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CostaBlancaPeople 4th - 9th April 2018
Brexit not going according to plan E
ven to the most uninterested observers, it must be clear that negotiating a Brexit deal hasn’t been as easy as first thought. So it is with some amazement that EU leaders have confirmed their support for the draft Withdrawal Agreement (WA) that was presented recently by David Davis and Michel Barnier. The biggest breakthrough was an agreement for a transition period of 21 months, ending in December 2020, during which time the UK will obey EU rules but be left out of EU decisionmaking. The deal was heralded as ‘significant progress’ by many experts but received criticism from both Remain and Leavers alike. For Jacob Rees-Mogg and other extreme Brexiters, it represented a betrayal of those who voted to leave – and especially of the British fishing industry. Rees-Mogg objected to the UK becoming a ‘vassal state’ and, especially,
to UK fishermen being subject to European fisheries policies. However, a demonstration staged by Rees-Mogg on the Thames didn’t go to plan. He was unable to board the boat because nobody had applied for landing permission, leaving Nigel Farage left holding the dead, wet fish. The protest was described as a fitting metaphor for Brexit; badly planned and failing to deliver what it had promised. Concerns from the ‘Remainers’ on the WA meanwhile focused on what was missing rather than what was included. Article 32 was a much-discussed and unpopular clause in the original draft documents, relating to citizens’ rights. It specifically addressed the restrictions placed on the freedom of movement of British citizens, including us expats here in Spain, who live and work in the EU. It meant that our rights would be restricted to the country we call home but we would not be able to work across
borders, or have clients in a bordering EU country. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to find that Article 32 had been removed from the draft WA. When asked exactly what this means, the British Ambassador, Simon Manley, claimed that the offending article was not needed and that both the Brexit Committee and the European Parliament welcomed its removal. He added that freedom of movement rights had not been specifically agreed but that the British government would continue to push for us to retain those rights. Another concern raised by those keeping a close eye on the developments was the statement from Barnier that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’; as, unless the existing agreements are ring-fenced, we will be back to square one in a no deal situation. To reach this stage Teresa May has agreed to accept the EU’s plan B for the
Irish border, presumably in the hope she would never have to use it. Both sides have repeatedly said there will be no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. May’s suggestion of using technology was rejected as unworkable so the EU devised a fall-back position – move the Irish border to the Irish Sea. Now, May has agreed to this fallback position in yet another of her infamous U-turns. The Irish border issue is one of many problems that make delivering Brexit extremely difficult, if not impossible. Britain cannot be stronger, bigger and better alone than it can be with the backing of 27 partners. May has hinted as much by asking for the EU’s support against Russia over recent events. Whatever the reasons that people voted Leave, it’s becoming clearer daily that Brexit will not solve these problems. Nobody voted to be poorer or to harm the NHS, just as nobody voted for job
losses or for the devaluation of Sterling. If May continues to pursue a hard Brexit, the ‘deal’ will not be acceptable to parliament when it votes in autumn. One popular option after a vote in parliament would be to offer the British public a referendum on the deal. This option is becoming increasingly likely and is gaining momentum with Remainers and Leavers alike. No matter how anyone voted on 23rd June, 2016, everyone should be given the opportunity to have a final say – to assess the deal that’s being offered and decide if they want to proceed now they can see what’s on the table.
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