brexitbenefits

[brexitbenefits]

Brexit disaster

This is my last post about Brexit Benefits as Brexit did have the potential to strike lots of trade deals with new countries and do things differently, but instead parliament elected a prime minister, which the Conservative voters did not vote for. Under Liz Truss there was a £30bn hole in the budget. Rishi increased this hole in the budget to £55bn and made December 2022 the highest debt for a December since records began. Rishi broke the bank on COVID-19, but to keep the banks happy, Rishi increased taxation, not because there is not enough money coming into the exchequer (750bn+) a year, but because of his reckless spending he has continued since COVID-19. Far more reckless than Liz Truss or any prime minister. Rishi is paying £9bn into the EU a year for different projects, without the benefits of being in the EU.

The media phrased it that Liz Truss deal put off investors. But what they meant by investors is investors interested in buying bonds. High interest makes government bond buying attractive as the government has also instituted high taxation to pay these "investors". Liz Truss instead would have encouraged real investors who would have invested in the economy and not government debt. Liz wanted to mimic other large economies and how they handle their debt.

Rishi has also forgotten why people voted for Brexit. People voted because of the suffocating legislation on small and big businesses alike. Every time a law was past in the EU, the House of Lords always added amendments to make EU laws harder and tougher on the UK. If the UK became part of the frugal four, UK could have changed to only adopt their bare minimum of EU law like these four countries. But post Brexit, the UK still goes farther than the EU. The Online Safety Bill is more cumbersome to tech companies than the EU DSA law. Liz was a Remainer who understood what people voted for. Rishi is a Brexiteer who does not understand and the UK will most likely get a Norway style deal under Labour.

The media has been gobsmacked at Ireland's surplus in revenue. Thai is because they cannot get past the truth that lower taxes increases investment and creates more money for the exchequer. Higher taxes makes businesses set up shop elsewhere. London could have become a Singapore on Thames but instead the UK is a slow growth, high tax country.

Rishi lied he could tackle inflation. Because he has instigated Cost of Living payments right to the end of 2024. This shows that Rishi himself is not confident in the economy or his ability to tackle inflation.

The UK should say no to any EU projects and also should have settled the divorce agreement and paid in full as paying the interest on the debt is expensive.

Rishi never understood why people voted for Brexit, and with Labour, Brexit is a "tick the box" in the past that only has political value.

I will return perhaps in 20 years if we finally get a prime minister that is all about growth and jobs and cancels all these payments to the EU. If that is never, than I will never write again. Brexit isn't a disaster because it was a poor decision. Brexit is a disaster because those in power did not deliver or understand the reasons for leaving. Someone arguing against Brexit usually only thinks of one thing: money. But Brexit was not a decision based on finance, it was a decision based on many EU laws the people did not wish to be chained to. Unfortunately no one has had the courage of entrepreneurship to take a risk. Without taking a risk, the status quo continues. Anyone who is an entrepreneur knows that taking risks is essential for growth.

[brexitbenefits]

UK Introduces Legislation to Amend Northern Ireland Protocol

The UK has introduced new legislation to tackle the problems in the Northern Ireland protocol with a firm legal basis for doing so. The key changes which are to be made are a green and red lane for exporters with goods at risk of entering the single market going in one lane, and goods not at risk going in the other. Real time data will be shared with the EU regarding this. The bill also ensures that NI can benefit from tax breaks and spending, and ensuring disputes are impartial and independent.

Strand 1 of the Good Friday Agreement states that the rights and interests of all sides of the community are protected and that key decision are taken on a cross-community basis. The protocol was drawn up in fears that nationalist violence could rise to the height of The Troubles if there was a hard border on the island of Ireland. However, a border down the Irish Sea causes equal rage in the unionist community. It is naive to say that easing checks destined to stay and remain in Northern Ireland would be detrimental to the nationalist community. In fact, this proposal would benefit both communities as there would be no hard border either between Great Britain and Northern Ireland or Northern Ireland and the Republic. It is also naive to assume nationalist businesses don’t trade with the UK as well.

The Good Friday Agreement states that key decisions can only be made when 60% of the Assembly agree or 40% of each community agree on the matter. The assembly can only function with the leaders of the two largest parties forming a coalition. The DUP has been clear it will not put forward their deputy first minister until the protocol is dealt with.

