Now that we are leaving the EU...

The majority of the British media, in particular the BBC, is NOT anti EU though.

Don't worry Chestnut, I'm already at the party, come and find me for a

Oh give it a rest Varian FFS’S

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/andre-rieu-enters-top-30-chart-on-brexit-day-1-6493031

Now that we have left the EU and have to start negotiating with other nations in order to strike trade deals we will rely on skilful, experienced negotiators to negotiate on our behalf. This is something that I don't feel at all confident about. Remember David Davis? Dominic Raab? A jubilant lady this morning on the radio commented ”We now want to get the trade deals that we want”. And my heart sank.

Serious question: Do we have these skilled negotiators?

No

There’s this as well www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/01/brexit-trade-talks-eu-to-back-spain-over-gibraltar-claims?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1580564088

And of course Ireland.

I expect we do have some skilled negotiators because some of them will have been part of EU trade negotiating teams*. But I doubt that we have enough to be working on the myriad 'deals' needing to be done over the next 11 months.

*Yes, believe it or not, EU negotiators were drawn from the member states; because 'Brussels' is not a country and has no bureaucracy of some alien breed of 'Bruxelloise'. People from all the member states worked for the EU civil service.

Here's a thread written yesterday by a British EU 'bureaucrat'. It details the work they did, the influence the UK wielded and how they achieved that influence.

threader.app/thread/1223338503565606915

I watched Dominic Raab in conversation with A Marr this morning. He (Raab) wanted to make it clear that there will be no concessions from the UK in the forthcoming EU negotiations. We will not be rule takers. Also, our diplomats have been given instructions not to sit with diplomats from other nations at events. This will give a clear signal that we are independent.

I wasn't surprised to hear D Raab's idea of how we should approach these very important talks with the EU. I was, however, disappointed. Do we never learn? This aggressive, ”we know best” attitude will not succeed. If we really intend to go to Europe and lord it over them I fear there will be a sorry end for us all.

I saw the same Greta and my heart sunk.

Leo Varadkar’s response (treating is a ta tantruming toddler) seemed the only appropriate one. I suspect the EU is going to look like the grown up in these negotiations.

I still suspect that they don’t actually want an EU deal (Trump doesn’t want us to have an EU deal, so I doubt Johnson does).

I had hoped with the ERG being put back in its box we may be able to actually negotiate a sensible deal, but those hopes are rapidly disappearing.

I disagree, Raab was talking sense.For too long the EU hoped we would have a weak government and would have to accept anything they chose to give us.No longer the case!

Oh god, this is utter delusion.

And actually my fear on reflection was that Johnson is talking an approach that will appeal to Brexiteers rather than a pragmatic approach that will appeal to the EU.

As I said I suspect that is because he doesn’t actually want an EU deal, he wants one with the US.