Years of being in the Common Fishery Policy saw the UK move from being self sufficient and a net exporter of fish to being an importer. Our fushing fleet was greatly reduced and a majority of the quotas to catch the main controlled species were given to continental boats.
There was no agreement over fishing post Brexit so the two lartiesagreed to a so called Transition guaranteeing continental boats the rights to fish they enjoyed in the EU. The idea was transition to the UK taking control in 2026, presumably to restore a good sized Uk fishing industry. Coastal states who are no members of EU have yearly discussion when awarding quota and rights to fish to foreign fleets.
The UK should now take back control of our waters. The government should back a big expansion of our fleet with grants and loans for people to buy boats. It should promote industrial use in coastal town to process fish and add value to food.
The pro EU lobby say the fish in our waters are nit our fish as they can swim to EU waters. In that case why doesn’t the EU catch them closer to home instead of wanting to come into our fishing grounds?
The UK has a large coastline , generous fishing grounds and a long tradition of seafaring.It us crazy to give away our fish on such a huge scale and end up importing.
May 18, 2025
You make very good points and some very sensible suggestions on ways to take back control of our waters and rebuild our fishing industry.
I do wonder whether we still have people with the right skill set to work in any new fishing fleet we establish.
The real question is, does Sir Keir et Al have the will to do such a thing, especially now he appears to be keen to draw nearer to the EU?
One final question Sir John…. Do you think Brussels would use our reliance on EU electricity via interconnects, as a lever to maintain their access to our territorial waters?
Reply Yes, but they will not need to as this government will give in without silly threats.
May 18, 2025
The EU and 2TK are on the same side of the table negotiating against an empty chair representing the UK population — there will be no help from 2TK.
The best we can hope for is that the EU will temper its demands if it understands that 2TK is going to be a one term PM and that any agreement can and probably will be terminated by the next government.
This message needs to be sent loud and clear by all those who believe in a sovereign United Kingdom.
May 18, 2025
Trouble is that another 4 years before the election will probably b too late as our waters may well be fished out. They have already virtually killed fishing in the Med. Just yesterday a fisherman was on tv saying he can no longer catch fish as the French with their electric fishing have emptied his fishing ground. Didn’t catch where is working, but he said he now has to fish for shellfish, crabs, lobster and whelks. which is not so profitable. A Labour activist clown took the mickey and said, ‘what’s he worried about, he doesn’t need fish, he’s got his shellfish’ – typical attitude of this government – no empathy, no ideas, just left wing zealotry and EU madness. We will lose all our fishing grounds if this crowd of clowns get their way. Anyway, by the time of any change there will be no young people with the skills or determination to do this hard job.
May 18, 2025
+1
Both Nigel and Kemi have said they would rip up Two-Tier’s “reset.”
I believe Nigel.
May 18, 2025
Sir Kier and Miliband have everything wrong on energy, on the EU, on fishing, on immigration, on free movement.
On fishing Heath first betrayed the fishermen (and the few fisherwomen) plus the many processor industries. Boris did this yet again with his duff half Brexit deal. Now Starmer we have had government for many years who do not act for the interests UK voters.
May 18, 2025
What about all of us who love fish and chips? Are we not betrayed too?
May 18, 2025
Indeed and I like almost all fish and seafood.
May 19, 2025
We could allow the EU 50% of our sticklebacks taxed at £40 per fish + VAT, payable in advance, controlled by UK marine inspectors.
May 18, 2025
We are Importing on average 18% of our electricity, the majority from France. Micron will use this as a lever to get what it wants. Milibrain has no interest in protecting UK fishing because the diesel exhaust CO2 will belong to the EU.
The governments destruction of all industries continues unabated and giving away our fish is just the latest chapter.
May 18, 2025
Ot looks very much like the Chagos fiasco has hit the buffers. Mauritius welcoming the Chinese delegates about close cooperation and the liebour back benches up on arms about cutting benefits but giving £9 billion to Mauritius. Perhaps now Reform are sweeping all before them some MPs are getting nervous about losing their trough.
May 18, 2025
Indeed. But Starmer told us the deal was absolutely vital for our national security. Someone should ask him why that doesn’t matter any more.
May 18, 2025
The current Govt fails to protect UK interests in fishing and much else.
May 18, 2025
Who in government is prepared to re- establish our 200 mile or median line maritime borders. Reform apart, who in the HoC is interested. Our rightful border is only significant to France in particular when it comes to harvesting illegal immigrants. What you say makes sense, but is just wishful thinking until after the next GE.
