From reports doing the rounds it seems UK overestimated Norway’s readiness to stick with PRE-EU fishing agreements.
IOW:
UK was geared for discussion on “status quo plus” - while Norway felt no legal obligation to even respect the existing status quo with post Brexit UK.
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Problem for UK negotiators is that Norway’s 1. Very rich 2. Part of the EEA 3. Fishing lobby is strong
Given this it’s unclear what UK could offer 🇳🇴.
In effect 🇳🇴 could simply tell 🇬🇧 “If you don’t like it - take us to court”.
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If the UK govt doesn’t come up with something then it’s only option would be to try & force Norway to legally defend its position.
Long-held fishing rights *can* be considered legally binding..but it seems unlikely in this case.
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Confirmation in Norwegian media.
( h/t @kirmber2 )
I’ve stopped making fun of those English immigrants in Spain who live in an old fashioned British time bubble in english pubs with English TV, because in a weird way...
...as a liberal & remainer I’m actually becoming...like them.
- A small thread on a strange phenomenon -
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We’re familiar with that immigrant cliche. The, for example, Turk who moves to Germany becomes more & more German and yet retains, cherishes a Turkish idea of himself & the land of his youth even as Turkey becomes modern...& then when returning “home” doesn’t recognize it..
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I’ve noticed a strange thing happening with me & Britain.
I’m British. I’m English.
I never even bothered to think about.
But the referendum.
& more importantly the post brexit tragedy following it, didn’t challenge my European identity - it, for the 1st time, confirmed it.
Boris Johnson has appointed Lord Christopher Geidt to head the committee. Lord Geidt has been a member of the Royal Household and in intelligence Service for much of his career.
I’m always intrigued when British people who are (supposedly) self-declared friends of Ireland call for #Irexit.
- A short thread on what would immediately happen -
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#Irexit would have all the problems of Brexit multiplied because of its smaller size, but that isn’t even the worst of it.
The worst thing would be everyone would assume Ireland would leave the EURO. Because how & why would you stay inside EURO but outside the EU?
& then..
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So if everyone assumes Ireland would leave the EURO why would anyone keep any savings or cash in Irish banks?
To protect the EURO value of your savings you would simply transfer these to other EU state accounts before your money was converted into as yet unknown currency.
The former communist regions of eastern Germany are poised to overtake the economies of the majority of British regions.
While UK economy is generally only about 10% behind that of Germany in overall per capita GDP - something strange is happening below the surface...
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UK GDP looks good as an average - but figures are skewed by the powerful London & South East that together have a per capita GDP of € 50 000.
This is higher than 🇩🇪 national average. And as its where vast majority of opinion formers are based influences UK self-perception.
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However beyond London + South East, we start to see the UK is so unequal many of its regions are fast being caught up by the poorer ex communist areas.
Already in 2018 Sachsen overtook not only the structutally weak N. East & N Ireland...but Wales, Yourshire & East Midlands.