Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

I'm not sure if that reporting is right though. Because Jersey is responsible for managing its own waters, London doesn't (and can't) issue licences to fish in Jersey. Only the Jersey government can do that. The UK is responsible for foreign policy (I think including negotiating fishing agreements on behalf of Jersey and the other Channel Islands) and defence - but that's it.

I can definitely believe that Brexit has complicated things. But I'm not sure how much of an impact it's necessarily had given that Jersey wasn't in the EU and, from my understanding, has never been in the CFP. So the UK-EU agreement explicitly excludes the territorial waters Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man from the general agreement - because they weren't "European" waters. From what I understand the terms for fishing in those waters is that you need to show that you either have regularly in the past 3 years or that you had a right to under some older treaty.

I suspect that French fishermen might not be aware. But I think the French government probably are which is why they've not mentioned using any of the disputes procedures in the treaty but instead threatened to turn off Jersey's electricity

[Legbiter]

Amazing of the French to do Boris this favor. Luckiest man alive in politics.

[Legbiter]

NEW: Latest updates on Jersey situation:

UK has Navy ships to Jersey - with cannons
UK government official says Macron has "small dick energy"
France has sent patrol boats
French fishing figures say they are "ready for war"

https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1390258409480540183

[Agelastus]

Yep. With Jersey following the British approach of ignoring the developing issues of brexit until the deadline is already long past.
And being very slap dash and make it up as they go along about it.

Or maybe the permits have only been issued now and not last year because the relevant arrangements for Jersey were under the Granville Bay Treaty/Agreement (of 1839 according to ITV) that my Google-Fu has been insufficient to find a proper article on. Since Guernsey issued permits earlier I assume (and I may be mistaken) that they were not part of this arrangement.

Said Treaty being superceded when Jersey became provisionally part of the TEC agreement in January (I suspect from some of the stories I've seen partly because the Jersey fishermen's lobby has been campaigning for years to get the Granville Treaty ended.)

Now, it sounds like Jersey has made a pig's ear of issuing the permits as the 90 day "grace" period expired (I would dearly love to see their "formula" for granting access given some of the strange lengths of time I have seen listed for the permits that have been issued) but that -

(a) Does not excuse France's reaching straight for what amounts to a "nuclear" option with the threat to cut off electricity (that they seem to be somewhat rowing back on today.)

and

(b) Doesn't mean there wouldn't have been protests from the French anyway even if the permits were consistent. From what I have read it looks as if the French boats were almost certain to get less access due to the Jersey fishermen's long running complaints whenever the permits were issued.

[Agelastus]

NEW: Latest updates on Jersey situation:

UK has Navy ships to Jersey - with cannons
UK government official says Macron has "small dick energy"
France has sent patrol boats
French fishing figures say they are "ready for war"

https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1390258409480540183

My first reaction was that whoever said it had messed up a phrase in French.

Then I searched for it and discovered that it was yet another strange phrase that has emerged in the last few years that I'd never heard before.

Maybe English does need the equivalent of the Academie Francaise if this is an example of the English speaking world's current level of linguistic wit and inventiveness.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The boats have gone gone back home now https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57011376

Slow handclap for the fools in both the British and French governments that escalated a minor protest into a diplomatic row.

The "UK government official" who made the small dick energy comment should be fired.

[Sheilbh]

I assumed that entire post is a joke - the British ships with cannons v French pistol ships.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I assumed that entire post is a joke - the British ships with cannons v French pistol ships.

Oh, you are right 

[Sheilbh]

Far-right campaigners of some sort (I think that's the woman from the EDL/Britain First?) film themselves confronting Nicola Sturgeon - who responds admirably by confronting them back:
https://twitter.com/josephwillits/status/1390337987762864131?s=20

[crazy canuck]

"You are a fascist.  You are a racist"  - calling it like it is. Well done.

[Josquius]

Far-right campaigners of some sort (I think that's the woman from the EDL/Britain First?) film themselves confronting Nicola Sturgeon - who responds admirably by confronting them back:
https://twitter.com/josephwillits/status/1390337987762864131?s=20

Yeah think that's jada franenstein
Not seen her a while. Thought she was out of the game.

[Sheilbh]

Clearly just been in the wind

[Sheilbh]

God it is grim just thinking about this. Tories have been in government for 11 years - the equivalent point for Maggie was 1990 and for Blair/Brown 2008. By then things were clearly looking bad.

Instead they've increased their vote share and number of MPs in every election since 2010 - which is not meant to happen to incumbent governments

Edit: Incidentally cabinet minister avoiding the question a little bit when asked if he accepted that if the SNP won a majority they would have a mandate for a referendum. Basically said we're still waiting for the results (not coming in overnight), all the country should be focusing on recovery and building back better (I hate this slogan) and they should take the SNP at their word when they said the last referendum was a once in a generation event.

Edit: And of course in Scotland it's been the SNP in government for 14 years

[Sheilbh]

OMG this election map
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2021/05/2021-english-local-election-results-ward-ward

Edit: One result for Valmy here - the Lib Dem fightback starts here!

Britain Elects
@BritainElects
Hendon (Sunderland) council result:

LDem: 42.2% (+34.8)
Lab: 34.8% (-30.2)
Con: 15.5% (-4.8)
Grn: 4.5% (-2.9)
UKIP: 3.1% (+3.1)

LDem GAIN from Lab

Edit: Very early results in the North-East are very good for the Tories. They're consolidating the ex-UKIP/Brexit Party vote. Also appears to be a little bit of a Green surge which is hurting Labour but, so far, only winning a few seats.

Also it seems like turnout is very impressive - possibly people bored by the pandemic? Maybe a surge in postal voting? There's over 50% turn-out in Hartlepool which is very impressive given that in the general election it was only 57%. If it is postal voting that will help the SNP because I think they're the only party I saw with a proper postal voting strategy - that might cost Labour and the Tories a lot in Scotland

[Valmy]

Edit: One result for Valmy here - the Lib Dem fightback starts here!

This is just the beginning. In a few years ALL of Sunderland will be under council governments of the mighty Lib Dems.