Thread by @Macerty

Freedom, Fish and Foreigners. The three things Brexiters have a compulsive disorder over. The rabid right wing press feed them their daily dose of toxic messaging of gunship diplomacy, a pirates understanding of the Law of the Seas and a rogue state's notion of sovereignty.

We are being fed a simpleton's version of the Law of the Seas Convention which much more complex than the media or Tory ministers and MP's care to study. At its heart is negotiation, customary rights and obligations, not gunships or jingoism.

International Law contradicts the simplistic narrative offered by the British government. Fishing rights are exceptionally poorly understood, as generally in common law jurisdictions their ambit is defined by a collection of ancient court cases under the public right to fish.

Whether or not LOSC has superseded the 1964 convention on UK fishery rights, The Isle of Anglesey case makes the point that not only is consent required for any development under any regulatory regime, specific statutory authority is also required to remove fishing rights.

In effect, there must be mutual agreement between the two main parties in dispute unless every time there is disagreement, the UK or the EU are going to have to resort to the expensive option of a court of arbitration which could run into many millions to attempt to resolve it.

This would amplify or inflate a small contentious area or dispute into a much larger one disproportionately to the rest of the treaty in place which are working well overall and create a scenario for repeated wrangling and expensive disputes.

None of these are in the interests of either the UK or the EU. The UK negotiators must compromise on this now before it rebounds on the UK if it is perceived in court to be an aggressor pursuing its own agenda without any clear mandate or rights within international law.

Let commonsense and a focus on sustainability of fishing stocks be at the centre of the talks as well as an acceptance that there must be the realisation that we must learn to share the produce of these fishing waters between the continent of Europe and the UK.