Brexit talks continue, but why?! (4k)

So the Brexit talks continue, but with no change in mandate for the negotiators - so why on earth bother?

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Brexit talks continue, but why?!

After months of meetings and talks, the two Brexit negotiators, Michel Barnier and Lord David Frost found they could not see a way forward, so they halted the negotiations on Friday and kicked the problem upstairs.

And if anyone thought that Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen could break the deadlock, then they will have been disappointed.

They followed the same script as last time and told the two negotiators to keep negotiating for another couple of days.

But importantly there was no mention on either side of softening stances on red-lines.

So, it's hard to see how another 48 hours of Groundhog Day is going to help. Unless, this is all about not being seen to be the one that pulled the plug on the talks.

There is, after all, a duty to negotiate in good faith, and during the inevitable post-no-deal Brexit blame game, there will be much finger-pointing and name-calling.

But there may also be legal action between the EU and UK, where this issue could become very important.

When goods imported from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland are destined for the Single Market they will have to be declared and relevant tariffs and taxes paid. But there is an added class of products 'at risk' of going into the Single Market where reclaimable taxes are collected 'just in case'.
And that might go a long way towards explaining why, in the face of all reality, the Environment Secretary, George Eustace was on the TV today talking about there being a deal to be done.

He said on the BBC Andrew Marr programme:

"There's still a deal to be done, but there's no denying that the end of last week was quite a setback."

But at least he also said:

"The sticking points remain - quite fundamental ones. We've been clear all along that we can only do an agreement if it respects our sovereignty.

"I think we probably are now in the final few days in terms of deciding whether there can be an agreement.

"Of course, if the ambience warms up again and actually great progress is made, and it is just about sorting out the detail, then you can always find more time, you can always extend.

"But I think unless we can resolve these quite fundamental divergences at the moment, then we are going to have to take a position in the next few days."

And when he says extend I take that to mean to allow more discussions before the 31st of December, not to extend beyond it.

But what does 'the next few days' mean? After all, we've only got another 25 days as it is and UK importers and exporters must be getting very twitchy. Although, if they haven't planned for a no-deal by now, then they haven't been paying attention.

But one of the issues that might crash any remaining negotiations is the matter of the potentially Withdrawal Agreement busting clauses in the UK Internal Market Bill.

And that Bill is due to go back to the House of Commons tomorrow after its filleting in the House of Lords.

The Lords voted those clauses out, and if MPs end up voting to put those clauses back in, something Boris has promised to do, then Brussels has threatened to drop any talks like a hot potato.

But there is the matter of a new Bill coming forward now as well. This new Bill is the "Taxation (Post-Transition Period) Bill" and is due to be put before Parliament this coming Wednesday.

So one assumes this Bill will be talking about the tariffs and taxes, if any, to be collected on goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland that are so-called 'at risk' of being moved across the North-South border and into the EU Single Market at a later date.

But to do that, it would almost certainly have to contain clauses that mirror those in the UK Internal Market Bill.

And that will send the EU into a frenzy. As their suspected plans of annexing Northern Ireland would fall flat.

However, how can it be right for UK businesses to be charged a tax on importing goods into Northern Ireland?

Even this 'at risk' bit is suspect.

What the EU is saying, is that they don't trust Northern Ireland businesses to not be underhand and buy cheap stuff from the UK and sell it on in the Single Market.

Yes, that's what it boils down to. Distrust.

I wonder how the people of Northern Ireland feel about being considered a nation of inveterate smugglers?

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Видео Brexit talks continue, but why?! (4k) канала Jeff Taylor