May 18, 2025
Probably even after the next election we shall see.
May 18, 2025
Yes – Reform will cave. They don’t even have a Shadow Cabinet according to Rupert Lowe, and make policy over a pint in the pub.
What could go wrong?
May 18, 2025
Who do you want to be the next PM Lynn?
May 18, 2025
David Frost.
May 19, 2025
Ah yes Lynn that great negotiator David Frost never before elected by anyone and now elevated to the Lords – and we complain about the unelected in Europe?
May 18, 2025
@agricola; “re- establish our 200 mile or median line maritime borders”
We can not do what you suggest, without support from the UN, and what difference would it make anyway, every other ‘European’ county would do likewise, go study a marine map for pity sake, rather than keep blowing nationalistic trumpets. The only country your suggestion would help is Iceland, fishing grounds the UK fleet needs access to!
May 18, 2025
Jerry
You need to search…international waters laws
Have nice long read as I have and get your facts right.
May 19, 2025
@MiB; I already have, unlike you it would appear, given we are talking about EEZs, not laws on piracy etc!
May 19, 2025
Wrong.
For EEZ to apply there has to be a 200 mile gap.
Otherwise UNCLOS applies.
May 19, 2025
@MiB; If only the UNCLOS applies what’s the point of the following UN Treaties on;
1/. “Innocent passage”
2/. “Transit passage”
3/. “Exclusive Economic Zone”
I think you will fine the 200nm limit of a EEZ is the *maximum* distance from the baseline (low water mark), in other words were two countries are less than 400nm apart each of their EEZs will be reduced by equal measures. If you look at a EEZ map for the UK and EU27+ there is a boundary running up the middle of the English Channel, the North Sea, whilst another boundary runs up the Irish Sea between England/Wales and the ROI.
So as I said, most of the UKs EEZs were at one time or another disputed, in other words we do not necessarily have the full 200nm to our EEZs.
May 19, 2025
Off on a tangent again Jerry proving you never actually searched the Internet as I suggested.
Simply put…there is 200 miles unless nearby nations are closer than that.
Then it is 12 miles.
If nations are closer than that, the gap is divided in two.
Some nations…like your example of the English Chsnnel have agreed a seperation zone.
Hope this helps.
May 21, 2025
@MiB; Martin, you have clearly not even bothered to do yourself what you advise me to do!
“Then it is 12 miles.”
Only true the narrowest part of the English Channel off the Kent cost, the respective British and French EEZs for the English channel off the IOW are wider, as are the EEZs in the Irish Sea, each being aprox 24nm. Whatever.
May 18, 2025
Successive governments since the Maastricht treaty was introduced by John Major have failed to protect our borders, they have failed to protect our territorial coastal waters from foreign exploitation and have failed to protect our sovereign right to independence. Since we instructed the government back in 2016 to leave the EU, curtail its influence over UK laws, and our trade freedoms the efforts of state agents to block and actually remove those instructions has been shameful.
We voted to recover our sovereignty.
Our national fishing industry was sacrificed by Ted Heath gifting it to the other EEC/EU members to exploit with no quid pro quo asked for or offered. Since that disastrous fishing rights capitulation by Heath our once bustling coastal towns and fishing industry along with its associated support industries has died.
It is time to rebuild one of the key components of sovereign security i.e. food supply. It is time to return the right to fish in our own waters to our own people.
If only we had a government focused on national interests to call on to make it happen.
Hey ho in 2029 it will be done, if all goes to plan.
May 18, 2025
Agree, we need to support our fishing ports. But Fish caught in UK waters are not species eaten by British consumers. So we need to sell them to the EU. To do that we need a deal with the EU – a better one than the rubbish deal negotiated by Frost and Johnson. So you should be praising Mr Starmer for helping to build a better future for British fish
May 18, 2025
Letting the EU plunder our coastal waters with super trawlers benefits us how!!!!!
May 18, 2025
Of course we eat the species we catch. Maybe the ‘new British’ don’t eat kippers, preferring kebab, but we sell the excess and the most expensive for which there is a limited local market.
We don’t eat tiny fish of course, because we want them to grow, so our nets low them through. The Continentals hoover up and eat everything – even songbirds.
May 18, 2025
Good news ! We already have a no Tarif no quota FTA with the EU which means we can already sell fish to them ! Hadn’t you heard ?
May 18, 2025
So, we don’t eat cod, halibut or herring?
