To demonstrate what a minefield Brexit is proving to be, read this Brexit Central article (HERE) on fishing by Owen Paterson. He is an arch Brexiteer, former Environment Secretary and staunch believer in Britain having an independent fishing policy. The problem is that like so many other areas there is no agreement what that should look like. He wants an end to fixed quotas and a system called Flexible Catch Composition (FCC) and control of the time vessels are allowed to spend at sea known as Refined Effort Control. I am not suggesting for a minute that his idea wouldn't work ( although it probably wouldn't).
What interests me is that he hasn't actually got a proven, workable plan since he is suggesting "Trials of refined effort control and other alternative management systems should be conducted immediately". Note the alternative "other" management systems.
Not only does he admit that he doesn't know if his plan would succeed, he doesn't know if any other plan would work either. The only things he is certain about are that the CFP is no good and that it's impossible to work with other European nations to improve it. Oh, and that Brexit is fantastic - even without a trial - whatever Brexit is, no matter what colour, size or shape - it's fantastic. His difficulty is the absolute 100% cast iron certainty that whatever new fishing policy is finally devised, someone and perhaps even most fisherman will be unhappy. You can always find consensus when you are only talking about a new policy because everybody will have their own idea what that policy should be.
This is a microcosm of everything Brexit isn't it?
In June 2016 there was just about a consensus for leaving the EU and Mrs May's Brexit means Brexit mantra held the line. But sooner or later it must all come down to one final and absolute set of clear rules to govern our relationship with Europe, and on that subject, as with fishing, there will never be a consensus. It has always been so.