The Good Friday Agreement also enforces the commitment to the principles of partnership, equality and mutual respect and to the protection of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights in their respective jurisdictions. The protocol in its current form is depriving Northern Ireland of economic rights to trade with Great Britain.

the GFA also states that it would be wrong to make any change in the status of Northern Ireland save with the consent of a majority of its people. Northern Ireland’s status has changed, not only its customs and tax status, but also legally as it must implement every new piece of EU legislation without consent.

Then we have the Northern Ireland Protocol itself which states that the conditions for considering that a good brought into Northern Ireland from outside the European Union are:

(a) not be subject to commercial processing in Northern Ireland;

(b) the criteria for considering that a good brought into Northern Ireland from outside the Union is not at risk of subsequently being moved into the Union. 

These are the conditions the UK is using and any good  at risk good of entering the European Union will be subject the full amount of checks agreed in the protocol.

It also states “that nothing in this Protocol prevents the United Kingdom from ensuring unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom's internal market,” This clearly has been violated. Some lorries have had to fill out 300 pieces of paper for a single load, and some items are banned altogether.

Article 16 of the protocol also states that “if the application of this Protocol leads to serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade,” either side can take unilateral safeguarding  measures. Northern is having series economic issues in trading with Great Britain, societal measures as it has no functioning assembly, and diversion of trade with imports from Ireland to Northern Ireland having risen by 54%.

The third legal ground for changing the NI protocol is the doctrine of necessity. This justifies the non-performance of international obligation under exceptional and limited circumstances. Northern Ireland is in an emergency without a government.

[brexitbenefits]

UK signs new trade deal with New Zealand

Since the war started in Ukraine, the pound has gained against the euro, making the euro worth 82p. Britain has also concluded its trade deal with New Zealand. The deal the UK has with New Zealand is better than the one the UK has with the EU. It has very flexible rules of origin based on global supply chains so that the UK can source parts and ingredients from other countries. Customs procedures are also mostly digitalized similar to the trade deal we have with Norway. This is in comparison to 74 pieces of paperwork for a single truck going to the EU.

The UK now has deals with 9 of the members of the CPTPP, giving the UK a good chance of a successful application. The UK is now in the final stages of the application process.

Australia

Canada

Chile

Japan

Mexico

New Zealand

Peru

Singapore

Vietnam

[brexitbenefits]

Net Zero Means More Red Tape, Not Less

UK has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and grew faster than the EU in quarter 4 of 2021 with 1% of growth compared to the EU’s 0.4%. Negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol are ongoing, with talks dragging on as the UK gives the EU more time instead of triggering Article 16.

It seems Boris has something else on the agenda –Net Zero. Rather than taking the opportunity to deregulate and give more freedom to entrepreneurs and small businesses, Boris is 1. Not triggering Article 16 and restoring the NI Assembly, and 2. Not allowing fracking to alleviate the fuel crisis. If green energy is to be sustainable, it should not have to be subsidized by big government. If it is, then that proves it is not a sustainable business model and if the whole world goes down that route, it will lead to many countries defaulting on their debts just to achieve this goal.

It is going to be a very strange year in UK politics. Jacob Rees-Mogg, will be slashing EU red tape, while Boris adds more regulation for his net zero agenda. To be quite frank, BoJo will lose the next election unless he gives up his net zero agenda.

There is hope for the UK though. Trade negotiations with India, Australia and the Middle East are expected to be concluded by the end of the year, with the CPTPP negotiations ongoing, but the UK has a lot of work to do to get the infrastructure n place to divert trade away from the EU in areas where the EU has made it difficult to trade.

[brexitbenefits]

British Fishermen Sold Down The River

British fishermen are not getting what was promised on the TCA. Far from what is being promised, British fishermen are only getting 42.2% share of the fish quotas in 2022. The fishing deal is worse than the deal with Norway as The UK fleet in 2022 will be allowed to catch around 140,000 tonnes of fish, estimated to be worth around £313m, based on historic landing prices. This is down from last year’s catch of 160,000 tonnes. This is worse than the Norway deal which went up by 1,500 tonnes from last year to 7,000 tonnes. The Norway trade deal is more frictionless than the EU trade deal as most of it is digitalized with less red tape. The UK quota share has only went up about 2.2% since the trade deal came into force.

