7/1/2021
And tonight's mystery object is.......a red herring
Here is the #Brexit deal explained from a negotiator's point of view.
When you have a #negotiation involving a large number of component parts, here is a useful trick. Select just one of the parts, one which is not terribly important to you, then fight for it as if your life depended on it.
The harder you fight, the more your opponents will think they can use it is leverage, At the very last minute, you sacrifice it in order to bring home the rest of the deal. In this case it was fish.
Early in January the PM will meet representatives of the fishing industry. He will say "I tried ! I really did, but I couldn't let the whole deal collapse on account of your industry, could I? I realise this will cost your members money, so we will give you a 5-year tax break and a 2-year subsidy". (The cost of all that will be a tiny fraction of the cost implications of walking away without a deal).
Everybody gets to save face. The Government, the EU negotiators, the fishermen can all claim victory. Everybody wins; it is the perfect deal.
If you think that is easy, you try negotiating in a goldfish bowl, with all of the media trying publicly to analyse your every move. whichever way you look at it, #Boris has played a blinder.