May 18, 2025
@Bernard. Sometimes the “fish not eaten by Brits” is not the case, it’s just there is a better price for export. A lot of our shellfish (prawn, crab, lobster) gets sent straight overseas, so doesn’t figure in our home consumption statistics. Other species (eg. Spider crab, cuttlefish, whelk) have a tiny market here but are a very lucrative catch for our fishermen.
No reason to let foreigners catch them and make all the profit, with little respect for maintaining local stocks.
.
May 18, 2025
I’m sure British people could be educated to eat the fish caught in our waters. It just needs some interesting cookery programmes, fronted by some big names.
May 18, 2025
During Brexit even after a democratic vote there were court cases judicial reviews, some were unfortunately successful, that Gina woman springs to mind. So how come a Starmer can sneak us back under the EU thumb without a whisper. Surely what he is doing is simply against democracy. Most outside Westminster can see what he is doing will damage the U.K. it is not democracy but shear hypocrisy.
May 18, 2025
You wanted out of the EU because the EU negotiated trade deals on our behalf. Now, because of Brexit, the UK negotiates its own trade deals. But, as Mr Starmer does exactly that, you claim it is against democracy. You really didn’t understand what you were voting for
May 18, 2025
Those who voted to leave the EU knew exactly what we were voting for. Sadly the state agents who have the task of delivering it had other ideas of their own and paid no attention to the democratic decision taken by the UK electorate.
Theresa May along with the motley band of EU support staff the Miller woman, Bercow. Heseltine, Major. Haig and too many other anti democracy to list, made sure the decision of the nation would not be delivered.
Here we are almost ten years on ad we are still waiting to leave the EU.
May 18, 2025
@Rod Evans; “Those who voted to leave the EU knew exactly what we were voting for.”
Yes, whatever they thought they were voting for, or wanted, not actually the simplistic question asked!
There was 28 different campaign groups or manifestos, with vastly differing views on what “Brexit” would mean, all seeking the same Leave vote.
May 18, 2025
Leave means complete independence from the EU.
Why am I not surprised you can’t comprehend that?
David Cameron understood. He said ‘we are out the next day’ David Dimbleby said similar.
There was absolutely no confusion.
May 19, 2025
@LA; In YOUR opinion Lynn. Thanks for making MY point for me!
Go read those 27 other Brexit manifestos, not just the one you did read, there were many opinions on what Leave might mean, heck one (and often debated on this very site before June 2016) was called “Flexcit” and looked to Norway’s relationship with the EU as a model.
If only we had left on WTO rules, if only Cameron had had the guts to remain in post and do as he suggested! By the way, David Dimbleby merely said “we’re out”, when the result became clear around 5am.
May 19, 2025
Strange how all Remain voters and you Jerry, all knew exactly what they were voting for.
Apparently there were no different opinions and ideas about how the EU (with the UK as a member) should develop in the future.
May 19, 2025
@MiB; As many Remain voters were in the dark as to what they were voting for as those voting Leave were, given there were something like 19 Remain campaign groups each with their own manifestos.
Put me on a plinth if you wish Martin but yes, by the time we voted, I did understand that there was no single version of either Brexit or Remain, that the nation was being asked to vote for a *very* simplistic notion, that specific detail and options would come later, either for Parliament to approve or be pout back to the people.
May 19, 2025
Like everyone Jerry you had to listen to all the arguments and decide to either not vote or vote remain or vote leave.
You are no different to everyone who voted.
May 18, 2025
No, we wanted ‘out of the EU’ because we could not sack our lawmakers, because our population was being replaced without let or hinder, because our wealth was being stolen and because the politics of the Continent, being a fascist/communist schism, is alien to the U.K. where we prefer Capitalism over Corporatism, Rule by Consent and a law abiding nation (ie people who are related over thousands of years).
We don’t need any politician to conclude trade deals except where there are tariff’s against us – and the EU has a tariff wall against the whole world which is why it’s dying, and deserves to.
May 18, 2025
He is not negotiating a trade deal. He is surrendering to the EU. I Kmew exactly what I was voting for. That was to leave the EU lock stock and barrel. Not for someone to take us back in through the back door disguised as a trade deal. What has committing to the ECHR got to do with trade. What has free movement got to do with trade. We don’t have other foreign courts dictating to us.
May 18, 2025
I take it selling our armed forces to a European dictate and paying for the privilege is trade. Well it’s not for me. It’s a sell out to the French and Germans. NATO is already in place. Only our Government, as bad as it is should be able to send our troops anywhere.