*Estimates based on Fisheries: consultations between the UK and the EU for 2022 thorough calculation of quota share.

[brexitbenefits]

Liz Truss Takes Over From David Frost

As Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, Liz Truss has a track record of getting deals over the line. She has been monumental in delivering trade deals with 70 countries outside the EU. She has a tough job negotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol as the EU typically takes years to negotiate. As part of her role, Liz Truss has been taking over the Northern Ireland protocol negotiations since Lord Frost resigned as chief negotiator. Lord Frost negotiated room in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for divergence and ideally wanted a deregulated, low tax economy. Instead, Boris wants a green, highly regulated economy which has been a frustration for David Frost.

It is not the UK’s ambition to start a trade war with the EU. Both the UK and the EU recognize that the Northern Ireland protocol is not perfect, but differ in views on how to solve the issues. What essentially has happened in the talks is a continued extension of grace periods for businesses to adjust. The statistics show that businesses are diverting trade away from the UK, which is one of the conditions for invoking Article 16.

As of yet, the UK has acted in good faith and continued to negotiate these difficult topics, while extending grace periods for various imports. Northern Ireland has met all the conditions for triggering Article 16, but the EU has insisted it will unproportionately terminate the whole agreement if any provisions within Article 16 are used, despite Article 16 being specific and proportionate to issues affecting Northern Ireland.

It’s been one year since Brexit has come into force, but this Christmas there was no shortage of festive food as predicted by the media. In fact, there was so much that ASDA was giving away vegetables for free. Turkeys were reduced to £2.50!

There is no doubt that COVID-19 lockdowns have negatively affected the economies of nations all over the world. A lockdown’s effect on an economy is most evident by the restrictions in place in South Africa which reduced their GDP by 51%! Despite this, London has remained behind New York as the second largest financial centre in the world as well as the UK retaining fifth spot among the largest economies. The UK also has had a slight advantage towards the end of this year as England has kept loose COVID-19 regulation in place, while most of Europe is imposing stricter measures.

The Fintech Industry has also had more investment than any European country with £15.4bn in funding compared to second on the list, Berlin, which had a total fintech investment of £4.8 bn.

[brexitbenefits]

COP26 boosts UK investment

Shell moves HQ from EU to UK, moving company shares up by 2%. Royal Dutch will also be dropped from the brand.

Britishvolt is also building a £2.6bn Gigafactory for producing electric batteries in the UK.

Ford is also investing £1.5bn in the Dunton Electrical Centre in Dunton. Ford's UK chairman, Joe Greenwell, said, "This is a testament to the skills and capabilities of our UK workforce and demonstrates the scale of our commitment to Britain." It will also support 100,000 jobs in the automotive industry.

Envision is also planning to expand its plant in Durham envisioning 250,000 new jobs by 2051.

[brexitbenefits]

What The World Agreed At COP26

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[brexitbenefits]

New Zealand Strikes Deal With UK Despite Ireland's Warning That Britain Can't Be Trusted

New Zealand has ignored Simon Convoy’s plea for the world not to trust the UK, with the UK only wanting to resort to the legal mechanism of triggering Article 16, if an agreement can’t be reached. The world most likely sees a different angle; the EU is not a reasonable partner to trade with, and countries around the world will not forget all the disputes they had with the EU, in which the EU ignored the WTO rulings. France has reiterated that Britain can’t be trusted while threating to break international law themselves. Remember last time when the EU leaders claimed that the UK was breaking international law? Yes, that time the EU hadn’t even signed the treaty, so under international law it wasn’t valid!

The French detained two ships that had lawful permits to fish in European waters under the terms of the TCA. One ship, which was on the recognized registrar, was suddenly removed from it and detained by French officials. The other refused to allow French officials to board, so was fined, but after boarding the officials found that this other boat did have a right to fish in those waters.

Under the terms of the TCA, only ships that have a historical record of fishing in the UK can continue to do so, with the share of catch diminishing every year until 2026, where then the UK can decide how much of its fish in its own waters UK citizens will be allowed to catch, and how much will be granted to the EU.

