No deal

There is a famous scene in one of the early episodes of Father Ted where Ted tries to explain to Father Dougal why some cows were bigger than others.

I use this analagy once again to make the point that not all trade deals are the same.

Trade is like gravity, the closer and larger a country or trading bloc is, the more and more cost effective trade with it will be.

Brexit has cut trade to the EU by 5% or so, and the best most comprehensive trade deal with the US will add just 0.2% onto GDP. So even if there was a trade deal, a increase of 0.2% after a drop of 5% would make the UK only marginaly worse off.

And as I have, again, previously said, a trade deal in itself isn't the answer. Its a trade deal that is beneficial that makes a deal good or bad. I could go and get a trade deal with the US if I agree to all their demands, I call this the Johnson tactic, and like him will claim its a great deal and deny any negative comments even though it clearly only benefits the US.

Liz Truss had been sent out to negotiate trade deals, and for the most part got rollover deals from what we had as a EU member state, so in that sense, we did no worse after Brexit, but with our largest trading partner, things have been a disaster, but this is OK apparently because "sovereignty".

Reality will win out, and trade and links to the EU and Europe will become important again in UK politics, but until then, with each passing day, the damage gets worse.

And on top of that, Joe Biden has ruled out trade talks with the UK.

Oh dear.

But then, remember the 0.2%, only marginally worse off.

The Brexiteers dream was for Trump to have "won" the election and do a deal with him. Yes, the guy who has never kept to a deal he made in his life is just the trusted person to base all our future trade with.

0.2%

But also remember, Trump hated deals that meant the US came off second best, so a deal with the US under Trump wouldn't be good, so not even 0.2%. Now, of course, Brexiteers have to play this down and it was never important after all.

And journalists, with memories like goldfish, just nod along and repeat every lie.

If nothing else, keeping this blog about Brexit helps me remember what was said in the previous five and a half years, and if I can point out the lies to one Brexiteer or Johnson voter, then it would have been worth it. But I am doing this as a hobby, it's Robert's and Laura' fucking job as fucking Political Editors to remember what was said previously and hold the wankers to account. But they don't.

So, food shortages. Energy shortages. Labour shortages.

All going so well.