No trust stirs up choppy waters
WHAT a farce this row over fishing rights is. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss claimed the UK is considering taking legal action against the French but who would arbitrate on the matter?
If it was the European Court of Justice the UK wouldn’t recognise the decision because we want to be the master of our own destiny. If it was the UK’s Supreme Court, the French wouldn’t take a blind bit of notice.
Thankfully the French agreed more time for talks but Truss needs to recognise the real problem is Brexit. Why oh why did we ever want to leave our closest trading neighbours and allies and leave ourselves in this mess?
Keith Bowman, Chesterfield, Derbys
I can’t help but think both the French and British need their heads banging together. Surely, it can’t be beyond the wit of someone to come up with a workable solution regarding this stretch of water, without which we’d most likely have succumbed to the German war machine? When I stop to think of the blood-soaked fields and row upon row of headstones in cemeteries across France and Belgium, all bearing witness to the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in both world wars, this squabbling over fishing rights is beyond puerile.
B Davies
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
The bluster from the likes of “useless” George Eustice, our erstwhile
Environment Secretary, and the hopelessly unqualified Foreign Secretary Liz Truss over fishing rights is embarrassing.
The French are only standing up for their rights so who can blame them? I wonder how many in the UK fishing industry who voted for Brexit realise they were sold a lie?
Instead of acting like schoolchildren, ministers need to make a serious attempt at resolving this longstanding issue.
J Austin, Bridgwater, Somerset
Let’s face it, Boris Johnson doesn’t care about the fishing industry. He used it during the Leave campaign then threw it under a bus to get his Brexit deal.
All this posturing aimed at the French is unhelpful. What is need is cool heads to work out a deal agreeable to both parties. But this seems to be beyond the capability of the present occupant of No10.
Alan Powell, Manchester
It seems France can’t accept the new post-Brexit rules on fishing and fails to understand Brexit is a
done deal. The dispute over fishing will be resolved, as will all other problems created by Brexit.
But it is understandable France is angry over the cancelled nuclear sub deal it had with Australia following its new foreign policy agreement with the US and UK. Dennis F Grattan, Aberdeen
Kevin Maguire’s excellent article “Lies fail us all” says it all about this woeful Tory government fast becoming a joke on the world stage (Mirror, November 1).
It’s unsurprising President Biden has agreed a steel deal with the EU to the exclusion of Britain. Britain has amateurs running the country at a time of national crisis. It will be bleak Christmas for many indeed. Bill Cook, Teignmouth, Devon
If the UK and France can’t even agree a deal to organise a few fishing licences how on earth are they going to tackle climate change? What a state the world is in – and the current crop of leaders clearly aren’t fit for purpose.