The French want to have it both ways. They want rigorous checks where even the wrong colour of ink on a form can get a vehicle refused, while at the same time every form no matter how badly filled in or that is not accompanies with sufficient evidence should be granted eternal access to UK waters. In Frances’s own words it indicates Brexit is going well for the UK as they want to enforce public opinion that “being outside the block is worse than being in”. If the have to enforce that view, obviously not many believe it. Even the Financial Times has reported that the prophecies of doomsayers never materialized, even though the article was quick to make a negative long-term projection as the short-term projections it made in 2016 never turned out to be true.

Even the Office of Responsibility makes a long term catastrophic forecast, but considering its hard enough for an economist to predict next years growth rate, never mind a 5 year one, it is notable that long term predictions get less accurate the farther they go into the future. Proper economists predict quarter on quarter and year on year as they know any chain of events can skew the results going 2,3,4 or 5 years down the line. France wants to break international law when the EU is not facing economic, or societal issues in direct relation to Brexit. The UK on the other hand wants to go through the legal channels by raising a dispute settlement with the EU instead of kicking and screaming like the spoilt child Macron is. Macron got upset when Australia turned down his non-nuclear-powered submarines, for better nuclear powered ones. Macron started crying when he wasn’t invited in the Aucas deal. Now he wants to throw a tantrum and block all trade with the UK.

The other row is on the Northern Ireland protocol. Northern Ireland is facing societal, economic and political instability caused by the rigidness of the protocol. The protocol seemed clear that only goods at risk of entering the EU single market would be subject to checks. This has not been the case. The vast majority of goods are checked and the conditions have been met to trigger Article 16. Including diversion of trade

Boris will be talking to Macron this weekend at the G20, and if by the 02/11/2021, there is no agreement, the trade war will begin. France has threatened to cut the UK’s energy supply and block all trade going into France. France is not the only route into the EU. and fishermen have been landing in Demark for some time. The UK also has trade deals signed with countries in outside the EU like Norway and Turkey. Tensions are high between Turkey and the EU at the moment so this may be a good opportunity to create a trade route through Turkey into the rest of the world. The UK has to notice when a friend and partner becomes an annoying neighbour, and how to respond to that. It has been my opinion since Brexit that everything must be done so that Britain is not energy dependent or food dependent on the EU and the importance of forming allies with the countries that are in Europe but not in the EU. This is so when the EU does not play ball, the UK can look outward instead of inward into this protectionist block.

Boris intends to meet with the Visegrad 4 next year which are countries that have concerns about the overarching power of the ECJ. This group consists of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

[brexitbenefits]

Lorry Driver Shortage Hits UK

Europe has a HGV driver shortage of over 400,000 drivers, the UK being the worst hit with a shortage of about 100,000 drivers. The Road haulage association has said out of all the HGV license holders, half have left the industry. 40,000 HGV driving tests were cancelled during the pandemic, and about 20,000 EU nationals have returned to work in the EU. The military is currently helping transport fuel from refineries to petrol stations.

In other developments, Lord Frost, the chief Brexit negotiator has warned that article 16 may have to be triggered if the issues causing social and economic harm to Northern Ireland are not resolved. The First Minister of Northern Ireland has said that his party will pull out of the power sharing agreement in Stormont if the issues are not resolved by November. Article 16 does not bin the protocol, but rather suspends a proportionate part of it.

The French instead wish to break international law by unilaterally ceasing all trade with the UK, rather than taking a measured approach dealing specifically with issues that are having a societal and economic impact on the EU.

It seems the EU want it one way. It is fine if a truck can’t get through in Europe because of incorrect paperwork, but it is not fine if a fishing permit is rejected because it has not been filled in correctly or cannot be issued under the terms of the trade agreement.

If the EU seriously wants to tear up the trade agreement, the UK should agree to do so. It is not in the UK’s interest to continue an agreement with those who are neither friends or partners. On the global stage, if countries only did what the big economic powers demanded, the world would be one autocracy, rather than a variety of democracies, monarchies, and dictatorships that shape the world.

