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Originally Posted by jonbxx
Mmm, I fear that we may have made a blunder in even openly and knowingly considering breaking the Withdrawal Agreement.
Despite rolling back, some rock solid governance clauses are going to be needed here I think
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Agreed, I'm not sure the implications were well thought through.
---------- Post added at 17:50 ---------- Previous post was at 17:08 ----------
Useful backgrounder on why the EU does not want a bad deal with the UK.
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For the EU, a bad Brexit deal would involve granting the British unfettered market access, while leaving open the possibility that businesses based in the UK could undercut their European competitors by operating under laxer regulations. That is why the EU is so insistent on a “level-playing field” on regulations, as a condition for a trade deal.
The British argue that Canada was not held to similar standards as a condition for its deal with the EU. But Canada did not get completely tariff and quota-free access to the European single market. And the UK is right on the EU’s doorstep, and so potentially poses a much bigger competitive challenge.
European governments know that if they get this wrong, they could sustain long-term economic and political damage at home. The fear of stoking domestic Euroscepticism also lies behind France’s hardline position on fishing in the Brexit negotiations. The last thing that President Emmanuel Macron needs, ahead of a presidential election in 2022, is to devastate fishing communities in a region that is already trending towards the far-right.
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https://www.ft.com/content/5a84ce50-...b-2df08e1f8497