May 18, 2025
@Scallion; More to the point, many on this site do not appear to understand why they vote, never mind what they vote for… 🙁
May 18, 2025
Who? Apart from you and Scallion? Fortunately Hefner can’t vote in the U.K.
May 18, 2025
@LA; Many seem to think they voted for a specific form of Brexit back in 2016, not the just concept (of Brexit); had the UK left on WTO rules, left (as we did) via Johnson’s WA, or left the EU and then joined the EEA a minute later, all are ‘Brexit’ in some form.
Then there are those who appear unwilling to accept the clear majority Starmer gained in 2024, and that no current future government can be held hostage by a previous governments policies, thus Starmer has ever constitutional right to govern as he see fit, just as Thatcher did.
Reply Of course Labour can govern badly, imposing VAT on school fees, undermining family farms, putting a heavy tax on jobs etc. All those can be reversed by a change of government. What he should not do is sign away powers to self govern to the EU in an international Treaty seeking to bind a future government.
May 19, 2025
@JR reply; Constitutionally, the elected government can do what they jolly well like, and governments have done just that in the past, and the recent past at that; did we have a referendum to approve Johnson’s WA, that signed away UK Parliament(s) ability to fully oversee and/or govern NI?
This is all just sour grapes, having won a battle some are now smarting because they lost the war due to their own belligerence. Brexit was on a golden platter at the end of June 2016, only to be split en route from Kitchen to dinning room.
May 18, 2025
Only Jerry knows why he votes and what he votes for.
Everyone else is inferior
What a pompous and ridiculous post from you Jerry.
May 19, 2025
@Sam; What a pompous and ignorant post from you Sam, nothing but hyperbolic opinion and no facts.
What can’t you grasp, beyond whatever Brexit manifesto you personally voted for there were 27 others, all seeking the same X on the ballot paper, given there were only two options – Leave or Remain.
I take it Sam, you voted for the ‘Socialist Party’ version of Brexit, or was it the ‘Trade Unionists Against the EU’ version, perhaps you just wanted the British Lbs, ounce, gallon, pint, yard and inch back (yes seriously, there was a ‘British Weights and Measures’ Brexit too)?… 😛
Reply There was only one Brexit to vote for. Take back control. That is what we all agreed to do. So do not give control away.
May 19, 2025
You said people who voted Leave didn’t know why they voted nor what for Jerry.
Apart from you and all Remain voters obviously.
A very silly nonsensical comment from you.
May 19, 2025
@JR reply; Yes, only one box on the ballot paper, but 28 different campaign groups with their differing version of what Brexit meant.
@Sam; Wrong, there were something like 19 different versions of Remain, so Remain voters didn’t know what they were voting for either; anything from those (groups) who wanted a minimalist involvement to those who wanted a fully Federalist European Union, complete with the UK adopting the Euro etc.
May 19, 2025
So only you know why you voted and what you voted for Jerry.
Glad we got that sorted !
May 18, 2025
Utter tripe. The EU is not interested in a trade deal, just how much it can suck out of the UK as they did all the time we were members – high membership costs and a 100 billion trade deficit. They just need our money. Wait and see what they impose on Starmer in exchange for nothing of value to us.
May 18, 2025
@graham1946; “a 100 billion trade deficit”
No one forced us to buy more from the EU than we sold within the block, we chose to for any number of reasons, consumer choice, necessity, or just political whims that realigned our economy.
“They just need our money.”
We chose not to partake in many of the EU Commissions political or development projects, thus we tended to miss out during the pay-back spending rounds.
We became our own worst enemy!
May 19, 2025
Never seen such a stupid reply, Jerry.
May 18, 2025
Trade Deals don’t usually include giving the so-called Trade Partner the ability to legislate and regulate for your entire country.
It’s not a trade deal; it’s a plan to move us from semi-detached, to semi-attached and then, after several more steps, into a formal Associate Membership.
May 18, 2025
@Donna; But the EEC/EU has never been just a “Trade Deal”, nor was that fact hidden, there is a BBC Panorama interview from 24 Jan 1972 [1], just after Heath signed the Treaty of Accession, were he spoke openly about the need for political alignment, even eventual monitory union.
