Speaking with her customary haughty arrogance about the importance of “Soverignty,” Julia Hartley-Brewer demonstrated classic ignorance on Question Time by making an insulting derogatory comment about a “small Caribbean Island in the Pacific!” She failed to really define why a collaborative trade arrangement on fair terms was such an anathema to fanatical Brexiteers ultras. There’s an automatic assumption that the British people can actually trust the warped decision making of a pathological liar and his toxic Tory cabal as they rapidly regress the nation into what is most accurately described as a ‘Soverign Dictatorship!’ There’s reason for the EU not to trust the UK after the numerous times Tory MPs have bragged about stripping away all that cumbersome ‘Red Tape,’ as if safety standards are immaterial, and ditching the Working Time Directive, as an urgent first step in eviscerating workers rights before we pull out of the European Court of Human Rights! The EU could compete with a zero regulation slave state: I think not!
Betrayal Boris just kicked the can down the road a little further, as of course we all knew he would. His game is to deliberately run down the clock until we reach the point of no return, then try to slip crash-out Brexit over the line while UK citizens are distracted by the privilege of being allowed to see family at Christmas. Have the EU fully understood how they are being played as the fall guy No-Deal is being sold to the gullible as an ‘Australia Deal’ which in reality means Australia also has no deal with the EU, but they are trying to negotiate one as WTO terms suck! Then there is “Boris’s Bait and Switch;” he enticed voters with his “Oven Ready Deal,” but he and his Ministers now claim that this only pertains to the Withdrawal Agreement, that International treaty he wanted to be able to break in “limited and specific ways!” But Conrad Duncan begs to differ, in his Labour List Article entitled, “6 times Boris Johnson said a post-Brexit trade deal would be easy,” he documents the evidence that debunks the PMs treacherous deception.
Duncan says that, “Boris Johnson gave the strongest indication yet this week that the UK is heading for a no-deal Brexit after a series of last-ditch talks with European Union officials failed to find common ground on a number of key issues. The Prime Minister on Friday described no deal as now ‘very, very likely’ that negotiators would fail to strike a post-Brexit trade agreement. He has told ministers to prepare for no deal as the most likely outcome of the talks. Conservatives have insisted that the promise of an ‘oven-ready’ deal last year was referring to the divorce deal rather than the trade deal. But Johnson has repeatedly suggested over the years that a UK-EU trade deal would be easy to secure.” Liam Fox claimed it would be the easiest trade deal in human history!
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Duncan reports that on the 11th of March 2016, “In one of his first interventions in the 2016 EU referendum, Johnson appeared at a Vote Leave event to insist that Brexit would be a “win-win for all” and suggested that the UK could simply copy Canada’s trade arrangement with the EU. He told a crowd: “I put it to you, all those who say that there would be barriers to trade with Europe if we were to do a Brexit, do you seriously believe that they would put up tariffs against UK produce of any kind, when they know how much they want to sell us their cake, their champagne, their cheese from France? It is totally and utterly absurd.” The most hard core Brexiteers were quoted as saying they would “rather eat grass than remain in the EU.” Much as I would love to see these delusional MPs ‘chewing the cud’ in the New Year, their wealth and their privilege will leave them marginally affected by the misery and hardship they intend to inflict on the majority of the British people with their crash-out no-deal Brexit!
Duncan notes that on the 23rd of March that same year, “At a Treasury select committee meeting on the economic costs and benefits of EU membership, Johnson was questioned on how long it would take for the UK to agree a deal for leaving the bloc and a future trade agreement post-Brexit. He replied: ‘Bear in mind we already have extensive trading relationships, we’ve been in the thing for 44 years. Our relationship with the EU is already very well-developed. It doesn’t seem to me to be very hard to do a free trade deal very rapidly indeed’.” No one was enphasizing how, if the UK were permitted to maintain such an expansive trade deal, and these privileges were made available to non-EU states, there would be no incentive to join such an exclusive club and pay the fees of membership. The British have never stopped demanding to ‘have their cake and eat it too,’ cherry-picking the benefits and ditching any and all obligation, which is why the EU will not budge as it would destroy the core principles of their entire project.
