GOVE - SWIMMING IN CIRCLES

Michael Gove is said to be very clever, although being clever and a Brexiteer has always seemed to me to be an oxymoron. He is setting himself up for a very big fall at some future date. He used to claim the EU had effectively closed his father's Aberdeen fishing business although there is some doubt about whether it was true or not (HERE).  His father has apparently denied his company was actually destroyed by EU policies

OWEN PATERSON AND FISHING

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). 

FISHING

An analysis conducted by researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands, rated the world’s top university for agricultural research has found that taking back control of UK waters will mean cheaper British caught fish - unfortunately most of the fish we actually eat is imported.

DRAFT WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT CAPITULATION

The latest draft Withdrawal Agreement has been published (HERE) with the text coloured in to indicate where we are in agreement (green), where policy objectives are agreed but the text is not (yellow) and the rest, where negotiations are still ongoing.  In keeping with the government's strategy so far, there are a few more concessions by the UK.  No doubt many more will follow. This allows the Brexiteer outrage to subside before the next lot of concessions are handed over. They can only take so much disappointment in one lot.

FISHING LIMITS - TAKING BACK CONTROL?

I was surprised to learn that we signed an agreement in 1964 which allows some other countries to fish in our coastal waters (HERE). The countries are Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Germany and France. The London Fisheries Convention allows fishing between 6 and 12 miles from shore and it sits alongside the Common Fisheries Policy. In return we can fish in their coastal waters. The government now proposes to pull out of the agreement.