismantle Blair’s Constitutional shackles nothing will change.

    If you want reform, you have to vote for people who will do it.

    Reply
    1. Mitchel
      February 5, 2025

      The imperial establishment(which remains in place)thought they would be able to do a reverse takeover of the EU by joining it,just like an earlier generation believed that by selling out to the US would enable them to become the “Greeks to the Americans Romans”.And the obsession with Ukraine is just another desperate attempt to find a ‘new India’.

      With a new world order, in which the UK has no obvious place,rushing in,they have run out of options.

      Reply
  15. Ian B
    February 5, 2025

    Sir John
    I agree with every word you have said.

    My regret is we have not had a Parliament that believes in the UK, that understands democracy, that understands their responsibility as Legislators, all we have had is ‘free-loaders’ that want foreign unelected, unaccountable wannabees to dictate to them what they must do for the benefit of their(other players) personal ego.
    They have refused to support, work or represent the UK. The People of the UK are not against the Peoples of other Countries they are against the dictators from else-where pushing us around for their personal satisfaction.

    Reply
  16. Kenneth
    February 5, 2025

    We can have golod relations with other countries without having to enter into these “agreements”.

    Reply
    1. Ian B
      February 5, 2025

      @Kenneth +1
      Agreements more like a gun to the head. The EU treats Russia and China better than they do the UK. The EU imported ā‚¬39.6 billion from China yet donā€™t have to have the unelected unaccountable EU Commission telling them what to do, they donā€™t have the EU telling them that the fish in their waters belong to the EU and so on.

      Reply
  17. Linda Brown
    February 5, 2025

    Agree everything you say. We should have just left the table with No Deal and gone our own way. It is very worrying that we have such behind the scenes going on with people who have never got over the people having their say. We know best and they should listen.

    Reply
  18. IanT
    February 5, 2025

    One thing that comes across quite strongly when Trump speaks, is his complaints about Balance of Trade. We used to focus on BoT until it became very ‘unbalanced’ at which point our Leaders moved the focus to GDP. Our trade with the EU has been very out of balance for a long time and it’s effectively a transfer of wealth. We should be much tougher with the EU but first we need to be energy and food self-sufficient …

    Reply
  19. glen cullen
    February 5, 2025

    ”I was the only MP over Brexit who made the case for a clean exit”
    And I thank you for that SirJ, keep fighting the good fight

    Reply
  20. majorfrustration
    February 5, 2025

    The supposed reset with the EU is just another way of splitting the status of being “in government” and the sub contracting of decision making. Stammer gets to strut around the world stage spreading smooth pointless words whilst the EU pulls our strings and the UK jumps through the hoops.

    Reply
  21. Denis Cooper
    February 5, 2025

    Not entirely off topic, at 13.00 today:

    https://mailchi.mp/policyexchange/507211011-4723684?e=421327b755

    “National Defence Requirements and 21st Century War: Why the Union is important”

    and here is a letter I sent to the Irish Times yesterday responding to part of this article:

    https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2025/02/04/uk-eu-relations-must-move-away-from-perception-of-winners-and-losers/

    “UK-EU relations ā€˜must move away from perception of winners and losersā€™, minister says”

    “Sir

    You report that:

    “EU officials and diplomats have stressed that any deal on defence would need to be part of a wider package. The EU is pushing for such a deal to include an agreement on fishing rights and a scheme allowing young people to move between the EU and UK to study and work for a number of years. ”

    So have I got this right? The EU thinks that for the privilege of helping to defend EU member states against military attack we must allow them to pillage our fishing grounds and agree that all their young citizens must be free to come and work here, and no doubt in many cases stay on permanently after they were supposed to go home.

    Here is a better idea. In exchange for the UK continuing to help defend EU member states, including your own neutral state, the EU will lift the burden of EU law off Northern Ireland and agree to the removal of the hard border it has had erected on the island of Ireland separating the two parts of the UK, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

    What do you think? Could we count on the support of Dublin for such a “pragmatic” evolution in UK-EU relations?

