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The subtle change from taking back control of “money, laws, and borders” to “laws, trade, and waters” is an interesting one. Why is this? 1/10 https://twitter.com/davidghfrost/status/1327924802103947265
Firstly, it helps to understand that Brexit has, especially for many of the more ardent Brexiters, been more of an exercise in discourse than in practice. This is because discourse is relatively easy and fluid while practice is very difficult and fiddly. 2/10
Bearing that in mind, let’s start with the money as it’s easier. It is now essentially unavoidable, even to this government, that any kind of Brexit, let alone the kind of break they have opted for, will have profound damage to the economy 3/10
Due to the different sectoral impacts of Brexit and Covid (see clever customs/trade/economy people like @AnnaJerzewska @DavidHenigUK @SamuelMarcLowe @DmitryOpines) it is increasingly apparent that conflating the economic hit of Brexit and Covid will be untenable in the long run.
And so the government is quietly trying really hard not to draw attention to the economy as money and has switched to the economy as trade.
So, why have “borders” been dropped in favour of “waters”? 5/10
So, why have “borders” been dropped in favour of “waters”? 5/10
This begins from the UK’s highly statist conception of itself as an island nation - and islands have natural borders. 6/?
As became apparent early on, the UK government had (in)conveniently neglected to notice it shares a land border with another state. And not just any land border, but one imbued with “unique circumstances” (see @hayward_katy’s work over the last 5 years). 7/10
Eventually the government has (reluctantly) realised that while it will be able to conduct bordering practices (think settled status and points-based immigration), it will not be able to stop EU26 bodies freely(ish) wandering across its state border into Northern Ireland. 8/?
And so we change “borders” to “waters” - a convenient comfort zone for a state that prides itself on being an island nation, and a tacit acceptance of both the Irish Sea border and the government’s limited ability to control its state borders in such a highly securitised way 9/10
So, this discursive change from “money, laws, and borders” to “laws, trade, and waters” indicates that the Brexit discourse is, belatedly, catching up with the practice of Brexit.
Does this mean that a deal is in site?
10/ENDS
Does this mean that a deal is in site?
10/ENDS