[1] it might be available via the BBC iPlayer, it appears to have been deleted from YouTube
May 19, 2025
You’ve forgotten Heath’s speech on sovereignty Jerry
May 18, 2025
Let’s rebuild all of our industries, fishing, farming… and the economy. We just need reliable, on demand energy at US prices )circa 25% of current UK ones), taxes at 50% of current, government at 50% of current but still doing the few right things government can do best, the legal system scam needs addressing, quality only immigration, vast deregulation, relax planning, scrap net zero, unblock the roads… it is hardly rocket science. But the uni-party have had the reverse agenda for most of my life.
May 18, 2025
That sounds like a perfect manifesto LL. Go for it Just need to add in the modernisation of our National Health Service and the establishment of a sane migration policy.
May 18, 2025
The whole political class must be destroyed and replaced by people we would choose!
I would choose Rupert Lowe. He is a farmer, he owned a football club, he is successful, he has energy, all his assets and family depend on the success of the U.K.
We need 600 people who fall into that same category. We had them when the people selected freely. Even the Labour Party had Honourable Members!
Until that issue is put right we will fail on all fronts.
A new Party, even one that wins, does NOT produce a patriotic House. We need a patriotic House and the disbandment of the ‘House of Lords’ which is now just a sinecure for failed politicians. NO replacement for the House of Lords, just ONE Chamber with the full weight of responsibility on its shoulders.
May 18, 2025
+1 LL. That’s an appealing prospect, but would anyone put it forward as a political agenda, and actually get people to vote for it? Truss wanted to shake things up just a little, and she was booted out in no time at all.
May 18, 2025
“Lets rebuild our Fishing Industry”
Not under this Government, as it would be impossible without increasing existing, or creating new licences and quota’s, and the Government does not appear to be willing to do either.
Rather than taking back control in 2026, it looks like we are going to be giving even more money and opportunities to the EU on a range of issues in the future.
Just look at immigration, it looks like we are going to allow million’s of under 30’s EU Nationals the right to study in the UK. (many of which could be new nationals to the EU)
May 18, 2025
No Quotas! Let the fishermen care for the fishing grounds, nobody is better qualified. Their future depends on them ‘farming’ sustainably – which is a concept as old as time not was not a new idea when Blair claims it as such.
May 18, 2025
Problem with that situation Lynn is we have no fishery protection ships, they are completing a taxi service for the illegals.
Thus the Big foreign factory ships would just hoover up everything and leave nothing for anyone else or future years.
May 18, 2025
They are doing that now. We need to deploy the navy. Keep them from interfering in places we have no business to be.
Deploy the ‘defence force’ and abandon the ‘attack force’.
May 18, 2025
As with so many of our problems post-Brexit, the appalling French president Macron and the French are the cause. A couple of years back he was threatening to cut the electricity supply to the Channel Islands unless they gave French fishermen access to their fish. Macron demands that French boats are allowed to trawl through our protected areas, damaging the seabed. French boats are devastating herring stocks in the N Sea
Trawlers from Boulogne depend on our waters for much of their catch and far-right politicians have been quick to embrace their cause, with the “Rassemblement National” accusing the UK of taking an “axe” to the French fishing industry. During the recent court case, The Danish wanted to continue to hoover up thousands of tons of our Sand Eels to turn into fishmeal – instead of letting our Puffins eat them. Macron supported the Danes.
May 18, 2025
Note that the Channel Islands have NEVER BEEN IN THE EU.
So the threat was to a 3rd party country. We are all sick of threats, for the EU, from the Government, for the gas supplier. Britain is a bullying country now and it caught that cold from the continent.
Micron is threatening Putin too. He is about to reap the whirlwind and deservedly.
Last time Ukraine and Russia sat at that table in Istanbul Russia wished to agree independent status for 2 regions, The Ukrainian negotiators agreed that proposal which would have avoided the war, but General Boris advised ‘fighting’. Now the Russians have proposed peace with the 4 regions which voted to rejoin their motherland recognized. Ukraine refused. Russia will push on and they have said that next time they sit at the table it will be 8 regions. They will accept the unconditional surrender at the same table in Istanbul, because Putin is a neat operator.
May 18, 2025
It would be a good idea then to have our own RELIABLE sources of energy (North Sea oil, gas, fracked gas, coal and nuclear) …. rather than unreliable, intermittent sources which cost a fortune, only work half of the time (at best) and require back-up and connectors to the likes of France.
May 18, 2025
SG, I recognised a sentence directly lifted from the FT on 14/04/2024 (‘Trawlers from Boulogne …’) I hope you watched the accompanying FT film (27.52mn ‘We need to talk about Brexit’). What do you think of it?
