"The threat of a no-deal Brexit was nothing more than a hoax"

Current affairs, gossip and general conversation

"The threat of a no-deal Brexit was nothing more than a hoax"

Postby dutchman » Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:25 am

The imaginary doomsday scenario was never credible to the EU but was a powerful force to shape UK domestic politics

Image

The threat of a no-deal Brexit has always been a hoax – and it has been one of the most successful deceptions in British political history. It was never a real option but has systematically lowered domestic expectations for a deal and allowed the government to avoid any serious scrutiny. Boris Johnson played the role of no-deal madman with aplomb, as if he had been born for it. Which of course he believes he was.

The idea that no deal was a plausible option never made any sense. When Theresa May first threatened that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, in her January 2017 Lancaster House speech, it was a bluff. It was an attempt to act as if Britain – by far the weaker party in the negotiations – had some leverage. It didn’t.

The obvious alternative to a deal was never some imaginary doomsday after 31 December but the continuation of the status quo. Despite the rhetoric, transitionary agreements that kept everything the same for “as short as possible, as long as necessary” have been the revealed preference of both the EU and the British government as Brexit deadlines have come and gone. It would have been no different this time.

No deal was never a credible threat to the EU, but rather a powerful force to shape domestic politics. The strategic geniuses in the Tory party briefed the British press that to secure a good deal, the EU had to believe that Britain would walk away. When Dominic Raab was Brexit secretary, the government produced a series of “no-deal notices” that only served to highlight the idiocy of such a policy. But the threat never carried real credibility in Brussels because the asymmetrical impact was so blindingly obvious.

The real policy of the government has been that any deal is better than no deal. The deal that has been struck is a lopsided agreement that secures the EU’s economic interests while undermining ours. In many respects, it offers poorer market access than recent deals between the EU and Japan, and the EU and Canada, while imposing much tougher obligations to ensure a “level playing field”. The most generous description is that it is a “thin deal”.

Yet the pro-Brexit British press is triumphant, hailing Johnson as some kind of hero. There is no reflection of reality in much reporting: the stronger party has secured most of its objectives, while the weaker party has accepted what it must. Even serious analysts pull their punches by prefacing their analysis with various formulations of “while it is better than no deal”. After a terrible year, most of the public simply feel relieved.

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50290
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: "The threat of a no-deal Brexit was nothing more than a hoax"

Postby rebbonk » Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:04 pm

If there really was going to be no deal far better preparations would have been made, rather than the shallow show-boat ones that were talked about and shown on TV.

Johnson was, is, and always will be, a charlatan. His incompetence and deceit has cost the country millions and will continue doing so.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
User avatar
rebbonk
 
Posts: 65580
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:01 am

Re: "The threat of a no-deal Brexit was nothing more than a hoax"

Postby dutchman » Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:40 pm

There's still no 'deal' with regard to the financial services sector which is Britain's largest export sector. Both sides have instead agreed to leave 'negotiations' till later.

Britain desperately needs such a deal whereas the EU doesn't. :stir:
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50290
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End


Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

  • Ads