Probably showing the power of a genuine single market as against trade barriers. Possibly also some element of GB companies using Northern Ireland as their EU bridge.
Continue to stress how this UK government raised trade barriers by more than any other, ever.
Given the extent of modern trade as compared to the past I actually wonder if any government has raised trade barriers by as much as the UK did on January 1. Probably, but even the fact we use no obvious comparator tells its own story.
And this supposedly 'free trade loving' government may yet start a trade war as if they hadn't done enough damage already to UK companies.
This is where purist definitions of sovereignty lead.
Incidentally a handful of new Free Trade Agreements will only fractionally make up for this government's imposition of new trade barriers, in case you were wondering.
With so far predictable results.
Stupid macho posturing, the last thing we need. Trade wars damage economies, and that's the last thing we need right now, or frankly at any time. telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/…
A small piece of advice for government. If you are preparing for a trade war covering 50% of your trade in the belief it will have little impact, you are wrong. Change course.
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Job done for the EU. The political commentariat think the UK won. The trade experts who greeted the proposals with a lot of saying "hmmm" and "that seems like a lot of conditions" can be safely ignored.
We are not blind to our lack of influence. Perhaps as it should be.
Remarkably some other countries achieve their aims in international negotiations without threats and tantrums. Possibly even most countries and more of their aims.
Indeed for the UK it has been so many tantrums and so little winning. So much so that other countries will know now that it is easy to negotiate with the UK, allow the media win, achieve all the detail you want. We can call it the UK-Australia model.
If only the UK free traders who used to warn us of the perils of trade barriers hasn't decided in the last five years to put purist definitions of sovereignty ahead of trade.
Ah. Not that they'll automatically take the opportunities. But almost like imposing a labour supply shock on top of supply chain strains wasn't a good idea...
Oh sheez, not the only offender, but can we make some better attempt to understand negotiations and the EU? Everything is theoretically negotiable if you have the capital. The EU doesn't suddenly offer gold, and didn't yesterday. For the oldies, RTFM.
It might be hard to believe in the UK, but numerous countries are currently negotiating with the EU on all manner of trade subjects. Few involve threats, most are going slow, all involve both sides tweaking negotiating positions regularly, most will deliver something.
In briefing-world Brexit Northern Ireland is on the verge of collapse due to the imposition of the European Court of Justice, and the EU has just put forward remarkable proposals to sweep away nearly all checks under the protocol.
Fine. Except neither of these things is true.
Great Britain to Northern Ireland goods movements are largely continuing, though there's no doubt with greater costs and paperwork for which business has suggested fixes. Unionist anger at a protocol they opposed is real, though also inflamed by the UK government.
The EU has responded with limited proposals to meet the problems identified by Northern Ireland business, while claiming unconvincingly that these will sweep away enormous amounts of checks, and that Member States are strongly resisting any flexibility.