Prime Minister May – A Very Sad Case of Incompetence

Today the Prime Minister has been in Brussels to receive the approval of the EU 27 to the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration in relation to BREXIT. To support her campaign to get the approval of the UK Parliament she has sent a letter to the people of the UK. She claims the Agreements will honour the result of the referendum and particularly return control of our borders, money and laws. None of that is true! With regard to borders there are especial long term arrangements for EU Citizens which will for years be determined by the ECJ. In relation to money the PM is seeking both a Free Trade Agreement and a Customs Arrangement – it is patent nonsense to think that the EU will not demand payment for access to it’s markets (else it undermines it’s protectionist Customs Union and Single Market) and freedom of movement for Citizens. Thirdly the agreements do not establish the Supremacy of UK law – see especially the so called Ireland “backstop” provision which could see external Judicial oversight in perpetuity. So when this is set against the Prime Minister’s negotiating competence, remember December 2017 – she gives in over the backstop, she offers a financial settlement before obtaining a Trade Deal. This Prime Minister is not capable of delivering any deal other than what the EU says she can have. The Country can and must do better! What ever happened to “No deal is better than a bad deal”? As a first step to getting support how about having an independent forensic audit of the £39bn to determine what it actually and reasonably should be. After all isn't transparency important in this exercise. The claim that the country requires a deal to be done does not mean at any price – she seems to have conveniently forgotten that!

Let us examine the EU and it’s constituent parts. If it was not already appreciated the EU as at presently run is a German economic hegemony (see it’s fiscal surplus and how it skews European economic development). How is it that the EU allows France to run a large deficit while Italy is not? How is it that Ireland, Portugal and Spain had severe austerity imposed while Germany and France escaped much more easily. It is clear that Germany’s economic hegemony is good for them at the expense of southern Europe (look what happened to Greece).

When it comes to international security there are a lot of “NINOs” (NATO in name only). Of the 28 current members of the EU only the UK, Poland, Estonia and Greece pay 2% or more of their GDP on NATO defence. Not all EU Members are NATO Members but there is a considerable overlap. Some spend less than 1% of GDP – notably Spain and Belgium (NATO Handbook 2017).

So far as the Good Friday Agreement is concerned the EU is not a party and it has been a blatant show of political opportunism by the current Republic Government to pursue it. If the UK is not going to put in a border and neither is the Republic what ever happened to trust. Is it so difficult for the Republic to say categorically that it rejects direct or indirect support for terrorism and that it will continue to honestly and genuinely maintain and enhance security co-operation on the issue of the border. Or is it that this is just another negotiating lever? Which brings me on to the refusal of the EU to allow participation of the UK in security databases – (see Withdrawal Agreement). I think we are now beginning to see what sort of people we are dealing with. In that introverted, self centred and self regarding world of the EU only someone as arrogant as Michel Barnier could say today that it is necessary to (re)build trust with the UK as the democratic exercise of the referendum meant it was no longer there! (interview SKY News 25^th November).

All of this leads me to the regrettable conclusion that the EU is institutionally incapable of negotiating in good faith! It’s actions thus far have shown malice and malign intent covered in a cloak meaningless soft words.

It is important to try for a deal but not this one. A deal has to be on the basis that for citizens there has to be legal and actual reciprocity. A complete end in March 2019 to the jurisdiction of the ECJ and the supremacy of UK Law, it’s Parliament and it’s Supreme Court. That is how mature countries behave. Else we should walk away.