Duncan documents that on the 11th of July 2017, “As Foreign Secretary, Johnson told MPs that the chances of the UK failing to reach a deal with the EU were ‘vanishingly unlikely’ and said there was ‘no plan’ for no deal because the government would simply get a deal. Responding to Emily Thornberry, he said: ‘There is no plan for no deal, because we’re going to get a great deal and I would, just for the sake of example and illustration, I would remind the honourable lady that there was a time when Britain was not in what we then called the common market. It is manifestly in the interests of both sides of the Channel to get a great free trade deal and a new deep and special partnership between us and the European Union, and that is what we are going to achieve.”
Duncan reports on Johnson’s most cruel and deliberate deception on the 5th of December when, “During the 2019 general election campaign, Johnson was asked by Sky News’ Beth Rigby if he could ‘absolutely promise’ that he would be able to get a trade deal with the EU by the end of December 2020. He replied: “Well, Beth, we already have a deal and we can come out on January 31st in a state of perfect equilibrium and grace with the rest of the EU because we have a zero tariff, zero quota position now.” “And I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will be able to make sure that the EU protects its own interests and has a deal with us that ensures that that continues for the future… “ “It’s very much in [the EU’s] interest to do a trade deal with us and I have no doubt that they will. And if you say ‘can I absolutely guarantee that we will get a deal?’ I think I can.”
Duncan notes that on the 10th of December, “Days later, Johnson was questioned again by ITV’s Gareth Owen about how easy it would be for the UK to secure a trade deal with the EU before the end of the Brexit transition period, in place until December 31st. The Prime Minister said: ‘What I think you’re forgetting is that the EU has never done a deal with an existing member as it were… 100% of the issues that you need to address in a trade negotiation are already addressed’.” He failed to consider that all of those rich trade benefits we have enjoyed with EU membership come with certain obligations that are in place to protect the interests of both parties. Boris’s Brexiteer cabal want to retain all of the zero-tarif trade benefits in perpetuity, but ditch all of the ‘Red Tape’ regulatory concessions and obligations. That would allow their Tory ‘Sovereign Dictatership’ to take full advantage, exploiting a post Brexit race to the bottom on standards and workers rights, in our slave labour isolationist utopia for the wealthy elite.
Duncan documents that on that fateful day, the 22th of January earlier this year, “As the withdrawal agreement was approved by parliament, Johnson promised an ‘all-singing, all-dancing’ post-Brexit trade deal with the EU by December 31st. On his ‘People’s PMQs’ online Q&A, the PM said: ‘Parliament has passed the withdrawal agreement bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom. At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it. ‘It’s massively in our interests – in the interests for both sides of the Channel – to have a wonderful, zero-tariff, zero-quota, all-singing, all-dancing FTA. I’m absolutely confident that we can do that’.” Johnson and his Brexiteer Tory Ministers will not accept that it takes two to Tango, so now that “all singing, all dancing” trade deal has fox trotted out the door in confused silence and we are being offered WTO terms to the tune of Waltzing Matilda!
Elliot Chappell & Sienna Rodgers presented a synopsis gathered from the morning’s TV line up in a Labour List Article entitled, “Sunday shows: PM must stand up to MPs with no deal fantasy, says Miliband.” As the employment, economic and trade future of our country hangs precariously in the balance, their piece was not confined to just the Milliband interview or just the Andrew Marr Show. But statring with Marr the Labour List say, “In an energetic appearance, Shadow Business Secretary Ed Miliband stressed the importance of securing a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, confirmed Labour would be “minded to support” a deal and called on Boris Johnson to “stand up to a small bunch of people in his party whose fantasy it has always been to have no deal”.
According to Labour List, Miliband’s interview went as follows:
• Asked whether any deal is better than no deal: “We need a deal… Our request of the Prime Minister is very simple: stand up for the national interest, don’t stand up for people in your party who’ve always wanted no deal, wrongly in my view.”
• On giving way on fishing: “Both sides have to give way. There’s got to be give and take on both sides. We’ve got to be tough in relation to fish, we’ve got to get the best deal we possibly can for our fishing fleets.”
• On being ‘tied to the single market in perpetuity’ for a deal: “I don’t accept that portrayal… We should maintain high standards into the future.”
