So, did anyone really think Johnson and Co could ever wrap things up in a coherent manner?
I didn’t vote for Brexit, but even so I’m more than a little miffed about how Johnson & Covare managing our exit 
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We did a poll on here a while ago. I’m happy to do it again, just to see if opinions have changed.
Has the EU ever offered the UK a deal compatible with the principle of leaving the European Union?
- Yes
- No
- Don’t know
0 voters
We’ve apparently been very close to a deal for weeks. The latest news that I am seeing is that the last big stumbling block left is fish, and it’s the French that are holding out.
There will be repercussions for the wider union if that’s the case. The Germans, with much more to lose over a no deal in terms of GDP, have mostly kept their powder dry. Can’t see them being too happy if Macron’s attempt to become Monsieur Fishy results in less sales for their much bigger industries.
This is one of the things that just baffles me - like really why do we give this much of a shit about fishing; is it just random nostalgia for the Factortame debacle?
It’s worth significantly less to the economy than Media/Arts which the government has been totally ignoring throughout yet it is apparently the hill we’re all willing to die on.
I remember reading a thread by a classical musician on Twitter about the impact of the new rules - it will require import documents for all instruments; loads of visas etc at great cost which will price all classical musicians out of European gigs (https://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/brexit).
I’m asking the same question as you really, just from a different standpoint. Why are the French so inflexible over this to the point where this minor industry threatens all trade?
If the French government were focused on outcomes instead of control, their fishing fleets would already have legal license to operate in these waters. We don’t really have the fleet capacity to exploit the returned waters, so that’s a good compromise for everyone as that capacity is ramped up.
FWIW, I lived three years in a fishing town. Most of the fisherman were paid off by the EU not to fish, and most of them were happy not to fish. It’s a dangerous old job; I remember someone from my workplace getting made redundant, heading for the boats and being fucking gutted about it.
As a consequence, that town has one major employer, Collins Aerospace, recently bought out by UTC, and if that goes, the town will go into decline.
In the grand scheme of things, fishing isn’t that important. To specific coastal communities, it could be a source of regeneration. It’s not just the boats, it’s the processing facilities, the onward distribution.
I guess only @lifeintheslowlane is old enough to remember we basically went to War over fish with an EU member not so long ago.
Is that you in the background with your hands in your pockets, supervising the working classes as they go about their daily toil?
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Iceland aren’t in the EU.
Even today, they’re only about 300k population. They did pretty well in that war!
No I’m just out of shot sniffing my fishy fingers. 
Well, it could be worse.
You could be Captain Birdseye, inexplicably sailing around the world with a load of small children.
The recent tidings of Epstein’s island make him look even more sinister.
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Channel 4 news have really gone down the nick since Brexit. These issues have been here all year and the no deal outcome was likely as soon as our negotiators made some red lines and stuck to them.
The deal is 98.7% agreed, FFS. The French have got the nerve to say that they won’t sacrifice the interests of their northern coastal communities.
That is a bit rich, considering the damage done to the UK fishing industry under CFP. The EU might have sorted bungs for the captains to shut up ship, but everyone that relied on the business those boats did lost out without a great deal of compensation.
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Free mobile app helps tbh
It’s a very dodgy situation with media coverage of this issue. The paper that covers the issue most is The Express.
And who wants to share a fucking Express link?
But at the same time, all you’ve gotten from many other papers is hopes and wishes it won’t happen as well as stories about how bad it’s all going to be.
All I’m saying is I’m hoping for a food parcel from Poland before the New Year.
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Well, this is as they say, where the rubber meets the road.
It is going to be difficult to assess Brexit in isolation with everything else that is going on, but we will soon see if the sky falls down or the Remainers were little chickens.
Mine is in transit, apparently…
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