Britain’s fishermen think they have been sold out by the British government over the Brexit deal. The only fooled themselves. They believed what their leaders were selling them.
The Economist soberly notes :
“Mrs May is bound to accept the transition … She has no choice. Fishing is too small an industry to jeopoatise a future Brexit deal”.
The industry brought this bad deal on themselves. They called for the ripping up ancient fisheries access. This upset the Danish. They called into question basic property rights, which annoyed the Dutch. They gave us a masterclass in how to lose friends and not influence people.
The British fleet is going to be bound up with the CFP for the next few years. They’ll need to implement the discards ban that they are trying to get out from. North Sea quotas are still going to be set by the Norwegians and the EU, with the British as second-order players. They’ll have lost any goodwill from everyone around the table.
Other industries did not get the same deal. Other leaders have not gone for a jingoist, burn all the bridges approach. They don’t want 30% tariffs on their goods when they sell to their largest market. They are quietly working to get the best deal.
It did not have to be the way. Taking the high road, embracing the Norwegian model, ensuring historic and property rights were protected would have put the EU on the back foot.
Did the transition deal have to be like this?