[brexitbenefits]

EU Proposals for Agricultural Shows and Medicines Rejected

The UK has proposed changes to the protocol because of the societal and economic impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on the lives of its citizens. The proposals put forward by the UK government are:

· Removal of customs checks on goods from GB companies who have declared their final destination as Northern Ireland

· Removal of certificates and checks for food products only intended to be consumed in Northern Ireland

· Allowing medicines to flow freely between GB and NI

· Allowing labelled goods conforming to UK rules circulate freely NI alongside EU-registered products

The EU has halted legal action against the UK for its unilateral delay of the protocol enforcement as it considers the UK’s new proposals. The EU has proposed some changes to make it easier for the transport of animals. They have proposed that animals taken to GB agricultural shows can return back to NI providing they are in GB for no longer than 15 days and other health precautions are adhered to. The EU has also said there is existing flexibility for guide dogs, but they need a proposal from the UK on how to put it into operation.

The EU is proposing for medicines that as under the protocol Northern Ireland is under the EU’S pharmaceutical regulatory system, compliance functions can continue to be performed in GB as long as the products are labeled as only for Northern Ireland along with enhanced enforcement.

The EU and the UK have rejected each other’s proposals with the UK saying there is nothing new in the EU’s proposals as it is the same solution they presented months ago.

The Northern Irish Protocol problems were also brought up in a recent meeting between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

After the meeting, Paul Given, First Minister of Northern Ireland highlighted, “Obviously the Irish Government have a very important role in influencing how the European Union conducts is approach to addressing those issues, The DUP want to see progress over the coming months. There's a window of opportunity for that to happen.”

In other news, the UK has foolishly accepted £59 million free money from the EU. This COVID-19 relief money comes with the condition that EU flags are put on anything built or improved with that dosh. There is no such thing as a free lunch!

[brexitbenefits]

Finally UK Takes Action to Protect UK Farmers

Finally, the UK takes a move to protect farmers against EU competition. Since Brexit came into force on January 1 this year, UK seed potatoes have been barred from entering the EU, however the UK did not respond with an EU seed potato ban until 7/7/2021.

The EU is also considering allowing animal remains to be fed to livestock. If this becomes law, the UK should not take 6 months to act, but should act swiftly to prevent UK farmers with higher welfare standards being undercut by poor standards in the EU. Feeding animal remains to livestock is known to cause BSE which was the reason for the slaughter of thousands of animals years ago.

Though the UK government has made a grave mistake by agreeing to pay off the Brexit divorce bill over the next few decades. The lump sum should have been agreed and paid in full when the divorce agreement was signed as currency markets are volatile. In 10 years, the euro could gain by 10% against the pound. That would be a disaster to pay off. Gambling that the euro will fall every year until 2060 is a gamble no government should be prepared to take. But I suppose this Tory government has been using the magic money tree that Theresa May mistakenly thought Corbyn had. The EU’s estimates have risen to £40.8bn while the UK has estimated the final cost to be £39bn, but if you figure in the exchange rate transaction fees for every year into the final pay off date, the final figure being paid to the EU could be significantly larger.

[brexitbenefits]

UK Starts CPTPP Negotiations After Members Accept Accession Bid

UK strikes trade deal with Australia, which will be the first trade deal that is not a roll-over from the EU. This will be good for the UK as we already export £12bn a year to Australia which is more than the average of £11bn a year we export to an EU country. As the services sector constitute 80% of the UK economy, opening up public procurements in both directions will be good for the British business. What is more important is that Britain is successful in its CPTPP application. As the UK has trade deals with 8 of the 11 members, it will give it a better standing in joining this trading block. Over 60% of the world’s middle-income earners are expected to be in Asia by 2030, which makes joining the CPTPP an ideal market for Britain’s high-end goods.

[brexitbenefits]

Biden meets with Boris Before G7 Summit

Tension has been growing over the Northern Ireland protocol as the EU is more concerned about the integrity of the single market than peace in Northern Ireland. The UK has one of the highest food standards in the world, with a B status on the Global Animal Protection status. No country achieves the A grade and only 5 of the Eu's 27 countries achieve the equivalent status for animal welfare.

Northern Ireland’s economy is also very small compared to the EU's and 72.4% of Northern Ireland’s trade is not with the EU, the UK being its biggest trading partner. Total trade with the EU amounts to only 0.09 % of the EU's GDP. The EU's position is totally driven by greed as if it was law that companies had to do extra checks for goods destined to Ireland or the EU, the majority of companies would comply, giving the majority of that 0.09% going to the EU, hardly leaving them a cent out of pocket. The fact is that many of these checks are on goods that are not destined to the EU at all such as chilled meats from GB to Northern Ireland. This is in direct contradiction to the Northern Irish protocol itself which states “ NOTING that nothing in this Protocol prevents the United Kingdom from ensuring unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom’s internal market,”

Talks between Frost and Šefčovič have remained unproductive as the EU is prioritising the letter of the law over peace in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. As the G7 is being hosted in Cornwall this year, Biden has come a day early to have preliminary talks with Boris. Talks between Biden and Boris have started off positively, but as Biden has Irish roots, he is expected to side with the EU in a trilateral meeting between the UK, US, and EU on Brexit.

