Thread by @EmporersNewC

I thought all those covert marches and the largest petition in history were all under the radar. 🙄

More attacks on Remain today by @jillongovt and @anandMenon1. Is this gong to become a feature?

https://twitter.com/Fox_Claire/status/1334784399100047365

Just to remind you that Jill's name is on a paper proposing a "Reverse Ukraine" deal.

Does anyone want to know how that works?

Because it doesn't.

In the Ukraine model over time the EU and it's partner get together to agree how they will work more closely together by mutual consent.

A reverse Ukraine deal would involve an agreement that involved damaging the trade relations of both partners.

Now, the EU is not going to sign up to allow the UK to decide to unilaterally damage their trade to its neighbour.

And if it's by mutual consent, then there is never a situation when the EU says "Yeah, you can damage our trade to you, let's agree".

The Ukraine deal works because it is based on mutual advantage, and the reverse Ukraine deal wouldn't work because it is based on unilateral advantage.

The idea that in damaging one party you can get a benefit somewhere else and the other side is going to agree to it.

Effectively saying "Is it OK if we do a deal with you so we can get alignment where we get a benefit, and not have alignment where we don't?"

And now Jill is writing things suggesting the EU weren't flexible, well consider that the UK's crowning glory appears to be "The Reverse Ukraine" let's assume it's not really anything to do with flexibility.

Right now the UK government are refusing to sign up to Ukraine provisions when it's in the interest of the whole country.

And I'll say I know one of the authors and they have come out with some very good work on Brexit for the Institute for Government, but this is not an example of it.

The reverse Ukraine model is a ridiculous model and is only helpful in showing how utterly out of our depth our political class have been since 2016.

/End