Lots of buzz re Tony Abbott's role as post-Brexit UK trade advisor. (Be sure to read @DavidHenigUK's hot-take)
Aside from his earlier embrace of No Deal (he wrote a piece called "No Deal? No problem!") it's striking this role is given to a non-Brit
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theguardian.com/australia-news…
Why is this striking? After all, UK is open-minded Global Britain.
Well, I recall European EU (trade) experts being kept at arms-length from advising HMG after the #Brexit referendum.
For fear they might be double-agents advising the Other Side. Only Brits Allowed!
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Of course, European EU experts might have had some useful lessons to share about negotiating with the EU, which could've benefited HMG. But hey, that ship has sailed.
Apparently, an exception is made for Anglosphere Aussies.
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And of course, the UK should solicit advise from wherever it comes. So good for them!
But I remember distinctly a conversation with a very senior Australian official, back in 2017. We were discussing how Australia was making its trade policy expertise available to UK...
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Guess what that official said...
"We're happy to teach & advise the Brits about trade negotiations. We'll know they're trade policy better than they'll know it themselves. And we'll use it to our advantage in our bilateral talks. We'll negotiate with them early on and win."
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And lo' and behold, Australia is among the first bilateral FTA's Liz Truss is negotiating.
Good luck with the agricultural chapter!
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The ideology of Brexit is such that those in the Anglosphere are considered the UK's newest BFF's and the EU are the villains.
Unfortunately, trade policy doesn't work that way.
/end
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