May 18, 2025
And the chances of Starmer doing anything to help UK fishing is; Nought
May 18, 2025
As predicted, Putin, the war criminal declined to attend the Türkiye peace talks – which he had personally announced – following the Red Square military parade
Putin has sacked General Oleg Salyukov, head of Russia’s military land forces, only days after he deployed Putin’s Praetorian Guard to the Ukraine front. Clearly, politics are afoot in the Kremlin
In a calculated slap in the face for POTUS Trump, Putin then appointed General Andrey Mordvichev as his replacement, who has a reputation as a military butcher. Putin has sacked many senior Russian commanders – including his defence minister Shoigu – since the Ukraine war began.
During the latter stages of WW2 Hitler, another fascist war criminal, was also prone to sack underperforming Field Marshals. In this case, Putin is sending a clear message to Trump that he has no intention of entering into any 30-day ceasefire – but intends to fight on
Typically, Trump declared on Thursday night that there would be no peace until he personally met with Putin. Doubtless, to agree that a Ukraine capitulation on Putin’s maximalist terms is necessary for peace.
May 18, 2025
Leaders NEVER conduct peace negotiations. They appoint teams of negotiators – leaders don’t even sign the unconditional surrender – the Generals do.
General Oleg Salyukov Is now 4 days away from his 70th birthday when he is obligated to retire. He is now Shoigu’s deputy. Shoigu has NOT been sacked 😂🤣
General Andrey Mordvichev led the previous, successful peace talks in Istanbul in 2022. Putin is neat – this is a resumption of peace talks.
You don’t have one single face straight. No wonder you can’t comprehend that Russia does not need a ceasefire or peace-talks. It’s winning! In fact it has destroyed the Armed Forces of Ukraine, overrun the fortress towns set up with NATO help since 2014, it has won! The only question is how many more have to die before test fact penetrates the cocaine damaged brains of the Ukraine and EU regimes
May 18, 2025
We MUST end quotas by species which leads to millions of tons of dead fish dumped in the sea. Our fishermen successfully husbanded our fishing grounds for thousands of years. The EU is a destroyer of fishing grounds, some of the coast of Africa, which they bought, might never recover.
I’m amazed that those who wish to ‘save the planet’ – like Starmer and the King have not pointed this out.
May 18, 2025
Lynn
Certainly agree you should land what you catch, not throw dead fish back in the sea because of some arguably made up quota, it’s a complete nonsense of a system, but it’s a typical EU policy, complicated, wasteful, and expensive.
May 18, 2025
In a highly disturbing development, Yorkshire Water issued a “boil alert” to customers last week, due to excessive levels of coliform bacteria in the drinking water. Until “further notice”.
This follows similar potable water problems in the West Country (cryptosporidium), Kent (E coli) and Hampshire (coliform) areas last year
Last week OFWAT, the QUANGO in charge of the water industry, was forced to take action to prevent Thames Water from using their most recent bail-out to pay ginormous bonuses and salary rises to their senior executives. Rewards for failure.
For goodness sake, for the protection of the public, the Labour government must re-nationalise the water industry ASAP and take it into government control – before the inevitable cholera outbreak. If this means no compensation for the foreign private equity firms, who loaded the industry with expensive debt in leveraged buy-outs, so be it.
May 18, 2025
“The UK should take back control of its own territorial Waters” – 100% agreed
May 18, 2025
And its own population.
May 18, 2025
Agreements with the EU matter to those who fish shellfish. British people don’t want it, me included, so the market is Europe. Understandably the EU places conditions on it being exported from the UK.
May 18, 2025
Lobsters crawl up the beach at Newton-by-the-sea. The local pubs sell lobster sandwiches – they can’t butter bread fast enough.
You should try a Lobster Thermidor. Until you do, you have not lived.
At ‘Lindisfarne Oysters’ they have been trading that delicacy since 1381. Eaten primarily by British people.
May 18, 2025
Once again, a diary entry that most of us would agreed with.
It was a tragedy how our fishing industry was simply handed over to the EU as part of the cost of us joining. I can’t see that it will ever rebuild itself back to pre-EU days even with all EU boats banished if THAT ever happens!
Destroying our fishing grounds and our fishing industry was just one small step to make us less independent and a lot less prosperous.
I wonder how Starmer make this all worse!
May 18, 2025
Government petitions are a farce, a bit of theatre to make voters think they are participating in democracy, but whenever you get an email saying:
For sure the response from parliament will be negative – including a stock answer that any MP could have supplied when replying to a constituent who took the time raise a very important issue.
