Theresa May
The Art of Negotiation
Let’s remind ourselves of the narrative. The UK, having voted for Brexit, to get out of the cozy protectionist club, are the baddies. The evil, foreigner-hating country who are only in it for themselves. Who want to cut themselves off and be unfair. Well that’s the story we are being told all the time but nothing is further from the truth. Far from it. The UK is the one who wants to start talking, put people’s minds at rest and reach an amicably beneficial divorce settlement. Hardly unreasonable I think. The EU on the other hand is the bitter, scorned woman whereas the UK is now the ‘beaten wife’ grateful to finally be breaking free from an abusive relationship and positive about our future at last.
When it comes to negotiating the divorce it’s important to take all that emotion out of it. It’s not about the past, it’s about the future. What is right for both parties in the future. That’s what Theresa May did yesterday with the 6 page triggering of Article 50 and she should be applauded for doing so. The response hasn’t been quite so encouraging though. To be fair there was some statesmanlike response from Donald Tusk and a feeling of regret which really is justified on both sides because ‘it just hasn’t worked out’ as they say. It’s no time for recriminations, it’s time to sort things out, for the good of the kids and the future.
The first responses have been…
- we need to agree a ‘pay off’ first before even talking? Really? You want us to effectively not only continue to pay for two years when there’s no future to the relationship and then pay for the next five years after that in advance? Would you feel the same if we were a net beneficiary? Be throwing 5 years of rebates our way? Somehow I think not. It makes no sense. Having invested something in the order of £500bn into this relationship we have no stake. We don’t have any equity at all? Really we have paid for more than a third of all the assets of the EU and have nearly 10 billion sitting in their bank account. At best we should be saying they can use that to pay for any on-going projects we are already signed up to as long as we still get whatever benefits there might be from them.
- we are not allowed to talk about any arrangements like trade deals going forward until we have completely agreed how to exit. Article 50 actually doesn’t say this and the two things are related. If they hold this very stupid line we might as well stop now. We have two years to reach an agreement. Not only do we need to talk to the EU about what comes afterwards but also talk to all other people we will be able to start trading directly with in 2 years time.
- despite us wanting to start talking before triggering Article 50 there was no dice. Even to settle the futures of nationals in each others territory. We wanted it but the EU were not interested. Now we start we should concede this, but nothing else, and invite them to dare not to do the same for about a third of the number of our expats on the continent.
There should be things we still want to work together on and in some cases can do better. The EU needs to wake up and realize that. They are not dealing with some mugs who will accept anything. We are not as lame brained as the Clegg’s and Farron’s of this world who couldn’t negotiate their way out of Swindon’s Magic Roundabout with any success. We know our value, we respect you and we know not only what is fair but what is right. You have been warned. If you choose not to listen on your head be it.
When it comes to negotiating the divorce it’s important to take all that emotion out of it. It’s not about the past, it’s about the future. What is right for both parties in the future. That’s what Theresa May did yesterday with the 6 page triggering of Article 50 and she should be applauded for doing so. The response hasn’t been quite so encouraging though. To be fair there was some statesmanlike response from Donald Tusk and a feeling of regret which really is justified on both sides because ‘it just hasn’t worked out’ as they say. It’s no time for recriminations, it’s time to sort things out, for the good of the kids and the future.
The first responses have been…
- we need to agree a ‘pay off’ first before even talking? Really? You want us to effectively not only continue to pay for two years when there’s no future to the relationship and then pay for the next five years after that in advance? Would you feel the same if we were a net beneficiary? Be throwing 5 years of rebates our way? Somehow I think not. It makes no sense. Having invested something in the order of £500bn into this relationship we have no stake. We don’t have any equity at all? Really we have paid for more than a third of all the assets of the EU and have nearly 10 billion sitting in their bank account. At best we should be saying they can use that to pay for any on-going projects we are already signed up to as long as we still get whatever benefits there might be from them.
- we are not allowed to talk about any arrangements like trade deals going forward until we have completely agreed how to exit. Article 50 actually doesn’t say this and the two things are related. If they hold this very stupid line we might as well stop now. We have two years to reach an agreement. Not only do we need to talk to the EU about what comes afterwards but also talk to all other people we will be able to start trading directly with in 2 years time.
- despite us wanting to start talking before triggering Article 50 there was no dice. Even to settle the futures of nationals in each others territory. We wanted it but the EU were not interested. Now we start we should concede this, but nothing else, and invite them to dare not to do the same for about a third of the number of our expats on the continent.
There should be things we still want to work together on and in some cases can do better. The EU needs to wake up and realize that. They are not dealing with some mugs who will accept anything. We are not as lame brained as the Clegg’s and Farron’s of this world who couldn’t negotiate their way out of Swindon’s Magic Roundabout with any success. We know our value, we respect you and we know not only what is fair but what is right. You have been warned. If you choose not to listen on your head be it.