    Yours etc”

    Reply
  22. Nick
    February 5, 2025

    Is it so very cynical to suspect the EUā€™s parallel career structure might secretly appeal to some Rejoiner politicians with small majorities and an uncertain future?

    The glittering example of the Kinnock family, Lord Mandelson and others, surely reminds them how grateful the EU can be to its loyal friends.

    No doubt such people are chiefly driven by the highest of vocations for selfless service. Still, it must be nice to discover public duty so little at odds with private interest.

    Reply
  23. Derek
    February 5, 2025

    When we voted to leave in 2016, we should have really left and, as with the RoTW, negotiated new trade deals with the EU from a strong position of independence.
    Mrs May, then PM, had that opportunity which the EU Council President Tusk had proposed. Sadly, she refused to leave without a deal upfront because of her lack of political and business talents. Duh. And a succession of naive PMs followed a similar path to leave “Brexit” unfinished.
    We’ve been let down by the “Establishment” who have always refused to accept the democratic decision of the British people.
    Our current PM, another socialist who is completely out of his depth, joins their club and no doubt, again relies upon the covert ‘Remainer’ Establishment figures, who believe they run the country rather than the elected ministers.
    I do believe they have been at it for three decades and all we’ve got is another fine mess. What next for Little Britain?

    Reply
  24. Denis Cooper
    February 5, 2025

    Hilary Benn nominally speaking on behalf of the UK government but slavishly parroting the EU’s language:

    https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/hilary-benn-rejects-preferred-unionist-sea-border-solution-as-magical-thinking-4975462

    “Hilary Benn rejects preferred unionist sea border solution as ‘magical thinking'”

    “The Secretary of State has rubbished mutual enforcement as a solution to the Irish Sea border branding it ā€œmagical thinkingā€ ā€“ as he defends the Windsor Framework as a ā€œbig step forwardā€ and praises the DUPā€™s efforts on its Safeguarding the Union deal.”

    That is ‘magical thinking’ from a senior EU official and two professors of law, silly billies weren’t they.

    Reply
  25. Bloke
    February 5, 2025

    A clean EU Exit was the best choice the govt should have made. We could then have choosen whatever suited us with a clean start, instead of the sticky unpleasant mess that Keir Starmer is brewing to our continuing disadvantage.
    Tomorrowā€™s questions at PMQs may focus on whether his early claims about his own behaviour during Covid lockdown misled parliament. Whether he did or not, parliament and the UK would have a better future if he were out of controlling, and out of our way.

    Reply
  26. Original Richard
    February 5, 2025

    The giving away of UK territory to Mauritius, a country which never owned the Chagos Islands, which is not the closest country to the Islands anyway and who is heavily influenced by the Chinese whilst acting against the wishes and interests of the UK, the Chagossians themselves and our closest and biggest NATO ally is clear evidence that we have elected the Manchurian Candidate as PM.

    So what EU deal can we expect? The giving away of our fishing grounds to the EU (Iā€™m sure our PM can find a suitable international court that says we should) and then paying the EU for our meagre access and in return we will agree to accept free movement of all the EUā€™s youths including illegal immigrants?

    Reply
  27. Denis Cooper
    February 5, 2025

    I can’t decide whether the EU is best described as “arrogant” or “insolent”.

    But they only get away with it because too many of our politicians are at least as much on their side as on ours.

    I made that comment about Theresa May, obviously it applies even more to Hilary Benn:

    http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2018/11/13/the-pound-bounces-around/#comment-972913

    “… Prime Minister Theresa May does not see her role in the Brexit negotiations as being on our side working for our national interests, but more to act as a kind of intermediary to strike compromises between the interests of the UK and those of the EU. And especially the national interests of the Irish Republic … “

    Reply
  28. Old Albion
    February 5, 2025

    Starmer wants to rejoin the EU. He is an anti-democrat. Everthing he says about his plans is mired in obfuscation.
    This government is the worst to be inflicted on us for many decades. It needs to be reined in. Where is the Kings official opposition? Hiding behind the benches, because many of them agree with him.