US confidence in the UK remains strong with Fiserv moving into a 400 office block in Derry creating 200 new jobs and Kraft Heinz investing $200 million in a factory in England, making it their largest processing plant in Europe and creating an additional 50 jobs.

The UK has also secured a trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, supporting 18,000 jobs in the fish processing industry and which also relies on digital customs procedures rather than the planet-destroying paperwork the UK-EU trade deal is mounted in.

[brexitbenefits]

UK Trade With EU Above 2020 Average

UK GDP grew by 1.0% in Quarter 4 2020 and fell by 1.5% in Quarter 1 2021. The EU GDP fell by 0.5% in Quarter 4 2020 and fell by 0.4% in Quarter 1 2021. With the easing of lockdown measures the UK economy is expected to rebound by 7.25%, bringing the UK back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021. In Quarter 1, UK imports from non-EU countries also were also greater than those from EU countries for the first time since records began. In March, exports to the EU rose above the average 2020 levels, indicating the vast majority of businesses have got to grips with the extra paperwork.

[brexitbenefits]

French Fishermen Threaten to Block Calais

French fishermen staged a 15 hour protest about fishing access to Jersey. 2 Royal Navy patrol boats ensured the protesters were not blockading any of Jersey’s ports by observing the situation from a distance, and the protesters eventually returned to France. This follows a blockade of British haulers carrying fish imports from Britain.

The EU likes to have its cake and eat it, by ensuring that British seafood exports are blocked, while complaining about reduced access to British and its protectorate’s fishing waters. The CTA sates that licenses can only be provided to vessels that have historical proof of fishing in those waters. Jersey can only issue these licenses on information provided by the Commission. The withdrawal agreement was also only between the UK and the EU, and none of the UK’s protectorates are party to the agreement, hence the Gibraltar agreement was negotiated separately at the same time of the EU-UK CTA.

French fishermen have not been as hard hit as they claim as the Isle of Man has granted full access for EU vessels in its waters and 41 licenses have been granted for in Jersey.

The fishermen have also threatened to block access to Calais, but exporters are most likely to bypass France rather than meet with confrontation. Many fishermen are also landing in Denmark to avoid French paperwork. French farmers and fishermen are never done protesting with many prominent protests been taken place over the last couple of decades.

August 1999: French farmers dump manure on half-built McDonald's.

September 2000: French farmers protest at EU fuel prices.

November 2002: Jose Bove goes to prison for destroying GM crops.

November 2008: French sheep farmers let their sheep graze at Eiffel Tower in protest against inadequate farm aid package.

October 2009: French farmers shut down Champs Elysees in Paris.

April 2010: French farmers protest against deteriorating economic conditions.

August 2011: French farmers destroy Spanish imports of fruit and vegetables.

November 2012: French farmers spray EU parliament buildings with milk.

November 2014: French farmers dump hundreds of tonnes of manure on the streets and spray city building with slurry in day of protest.

September 2015: Hundreds of tractors rolled into Paris as farmers tried to clog up the capital's roads in protest at falling food prices.

February 2016: French farmers block roads in protest at huge drop in milk and pork prices following Russian trade sanctions.

October 2017: French farmers protest against wolf attacks.

February 2018: French farmers barricaded roads and motorways in protest against a planned reduction in EU farm subsidies.

November 2019: 1,000 tractors are involved in a protest in Paris.

February 2020: French farmers march to free an imprisoned farmer who shot a thief.

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EU Approve Brexit Deal

The EU have approved the Comprehensive Trade Agreement with the UK, over a year after it came into force. This is despite concerns the UK isn’t enforcing the NI protocol hard enough after it introduced measures to ease in the new controls which will be fully operational by the autumn of this year. The bill passed with 660 for, 5 against and 32 abstentions.