Not only was our government giving a masterclass in failure on the international stage, they were showing how to fail domestically as well.
Internationally, Brexit still rumbles on. And the UK government advised that there was “no point” in Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, travelling to London on Monday to resume negotiations unless Europe fundamentally changed its position. The government have only had four years to resolve this. It seems to me that the EU have had a consistent negotiating line during that time, and the UK govt. should have had enough time to probe that stance and come up with a solution which would be acceptable to both sides.
I think the issue is that for forty years we have seen the EU as "dictating" to us; or at least, some have seen that. Rules and frameworks have been agreed at the European Union level, and then imposed on the members. However, we are part of the group deciding those laws and regulations. So those rules and regulations can be said to be self-imposed.
Another part of those laws and regulations are a result of international trade talks and WTO decrees, filtered through the EU. Our nation's leaders think that by leaving the EU we will not have those rules imposed on us. But we will find out, I think, that those rules and laws will be imposed on us anyway. We will simply have removed the EU from the process. What will be missing are the benefits of being in the EU, e.g., Erasmus, tariff-free trade, and E111s.
Anyway, it seems that our PM Johnson has had enough and won't be pursuing talks unless the EU changes their position. And the EU, from their perspective, advise that actually the UK are trying to agree more than a Canada-style FTA and aren't prepared to sign up to the framework within which a Canada+ deal is available.
I think the only thing we can do now, apart from shake our heads in despair, is to buy a fifth can of soup or baked beans every time we buy four, and put that fifth can aside in case of shortages come 1st January. With the Road Hauliers' Association suggesting that a No Deal could be disastrous, I think a few precautions are sensible; I really fear that shortages may occur.
The other issue the government are currently facing is a domestic one, in that Northern councils (e.g. in Liverpool and Manchester) are refusing to agree to the guidelines and regulations which the govt. are trying to impose. It's a serious matter, deciding whether an area goes into Tier 1 or Tier 2, but seeing the levels of disagreement (and I think we're not seeing the full extent of that disagreement) is quite salacious and distracting.
It's strange to think that the last general election was less than a year ago. Despite the fact that this current government has tried to dissociate itself from the previous regime, it's impossible to deny that the Conservatives have been in power (initially in coalition, and then solo since 2015) since 2010. And maybe that's part of it; despite the fact that Johnson and his cabinet present themselves as something new, the faces have been around for quite some time. I think we're getting tired of the lot of them as a nation, but that might be just me. Certainly the polls suggest that the Conservatives still command a large degree of support throughout the country, which is a puzzle to me. I can't remember a time previously where so many issues have been mishandled in the first year of a government. The "honeymoon period" is well and truly over, that's for sure.
Anyway, that's enough for today.
TTFN.
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