Education, education, education and war

Quote: The Ghost of '99 "Yes we do. So we just apply the same tariffs as we do on Chinese imports to European ones. Simple! Until you realise what that actually means!

Yes, anyone who isn't fed by a drip of right wing propaganda knows they have. There are a bunch on off the shelf solutions, Norway, Switzerland, even Canada etc, so we've seen what sort of things we can achieve given what the EU countries will accept. They've actually offered movement in quite a few areas that would be better than these.

But the British continue to demand things which simply can't be offered. That's not a failing to be constructive, it's just fact as to what the community's red lines are and what will be vetoed by any particular country. And the interests of the Republic of Ireland are given an outsize importance given how things will impact them.

But yes, obviously they hold the whip hand in these negotiations so any deal we get isn't exactly going to be particularly favourable given the relative power dynamics. Like us they are looking after their own interests first. But this has been made clear all along and shouldn't come as some surprise to you.'"

On radio 4 they had the German guy who acts as a go between and he stated that none of these deals Norway, Canada etc. can be adapted for the UK due to our proximity to the EU and our 40 years of involvement - so it would have to be a bespoke arrangement. So these off the shelf deals never existed in reality.

As you said both parties are trying to look out for themselves and it should come as no surprise to you that we haven't simply rolled over and let the EU tell us how its going to be. The EU cannot expect us to be a Norway - worse as they have quotas in their waters which the EU claim to be far too complicated to administer in our waters. They expect us to adhere to the ECJ, they want a say in state aid - when Germany just does what it wants when it comes to bailing out failing industries e.g. Lufthansa - so it isn't just the UK that is asking for things that simply can't be offered?