Read on Twitter
Grateful for the shout out in the thread. Oddly in the end I think Johnson compromised on the sovereignty to safeguard the trade (and particularly Nissan) but clearly did so in a way that read party and public opinion so well. Which I find interesting and under explored. https://twitter.com/ShippersUnbound/status/1343198428516343808
The person who was sniffing the politics of UK-EU most accurately for a couple of months was @Sime0nStylites, down to the timing of particular UK negotiating moves or 'flounces'. The EU incidentally were unmoved on deal or not, pure focus on their goals.
As to the trade contents of a deal, that was overwhelmingly predicted a few months ago. The only particular Johnson win was on timing. He wanted it all done by December and it is, and there were a lot of doubters. But much will now be added behind the scenes.
But take all accounts of UK negotiating brilliance with entire salt cellars. Because so far none of us can see the evidence, looking at the small print and saying, what a win! We see it in Conservative mastery of the overall narrative. But the EU won the detail. Unsurprising.
