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Monday 24 September 2018

Tory Rebel Brexit Idea ALREADY DEAD

[Update at end of post]

With Theresa May having had her little local difficulty in Salzburg last week, disgruntled former ministers and other assorted hangers-on have decided to put forward their own proposals to deal with the thorny issue of the Irish border. These, it seems, enjoy the imprimatur of the IEA, another in the alphabet soup of lobby groups masquerading as think tanks. They are backed by experts. And they are dead on arrival.
As free sheet City AM has told, “Earlier this month City A.M. revealed that former Brexit secretary David Davis was backing an alternative Brexit plan, which has been produced by trade expert Shanker Singham - head of the International Trade and Competition Unit at the free-market Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).” Do go on.

Today, Davis will be joined by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, former trade minister and Remain supporter Greg Hands and Labour’s Gisela Stuart at the launch of a strategy document called ‘Creating a prosperous post-Brexit UK’ … The proposals aim to refocus the Brexit debate on the UK’s future global trade policy”.

But, as with all the best teasers, we don’t get to find out what proposals will be made, save for the usual meaningless soundbites, like “Brexit is a major global event” and “A major G7 country is embracing trade policy for the first time in 40 years”. Yes, the UK hasn’t had a trade policy since 1973. They sup some strong stuff at the IEA.
So what is actually on offer? Politics Home has told thatThe IEA's plan will call for the UK to leave the EU's single market and customs union while simultaneously pushing for membership of existing free trade pacts across the world, including the Common Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Nafta”. More chlorinated chicken.

But what about the Irish border? Ah well. The deal giveaway came yesterday in that Sunday Times front page lead from alleged doyen of political editors Tim Shipman. And what it says shows just how much expertise the IEA really possesses.
May will come under pressure to shift her position tomorrow when David Davis and Boris Johnson, who resigned over the Chequers Brexit proposal, back an alternative plan drawn up by the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank”. Yes? Yes yes? Yes yes yes?

A leaked copy reveals that it recommends a Canada-style deal using technology trusted trader schemes and a separate Anglo-Irish trade treaty on goods to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic … Stewart Jackson, Davis’s former chief of staff, warned May that she has 10 days to save her Premiership, calling on her to adopt the plan or face a coup”. She’ll be too busy laughing at Jackson’s stupidity.
Let’s take this nice and slowly. The Republic of Ireland is an EU member state. That means it cannot make independent trade deals. All its trade deals are made via the EU. The EU will not, repeat will not, repeat WILL NOT, allow exceptionalism of this nature.

Unless Shippers has shipped yet more bull, and this is always possible, the IEA’s “experts” have shown that they do not know trade deals from the proverbial hole in the ground.

The ineptitude of those right-wing lobby groups knows no bounds. Another one for the bin.
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[UPDATE 1535 hours: Right on cue, the usual suspects have proclaimed the wonders of the IEA proposals, probably without bothering to read them.
First off was London's very occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, who blustered "Fine piece of work by - This is a plan the EU would understand and respect - delivering prosperity for the U.K. and our European partners. I’ve no doubt it would unite MPs and the country". He hadn't read it.
Then came Mid Bedfordshire's representative (yes, it's her again) Nadine Dorries to proclaim " is the viable alternative to it delivers a vision and a road map for a forward looking and prosperous post Brexit U.K. in which everyone benefits. No10 need to very quickly dump Chequers, a fantasy document on the cabinet table, and replace it with this".
So she hadn't read it either. But the BBC's Chris Cook had read it, and he concluded "I’ve written a piece about the maths used by the IEA. In short, I think it’s pretty dubious". And that's before you get to the trade deal that couldn't be done independently of the EU.

The assembled idiocy of Tory Leavers is as before. No change there, then]

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That Stuart should share a political platform with those tory barrow boy clowns - What does that tell you about her and New Labour?

It has a sense of deja vu about it. Like Harman sharing space with Cameron.

HarrietVane said...

Quote: “The IEA's plan will call for the UK to leave the EU's single market and customs union while simultaneously pushing for membership of existing free trade pacts across the world, including the Common Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Nafta”. (Italics mine)

Notice that they are calling for the UK to do something absolute (leave the EU's single market) when nothing definite is in place to fill the gap.

I'm also not sure how well the term "Anglo-Irish Treaty" would go down in certain quarters! It's almost like they don't know anything about British-Irish history. . . ;-)

Anonymous said...

Britain wants to trade freely with the rest of the world, what is wrong with that. Proper Brexit will achieve this. Federal Europe was never going to include the UK because Common Law and free trade has and always will be the British way.

Arnold said...

“A leaked copy reveals that it recommends a Canada-style deal using technology trusted trader schemes and a separate Anglo-Irish trade treaty on goods"
I wasn't aware that England could make independent trade deals either. Not before the UK breaks up.

Tim Fenton said...

@3

The UK already trades freely with the rest of the world. No scenario had yet been envisaged that improves on the deals the EU has negotiated on our behalf, and from a position of strength.

Also, please don't use false statements like "Federal Europe".

And "free trade" has not, in recent history, always been the British way.

Arnold said...

Anonymous 11:33. Common law? You're a Freeman on the land, aren't you?

awh1956 said...

Anonymous 11:33. In the supermarket (one of the big 4 that I worked in until April of this year) all the lamb products except one where from New Zealand. The one product that wasn't was lambs liver which came from Australia. We also had New Zealand Gala apples and Anchor butter. Thats not to mention asparagus from Peru and beans from Kenya.

Are they noy part of the rest of the world.?

Anonymous said...

"Free trade"?

What, like the British Empire and its looting and destruction of indigenous economies? Or like the Asiento Treaty? Or US corporations undermining of Central and South America economies?

The fact is "free trade" is a near complete illusion, a deliberate lie. All strategic economic activity is rigged. There's fuck all "free" about it. The only question is what it's rigged FOR.

Qui bono?

Anonymous said...

Their maths is also highly questionable https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45625724

Jonathan said...

One organisation that links Singham, these batshit Brexiteers and Crawford Falconer the UK Trade Representative is the Legatum Institute, a rather dubious educational think-tank whose CEO happens to be one Phillipa Stroud former SPAD to IDS and former head of Centre for Social Justice, who created Universal Credit.

And we know how Universal Credit is working..