The perception that our democratic society is broken beyond repair gains new credence every week.
Too many now question why they should participate in a system where their views count for very little and they still end up with a rogue administration not of their choosing.
May 18, 2025
Our host wants “a good sized Uk fishing industry”, and want the UK to tack back control of our waters, that means our 12nm’s with perhaps one unchallenged EEZ of 200nm’s. What is his definition of ‘a good sized industry’, any chance of some numbers or tonnage.
How come other (EU and EEA/EFTA) countries still have reasonable sized fishing industries but the UK not, if the CFP is to blame how did that come about, if the CFP was so unfavorable to the British fishing industry why did we not use our veto?
May 18, 2025
Somebody missed a few history lessons from his TUTELAGE.
It wasn’t free to get into the EU and they robbed us blind!
May 18, 2025
Wasn’t that because licences were allowed to be sold to third parties? It should have been a condition of UK issued fishing licences that they should be used by the [UK] licence holder or returned to the issuing authority.
May 18, 2025
There were no buyers in the U.K. because the fishing industry was bankrupted.
In addition their taxes were used to pay for the Continental fishing fleet – as announced by Kenneth Clarke QC MP at the Despatch Box ‘so that they could compete with us’.
May 18, 2025
@LA; How come our fishing industry was “bankrupted” but no other, and the point about licenses was to protect stocks from over-fishing, not some EEC scheme to stitch-up the UK fishing fleet. Not sure when EEC/EU State Aid rules changed, but might the problem here in the UK have been the lack of support shown by our governments, after all the French fishing industry always seem to get backing from their government!
The fact is, our fishing industry has been in decline for decades, hence the “Cod Wars” and earlier disputes with Iceland, happening even before we joined the EEC.
May 18, 2025
@Jerry
It seems you make a habit of making multiple, frivolous ad hoc criticism detracting anyone who voted for Brexit. So boring that instead of letting us hear how your wonderful vision would be so much better and please let us know where you are coming from, instead of anonymous negativity Jerry?
May 19, 2025
It’s what Jerry has done on here over many years.
Boring pedantic posts and often agressive rudeness towards any who dare challenge him.
It’s his version of debate.
May 18, 2025
For the UK to give up up our fishing waters for others to now have rights over them would be absolute madness having finally managed to extract ourselves from the EU’s clutches;
We have decimated our fishing over many years and the families who ran this industry around our coasts have long gone and have not been replaced.Fish farming has replaced the decline but to a very small extent
I remember going to Hull and Grimsby 30 years ago and you could then see 100’s of fishing boats in the harbours with the support industry and jobs that went with it.Today that has all gone bar 2/3 boats and the industry has turned to off shore wind farms and the maintenance of these unsightly structures.
It is successive governments that have caused this decline.I recall in the 1980’s the then UK government bought in the ‘7 day tie up rule’ which required UK boats not to fish for 7 days in each month so that fish stocks had a chance to replenish; The same however did not apply to French boats who had no similar restrictions.
To this day we still have lorries from Spain,Portugal and France realising the economic benefits of making the journey to Scotland on a daily basis to fill up with prawns, lobster ,salmon and fish.
My fear is that the UK fishing industry and the whole industry that supported it has gone.It was largely run by well established fishing families over generations but those families have either retired or got fed up with all the rules and regulations they have been compelled to comply with and their children who would have taken over these businesses have retrained in other businesses and professions.
It is not a business that you can bring back overnight because of the skills that go with it and of course the up front capital investment in boats, nets,equipment and labour.
May 18, 2025
The fish surrender is inevitable. Rachel Reeves has made clear in a Guardian interview that tomorrow’s ‘reset’ is just the start of a process with the EU. We need to get used to it.
May 18, 2025
Europeans certainly know quality food, and some of the best seafood is found in our waters – or used to be before being pillaged by willfully destructive practices.
Our fishing industry should be subsidised to include conservation and recovery activities in their work.
True that most Brits have a very limited palate, but that would soon change in the event of acute food scarcity.
May 18, 2025
How is it possible that the definition of “territorial waters” applies to illegal migrants crossing the Channel but not to fish?
May 18, 2025
Good point!
Just as talking sexually at work is ‘sexual harassment’ but talking sexually to children at school is considered essential.
The result of brains incapable of sequential thinking.
May 18, 2025
It isn’t just to rebuild our fishing industry … it’s to regenerate many of our coastal communities with all the economic opportunities which would come off the back of the fishing industry: fish processing; boat-maintenance; fishing tourism etc
Many of our coastal communities were destroyed by Heath’s appalling betrayal; they should have been revived when we left the EU, but Johnson FAILED to do it. And now Two-Tier is going to sell them out AGAIN.