    Reply
    1. beresford
      February 5, 2025

      He is a globalist, as are most of the so-called ‘Conservatives’. He continues globalist policies of erasing national identities with mass immigration. Meanwhile we are reducing farmland and energy supplies in order to make us dependent on the EU. ‘We can’t control our fisheries, the EU would switch off the power’.

      Reply
  29. David Frank Paine
    February 5, 2025

    What is the driving force for those who want to surrender UK freedoms and independence to the EU?
    Why should a trade deal be used to influence the way a nation state governs its citizens?
    I’m still baffled 50 years after the first referendum on the Common Market (a Trojan Horse).

    Reply
  30. Peter Gardner
    February 5, 2025

    “As Single market Minister when they ā€œcompletedā€ the single market I saw from the inside how they undertook a power grab and wrote laws designed to advantage large French and German companies and institutions.”

    The most rapacious of all the greedy grabs of the EU was its rushed agreement of the CFP just before UK joined because it could see Heath would accept any conditions to get UK into the EU. Heath told his negotiators ‘to swallow the lot’. they did, hook, line and sinker as the EU calmly stole our fish.
    We have yet to correct this.
    Now it has its claws into Ukraine. Germany refused to send arms until 3 days after the Russian invasion and did so then, only on condition Zelensky signed away the future sovereignty of Ukraine to the EU. Why? So the EU could gain control of Ukraine’s vast mineral reserves of which lithium and rare earths alone are valued at up to US$13 trillion. Von Der Leyen declared in late ’24 that post war reconstruction would be directed towards EU Green Energy. Since then of course, other countries havs ioncreased development of rare earths and critical minerals. But at least the EU will expand its empire at little cost – except for Ukrainian lives.

    Reply
    1. Peter Gardner
      February 5, 2025

      PS. Of course exploitation of Ukraine’s resources will be mainly by German companies, France having nuclear energy, with vast profits funded by international aid, which will include, no doubt, squillions from Britain for nothing in return..

      Reply
    2. Mitchel
      February 5, 2025

      See also Rio Tinto’s problematic attempts to open a lithium mine in Serbia.

      New Statesman,25/125:”The Battle for the Soul of Serbia”:-

      “The need for lithium is driving a global race for resources-and plans for a mine 120 miles from Belgrade have triggered social and political turmoil.”

      Reply
  31. agricola
    February 5, 2025

    I have begun to see the performance of the current UK government as so appalling as to warrant a rethink of the way we run democracy. Giving a government of zealots and incompetents free reign for five years, particularly when their electoral support was so limited at the election, is very bad for democracy.

    Perhaps we should consider having a referee on government performance and whether they fulfill the wishes of the people at large. A body of supreme government, a privy council of wise elders who in extremis can say enough is enough, but do no more than trigger a general election. We have such for the law, sport and most professional bodies. We have nothing, bar revolution, to call time on a rogue government. What are your thoughts.

    Reply Labour is not going to vote for such a law!

    Reply
    1. Donna
      February 6, 2025

      Reply to reply.

      Neither would the Not-Conservative-Party šŸ™‚ Those “wise elders” might have decided that importing 1.2 million, mostly non-contributing immigrants, in one year when you have “promised” to reduce annual immigration from an already unacceptable 300,000 a year justified a General Election.

      Reply
  32. forthurst
    February 5, 2025

    Farmers have access to red diesel with a greatly reduced rate of tax for agricultural machinery. Why not trawlermen? Unfortunately, the Environment Agency is infested with Arts graduates who are more interested in saving the planet that facilitating the production of home produced food. Our Exclusive Economic Zone contains the richest source of marine wealth in the North Atlantic; we need to harvesting this exclusively.
    Our trawler fleet was substantially reduced by an EU scheme to buy up and scrap our trawlers so that the French and Spanish could pillage our fish. This scheme needs to go into reverse with subsidies for British trawlermen to acquire boats; furthermore, the Environmental agency needs to stop nominating zones for individual trawlers as the fish do nor stay in one place and their spawning grounds and those for harvesting are not static. Of course, Arts graduates are not aware of any of this as their fund of useful knowledge is zilch. The Environmental Agency needs to abolished and all its jobsworths including its Board needs to be sacked.

