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Tthis week is for real, finally. The EU’s top negotiator, Michel Barnier, is in London for the last time in earnest: An agreement must be reached this week before the UK and EU parliaments can begin to ratify a trade and security deal. If Boris Johnson’s seemingly helpless negotiator, David Frost, cannot undo a deal, preparations for a hard border around the British coast must continue. The cost will be enormous. No sane person can think that this is a good idea.
Only two bones of contention remain, on fishing quotas and regulatory alignment, the “level playing field.” Fishing cannot wait, as key European states would veto any deal without it. Britain must compromise. As for regulatory alignment, some oversight is inevitable if two neighboring countries want to trade. The EU is right. He’s also bigger and stronger and has less of a need to compromise, and he seems to have President-elect Joe Biden on his side. The EU can replace most of its trade with Great Britain. Great Britain cannot do otherwise. There are no compensatory trade agreements with the rest of the world. They are a fantasy.
We are told that Johnson has been playing poker, being tough, bragging, and threatening. That ended. The serious prospect now is for “catch and alignment” to be allowed to further devastate a British economy damaged more than any other in Europe by the pandemic. Leaving the European Union was a contentious political choice, but leaving Europe’s single markets and customs unions was insane from the start. It was largely an extreme rhetorical tactic, brandished to help Johnson defeat his rivals for Tory party leadership in the summer of 2019.
Downing Street this week must throw stubbornness to the winds. Your City of London needs Europe. Your industry needs Europe. Tourism needs Europe. Johnson must go down. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Johnson’s longtime rival Michael Gove must work together to make this happen. Frost and his team have to listen to Barnier, no buts or buts, whatever it takes. As a sign of good intent, Johnson should withdraw the domestic market bill, which is now before the House of Lords, as without any agreement it would require a hard border, break the Good Friday agreement, and incidentally enrage to Biden, who has previously said peace. in Northern Ireland it cannot be a Brexit victim.
Britain is now as weakened by bad government as ever. The confusion over Covid was preceded by a year of chaotic Brexit negotiations during which the EU reasonably sought a commercial working relationship with a rogue island. Britain took a stand, gave lessons and rejected the compromise. Over the weekend, Johnson was quoted as saying “we just have to get them to do it,” or he will cut off Britain’s nose to screw up his face in January. No, enough of these games. Britain must agree to whatever deal the EU offers, so everyone can get back to business.
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