Any coastal Constituency which doesn’t vote for their Reform candidate at the next General Election is voting to remain poor, “left behind,” ignored and used as a dumping ground for criminal migrants etc.
May 18, 2025
The Chagos Islands giveaway is a clear indication of what we can expect our Civil Service to negotiate as a “reset” with the EU, a state described by President Trump as “nastier than China”. It will mean further impoverishment, increased dependency and loss of sovereignty. Hopefully, Parliament, the activist Civil Servants and judiciary will be removed after the next GE (if allowed) and referendums to provide the necessary mandates. Otherwise we can see from the history of the last century where the Far Left eventually takes its population. The Net Zero Strategy echoes the language of Stalin’s forced collectivisation and Mao’s Great Leap Forward.
May 18, 2025
The British fishing industry as is the farming industry are business operations so why are they ensconced in the Environment Agency? They belong in the Business department whose job should be to promote genuinely gainful business activity, not coving farmland and fishing grounds in windmills. The Environment Agency should be abolished and its localised activities should be devolved back to the localities; the civil servants whose interests range from returning Britain to a pre-Neolithic ‘ideal’ in order to save the planet to fining fishermen for catching the wrong fish should be made redundant; they should not be transferred to another department because they clearly are not concerned for the betterment of the people.
May 18, 2025
We can’t rebuild our fishing industry while we’re still in or under the threat of the EU ….no matter what happens on surrender day this government has already signalled that the current fish deal will remain and be extended for 3 years ….who’d invest in UK fish
May 18, 2025
There are those who would prefer the fish to die of old age rather than see others catch them. It is clear that we are exercising control over fishing grounds far more in area size than we can exploit ourselves so if Starmer can do a deal that will benefit us in different ways then why not. You know prior to 1980’s the UK fishing limits were out to twelve miles from the coast only and worked very well for everyone including UK where the fishing ports were busy full time – however our leaders then as in farming and with everything else took wrong decisions along the way and so now we must reset to avoid creeping decline
May 18, 2025
We fished our full fishing grounds for thousands of years. Why are you so confused? We are a maritime nation. Why do you think Norwegians can do what we cannot?
The EU fishing standards ensure that tiny fish are dead before they reach 3 inches long. In some places the depth of dead fish on the seabed are 20 feet thick! Dumped because they can’t be landed as they are the wrong species ie they don’t correlate with the landing quota.
May 19, 2025
Yes Lynn but they were not our waters then – they were international waters where everybody fished. The waters you refer to are in EEZ controlled zone but since wd have left the EU am not sure whether this applies to us any more
May 18, 2025
From the MsM
“UK will have to follow EU rules, says minister” – that is not just rules for trade with the EU, that is rules for trading inside the UK and with the rest of the World.
The UK People and Parliament as usual will have no say, and as we all know with the proof of experience it will not help UK trade with the EU, it is the EU reining in the UK to be a compliant puppet.
So under this Government we get to serve the EU, the EU gets UK fish, the UK gets their 18-30 year old’s into work and education in the UK all at the expense of the UK’s much maligned taxpayer and they keep sending us their ‘boat’ people fleeing EU oppressiion
May 18, 2025
Beautiful sunny & yet windy day …..and we’re still importing 20% of energy from Europe today; maybe the plan is total surrender to europe …after we gave them NI
May 18, 2025
Remember this tomorrow on surrender day
”With Labour, Britain will stay outside of the EU. We will reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies. There will be no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.”
Page 121 – Labour Party Manifesto 2024
May 18, 2025
Also the reported ‘youth mobility scheme’ isn’t mentioned in thier manifesto ….would only the opposition, hold them to account
May 18, 2025
You don’t just rebuild a fishing industry by saying so – the great fishing industry and skills we once had as with all things marine was borne out of poverty and necessity in the ninteenth century and earlier – skills that included markets were handed down – you don’t just rebuild that by saying so – and for instance going to sea and staying at sea is a state of mind – if it doesn’t get you first time you have to get out otherwise you’re life would be miserable. In other words it’s a tough life that few today would be able to cope with.
May 19, 2025
OBE
Starmer’s Gang is giving it all away to the EU.
May 20, 2025
Rather pointless given the PM we have who insists on the EU looting our waters for the next 12 years, wouldn’t you say?