    Reply
  33. Ian B
    February 5, 2025

    A crazy egotistical world of the Politicos, particularly those of the Left, the Wets, the one nationalist, the ones that want a globalist undemocratic World.
    From the Telegraph
    Mr Trump said that ā€œallā€ Palestinians in Gaza should ā€œbe resettledā€, saying there was no alternative for them because Gaza was a ā€œdemolition siteā€. He promised to rebuild the strip into the ā€œRiviera of the Middle Eastā€.
    “some place where they can live and not die”
    The BBC then reports it will take 21 years with people living there for the mess to be cleaned up.

    The real takeaway – it is a real ā€œdemolition siteā€ not for for human habitation(as the media repeatedly shows us) it needs rebuilding and the USA Taxpayer will start over and rebuild it.

    The media, the politicos pick out sound bites and as Trump is not a die-hard Socialist they nit pick and twist thing to suit personal left agendas. He is a love or hate character. But has he been wrong so far?

    The media’s and left wing politicos say ‘Trade War’ Is hardly a trade war of his making, he is kicking back at those that penalise the USA already.
    Mexico & Canada wasnā€™t just about Trade but about drugs, criminality and people trafficking.
    China the Worlds 2nd largest economy designated by the WTO as a third world developing Nation, so can impose unfetter restrictions on other nations.
    The treats to the EU are simply that the EU threatens the World with restrictive practises and tariffs causing harm to others – not just the USA.

    Reply
  34. Keith from Leeds
    February 5, 2025

    As we now clearly see, the PM is dishonest, has no vision for the UK, is economically ignorant and is determined to destroy the UK. Everything he and his government do is against the UK and weakens it for the future.
    Trying to reset our relationship with the EU, which means rejoining, will destroy our limited independence as a nation. Only limited because May was useless, and Boris Johnson was not much better, while Hilary Benn, with the support of most Labour and Conservative MPs, damaged our negotiating position beyond repair.
    I suggest Starmer and Benn, for a start, should be on trial for treason regarding the EU, and Starmer and the rest of them should be charged with treason in respect of the Chagos Islands. Perhaps, Sir John, you could advise how that can be done!

    Reply
  35. Ian B
    February 5, 2025

    ā€œKeir Starmer’s Brexit pointman discusses ‘concrete’ Brexit ‘reset’ with EU chief – as Brussels demands youth free movement and fisheries concessionsā€

    The UK Fishermen manage the stocks in UK waters to keep them at a healthy sustainable level. The EU has destroyed their own stocks and want to define what can be taken from UK waters and by whom. That to the EU is fair and rational trade ā€“ they get what they want everyone else pays.

    On the face of the rumours Starmer is to put another nail in the coffin of a UK with a future sacrificed on his personal ego and need, desperate need to appease others before doing his job of just simply managing the UK

    Reply
  36. glen cullen
    February 5, 2025

    Net-Zero update –
    Vauxhall Luton: Council ‘extremely disappointed and angry’ as Stellantis confirms ‘heartbreaking’ closure of factory
    https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/people/vauxhall-luton-council-extremely-disappointed-and-angry-as-stellantis-confirms-heartbreaking-closure-of-factory-4977355

    Reply
    1. Donna
      February 6, 2025

      Every cloud …. I think Labour’s two MPs for Luton (Rachel Hopkins and Sarah Owen) will be collecting their P45s in 2029.

      As will the ones in Sunderland if Nissan goes.

      Reply
  37. Will in Hampshire
    February 5, 2025

    Tomorrow I hope that our host kindly shares with us his opinion about the new American proposals for the Gaza strip. I read somewhere today some rather disparaging commentary in the President was referred to as the “developer-in-chief”, which the author no doubt thought was rather witty but seems to me to belittle the importance of his statement if it forces a dramatic rethink of interests and objectives in that part of the Mediterranean.

    Reply
  38. a-tracy
    February 7, 2025

    What fines do the UK apply to the EU for shipping us rotten meat? We have only noticed now because better food import checks are done after trusting the EU for decades.

    Reply

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