This question was very misleading as it plays directly into the hands of Boris Johnson, which is why Miliband responded as he did. The reality of what is termed as ‘ratcheting’ is that if either side were to make a significant change in one area of policy that affected market viability the other side would have the opportunity to demand renegotiate of the terms related to that specific trade item or items. What if the EU were to accept GMO crops or bee killing pesticides the trade dynamic changes just as it would if we were to eviscerate workers rights and gain market advantage through pitance pay exploitation of slave labour. The trouble is that despite the assurances of the pathological liar who is our current PM, Tories are openly bragging of ditching the Working Time Directive and stripping away the ‘Red Tape’ of EU regulatory and safety standards as soon as we are out of the EU. This is a very tangible threat to the ‘Level Playing Field’ goal of the EU who fear ‘Singapore of the Thames as its closest trading competitor.
Still focusing on Miliband’s responses to Andrew Marr Labour List report that,
• On whether the PM can rely on Labour support for a deal: “We’ll look at the detail. We’ve said we’re minded to support it.”
• On Johnson’s promises: “The one thing I think we can say about Boris Johnson is he talks out of both sides of his mouth. This is a man who said at the general election… he had a deal ready to go to protect supply chains.”
• He added: “This is a man who is cavalier with our national interest. He is playing Russian roulette with jobs and livelihoods… I think this is ideological. I say we don’t deregulate our way to economic success.”
While interviewers constantly obsess over what Labour will do despite their total inability to overrule the Tory majority stolen in the Covert 2019 Rigged Election they very rarely quiz the Tories over the alarming indications that they intend to take advantage of no-deal Brexit to deregulate their way to prosperity at the expense of UK workers. The ‘cakeism’ question should be targeting the Tories who want to cherry-pick the advantages of tariff free trade, but ditch all of the regulatory obligations. Instead this grossly misplaced question targets Labour who aren’t in Government or negotiating the deal. This is so that the blame can be smeared over those who are least responsible while Boris Johnson and the Tories offload their accountability for the crash–out catastrophe.
• Put to him that Labour wants to ‘have its cake and eat it’: “No, I’d say negotiate a tough deal in relation to fish, make sure the level playing field provisions are fair, but for goodness’ sake… don’t cause terrible damage to the fight against crime and terrorism.”
• He added: “No deal is not an end point. We’ll go through all the pain, all the economic anguish. It’s not a long-term sustainable position to have tariffs with our biggest market. We’re going to have to go back into negotiations, and then where will we be? We’ll be in a weaker position. It makes no sense.”
• On getting a deal: “The rational side of me says there will be a deal. Because the PM is not a wholly irrational man, he must see that’s in our national interest. He’s just got to stand up to a small bunch of people in his party whose fantasy it has always been to have no deal.”
Here I think Miliband may have miscalculated Johnson’s selfish resolve. Boris just doesn’t care how many people are forced into destitution or how many children starve, just as he has shrugged off the appalling Covid death toll; he only cares about number one staying in Number 10. But Labour List missed Ed Miliband’s best line as he compared the PMs reservations to saying, “I’m worried my roof is going to leak in five years time so i’m going to go ahead and bulldoze the house!”
Labour List then turned to the responses of the other politicians interviewed by Andrew Marr this Sunday. They report that, “On the chances of EU-UK talks continuing, Dominic Raab said: ‘The bar is quite high for us to be able to keep talking.’ He said it would required ‘political level commitment’ to movement on the key issues of the ‘level playing field, control of our laws and fisheries’.” His interview was dominated by the resistance that the EU 27 would be required to compromise while our solitary UK Brexiteers contingent would hold firm and prevail: highly unlikely! They said, “On the same question, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin replied: ‘I don’t know but I hope so. I fervently hope so.’ He said agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol suggested there is ‘capacity’ for a deal.”
Labour List switched to their coverage of Sophy Ridge on Sunday starting with an interview with Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed who, “described the current Brexit situation as ‘surreal’ and ‘just crazy’ and highlighted that Boris Johnson said a year ago he had an ‘oven-ready’ deal.” They report on Steve Reed’s responses to Sophy Ridge as follows:
• On Brexit talks: “The last thing we need is no deal… It’s one year and one day exactly since Boris Johnson won an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons promising to ‘get Brexit done’ with an oven-ready Brexit deal.”
• On remaining disagreements: “The situation we’re facing now is Boris Johnson claiming to have 98% of this deal done now, just 2% of it left to go. It must be possible to find a way to bridge that remaining 2%.”
• On the UK position: “One of the sticking points seems to be Boris Johnson wanting the powers to do something he claims he doesn’t want to do… the powers to water down employment rights and environmental standards.”
