The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #162855   Message #3900155
Posted By: Nigel Parsons
17-Jan-18 - 10:18 AM
Thread Name: BS: Post Brexit life in the UK
Subject: RE: BS: Post Brexit life in the UK
We will take back control of our internationally agreed fishing grounds
This is a very interesting one. It may or may not happen, but it is no simple matter. We have severely depleted our fishing fleets and the supporting facilities and it will take years to build them back up again. That could give us big problems in the meantime as we are talking investment with no short term return.

The fact that we have a depleted fishing fleet does not cause a problem. We will be 'taking back control of our fishing grounds'. That does not have to mean we will fish them ourselves, but we will have control of any issue of fishing licences for them, and for how long those licences will be valid.

We will not be expected to join the Euro
... not an issue, we are opted out.
We will not expected to become part of a European army
... not an issue. We have a veto. And losing that veto makes an EU army more likely, not less.

We also had a good rebate. That was 'negotiated' away by Tony Blair. There was nothing to say that our vetoes were going to be permanent, especially as the EU mantra is 'ever closer union'.

We will be free to trade with other nations without imposing a standardised list of tariffs intended to be protectionist of European interests
Again perhaps. One thing that people seem to overlook is that any trade agreement involves sacrificing some freedom in exchange for what as seen as a greater benefit. To take an utterly trivial example: The UK power supply runs at 50Hz (more or less) as does almost all the rest of the world. Having the freedom to run it at 100Hz is technically there, but we voluntarily relinquish it in the interests of getting access to all the world's equipment that is designed for the 50Hz.

Historically it appears that UK was one of the first countries to standardise at 50Hz, so it's not us sacrificing freedom for standardisation, but others.