Phil Syrpis Profile picture
15 Oct, 8 tweets, 2 min read
Today's Brexit news does not come as a surprise. There has, once again, been no meaningful progress. It is *very easy* to see why. And December approaches. 1/8
In a negotiation, it pays to understand the position of the other side. The EU side has struggled to understand the position of the UK. The UK side has made next to no effort to understand position of the EU. 2/8
The UK is asking for *both* unfettered regulatory freedom and unfettered access to the EU market. Given the EU's - unambiguous - insistence on the integrity of the single market, and the realities of international trade, that is an impossible ask. 3/8
The UK has to choose - either 'sovereignty' or easy access to the EU market. It will only gain such easier access if it is to surrender some of its regulatory freedom, and agree to follow certain (EU) rules. 4/8
In order to get a trade deal, the UK needs to convince the EU that it is, and will be, willing to abide by certain (EU) rules; that it will not pose a threat to the internal market.

(There is a lot of scope for detailed negotiation here.) 5/8
Instead, it has loudly trumpeted its sovereignty, and is legislating to facilitate the breach of existing Treaty commitments. The EU's response is - predictably - to insist on more stringent 'governance' rules. The UK's response is to feign surprise and incomprehension. 6/8
The route of the problem is that the UK is making an impossible ask. If it chooses to soften its position, it can (still) get a deal. If it does not, it will not. 7/8
There is still time for a deal. But, as I've said before, the spirit of trust and compromise needed to achieve it is nowhere to be found. 8/8

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More from @syrpis

17 Oct
The stand-off between @BorisJohnson and @AndyBurnhamGM is developing into something very interesting. Thread. 1/9
Number 10's plan has some appeal. Given where we are with COVID, and the big variation in case numbers, it makes sense, in public health terms, to have a local response. 2/9
It also makes sense, this time in a political sense, to share, or to pass, responsibility for tighter restrictions on to local politicians (I think Michael Portillo made this point on Question Time). 3/9
Read 9 tweets
15 Oct
A long thread (sorry) about Universities and the response to COVID-19. It's very much a personal view. 1/22
I'm not going to go through the history - on that, I whole-heartedly recommend @gsoh31's blog (below). Instead, I focus on some of the steps which led us to where we are today.
publicpolicypast.blogspot.com/2020/09/end-of… 2/
Since March we have had... (1) the last-minute move to online teaching for the end of the 19/20 academic year, with online assessments in May/June and August/September. Exams and exam rules rewritten, with staff working from home to process them. 3/
Read 24 tweets
13 Oct
Just had the misfortune to see @RobertJenrick's interview on the BBC. 1/12
The rhetoric goes like this: We are at a moment of maximum danger. We have hard choices to make. We will work closely with local leaders. And, wait for it, we have devised a new framework. 2/
This new 3 tier framework (with the country divided into 'medium', 'high' and 'very high') has been getting lots of attention. But, it has not been properly scrutinised. 3/
Read 14 tweets
8 Oct
As per usual, moved to tweet out of frustration born of watching the news. This is on the new '3 tier coronavirus restrictions'. The acknowledged urgent need is to provide people with clarity.

That's a good start. It doesn't last. 1/8
One can imagine the delight in Whitehall as the 'traffic light system' was first proposed. Clear and simple. Red, amber, green. Divide the country into 3 zones. Have stricter rules where the case numbers are highest. 2/
The usual suspects in the press were duly alerted. Boris would be bringing - if not good news - then at least some clarity.

But... it appears that the plan has yet to be fully thought through. 3/
Read 9 tweets
6 Oct
I know nothing about off-shore wind, so I was, ahem, blown away by some of the PM's claims.

But I have 3 questions. 1/4
First, are there any geographical reasons why the UK is best placed to harness the power of the wind? If not, why are other countries missing the boat so spectacularly, and will they continue to do so into the 2030s? 2/4
Second, isn't it easier and cheaper and more efficient to have the windfarms onshore, or close to the shore, rather than in the middle of the deepest oceans? Or does the wind there have special qualities which cannot be harnessed closer the shore? 3/4
Read 4 tweets
2 Oct
Might the Brexit talks be about to enter 'the tunnel'? Is high-level political intervention going to enable a deal to be reached? Some thoughts - focused on the UK side. 1/13
My first thought is that a deal *can* be reached. The UK could have one of many relationships with the EU, depending on the UK's preference. The EU will insist on a balance between rights and responsibilities (and there will be a battle over how that balance is struck). 2/
This could be anything from membership of the EEA, to a comprehensive 'trade +' deal, to a more thin free trade agreement. The more the UK wants easy access to the EU market, the more rules it will have to agree to be bound by. 3/
Read 13 tweets

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