• On Labour’s position: “Labour doesn’t want to see that happen. The country doesn’t want to see that happen so there is a deal to be done here.”
All of the recent bills going through the UK Parliament indicate very clearly that this Government intends to do just that drastically, “water down employment rights and environmental standards” as soon as possible. The EU negotiators are not naive, they do know exactly what Johnson is planning to do as they know that he is not a trustworthy negotiator acting in the best interests of the citizens of the UK. They should not have given the PM more time to run down the clock as we need ordinary working people in this country to wake up to the danger that lies ahead after crash-out Brexit and take to the streets in protest. The EU aren’t punishing the UK, but they will not enable the Tories exploitation plan. The much touted ‘Free Ports’ are an extreme example of deregulated exploitation on steroids; they do not benefit workers, they just benefit the wealthy elite tax avoiders. The UK is already the money laundering capital of the world: Free Ports will enable exploitation, dirty money and crime to proliferate in post Brexit Britain.
• On the level playing field: “Economies are interdependent so we have to take shared decisions if we’re going to trade with each other and taking a shared decision is not a breach of sovereignty… We have to get this deal over the line.”
• He added: “These are things he claims he doesn’t want to do anyway so it shouldn’t really be a sticking point. There is a deal to be done.”
• On the prospect of no deal: “This is a surreal position we’ve got ourselves in… He is preparing to sacrifice the British economy over something he doesn’t even want to do. It’s just crazy.”
I was pleased to see him hammering home this issue of Johnson going to the wall, sacrificing everything for the freedom to take actions he consistently claims he has no intention of taking. Just look at the Tory track record on pledges and commitments. They have promised that the NHS is not for sale, but we all know where that one is headed. The PMs 48 new hospitals will be built by giant private US Healthcare Corporations to exploit costly privatized care.
• Asked whether Leave voters would find acceptable leaving with a deal meaning that the UK has “to stick to their [the EU] definition of what standards are” in perpetuity: “It would be a shared decision.”
In reality the EU are commiting to a two way street in order to keep trade fair for both parties involved.
• On talks today: “There’s a deal to be done. It needs to be done today. We could just be hours away from it. Let’s just end the uncertainty of the last four and a half years and move forward.”
• Asked what Labour would do to get a deal: “It was Boris Johnson who said he had an oven-ready deal. It wasn’t the Labour Party that said we had an oven-ready deal.”
• Asked whether it is wrong to relax Covid restrictions over Christmas: “We’ll get an assessment based on the data on the 16th of this month and we’ll need to see where we are then but the key thing is we need to follow the science.”
Labour List reported that, “Asked whether Brexit talks could extend beyond the deadline today, Dominic Raab said he ‘can’t close the door’ on that possibility but admitted that ‘there is still a long way to go” to reach an agreement. The Foreign Secretary told those watching this morning: ‘If we’re 99% there on the outstanding issues, you wouldn’t want to leave any stone unturned, but I think it’s quite a high bar.’ He dismissed a compromise over fishing, arguing: ‘What you’re not going to do is allow a decade to go by with us only controlling a fraction of our fisheries… Some of the proposals and suggestions put to us are pretty outlandish frankly.’ Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said she is having ‘difficulty understanding’ why the UK is refusing to accept EU demands on fishing and warned that a no-deal exit would be ‘extremely negative for our economies’.” A new deadline has yet to be set, but the torment before Christmas persists casting unseasonal gloom over a troubled nation: as the PM ‘fiddles!’
As the dis-united Kingdom paddles off into the North Atlantic, Scotland will be the first to break away. The trials and tribulations of Brexit might expedite Irish unity, but Wales will soon be clamoring for independence too. I will keep my new blue passport hidden away, avoiding the mounting shame as what was once called ‘Great Britain’ becomes ‘Groveling Britain,’ ridiculed globally for it’s folly and an easy target for exploitative trade deals. Should they have made the credential a bit bigger than our old EU passport, just to show’em we are ‘world beating?’ It doesn’t need many pages now the Prisoners of Mother England are happy to trade free movement for impoverished enslavement in good old Blighty! A dystopian nightmare of punishing austerity will follow the crash-out Brexit catastrophe. I doubt we’ll rid the nation on this Tory scourge for decades if we fail to Investigate and expose the truth of the Covert 2019 Rigged Election to delegitimize, derail and jail the perpetrators of this torturous ‘Soverign Dictatorship of little England! DO NOT MOVE ON!