Wednesday 29 March 2017

"...Deep and Special Partnership..." - Open Thread


So - the Text is there for interpretation. What do we all think? 


I quite like the Grauniad's parsing of it, e.g.
"We want to make sure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and is capable of projecting its values, leading in the world, and defending itself from security threats … We therefore believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the European Union."
Graun says this =

Though the language remains constructive, this is a much more controversial veiled threat. In eliding** Britain’s security responsibilities with its desire for economic gain so explicitly, May will be accused of holding a fearful continent to ransom: give us your markets, or we will leave you at the mercy of terrorists and Russians.
"Perhaps now more than ever, the world needs the liberal, democratic values of Europe. We want to play our part to ensure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and able to lead in the world, projecting its values and defending itself from security threats."
= I can help you deal with Donald Trump.
"Europe’s security is more fragile today than at any time since the end of the cold war."
= … but you also need me to keep Vladimir Putin at bay.


ND 

______________ 
** shame none of the highly educated liberals at the Graun knows what 'elide' means.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like a competent piece of drafting. Can we hope May is being properly advised? Shouldn't be beyond us to mount a halfway decent negotiation.

I mean, youre always telling us how well the Hinckley Point deal came out?!

Anonymous said...

Dunno who wrote it, but they don't half repeat themselves.

"the deep and special partnership we hope to enjoy"

"to make sure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and is capable of projecting its values"

"through a new deep and special partnership with a strong European Union"

"It is for these reasons that we want to be able to agree a deep and special partnership"

"making sure that Europe remains strong and prosperous ... projecting its values"

"We want to agree a deep and special partnership "

"to ensure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and able to lead in the world, projecting its values"

"the Government of the United Kingdom wants to agree a deep and special partnership"

"while establishing a deep and special partnership "


Nonetheless the basics seem kosher - "we don't want any trouble now, do we?" - though I'm not sure our capacity to give Europe a hard time is what it used to be.

And she's putting free trade right up front, which is a good thing - might be tricky though, Norway and Switzerland have such deals, but IIRC are also required to open their borders - which is why East Oslo looks so much like East London.

Anonymous said...

This is the sort of letter that you see almost every week in business.

Top guy wants to break out on his own. Having had years at the top table he feels "constrained" and having made a few calls to potential clients, feels now the time is right. So off he pops.

Everyone wishes him well and he's always welcome to come back. A few of the top table say "We'll do lunch, or a round of golf. Just to catch up on old times"

So he gets his brand new office and waits for the phone to ring ......

Anonymous said...

It should be a day for rejoicing, but I'm one of those people who when their team scores, looks straight at the ref to see if he's given it - and only then do I start jumping up and down.

Various Remainers are on R4 as I type, and what they say has too much truth.
"Teresa May is a very cautious politician, who checks which way the winds are blowing before making a move. At present the winds are for Brexit, but if things get sticky and start blowing the other way ..." - they have a point, alas.

I daren't believe it til it actually happens, but this is the end of the beginning at least.

Unknown said...

Not sure about those "highly educated liberals" at The Guardian: their regular columnists do not strike me as liberal at all (unless you employ the word in its US sense?) but intolerant, anti-democratic, impatient of dissent, and contemptuous of the common folk; and their frequent recourse to crass insult, character assassination and faulty argumentation does not suggest an especially rigorous education.
I didn't have much time for May as Home Sec but so far I am cautiously optimistic over her progress vis-a-vis the EU. A degree of veiled threat seems very much in order, and it still seems to me that the rest-of-EU would be unwise to take their own threats of punishment beyond the level of pre-negotiation rhetoric.

Anonymous said...

Yes, we like veiled threats.

Anonymous said...

The EU apparatchiks haven't exactly been veiling their threats. UK Remainers are an interesting case study - threats alongside appeals to British altruism, as in "give an unconditional guarantee to all EU nationals in the UK and take the moral high ground".

Altruism was an advantage in a fairly monocultural, high-trust society, such societies tend to work more efficiently, and the average Brit evolved to be a pretty trusting sort. It remains to be seen if in today's world, such altruism won't be the death of us.

Raedwald said...

Allow me to fix that ..

"In a democratic world in which universal suffrage and the secret ballot allow everyone to determine outcomes, we now need more than ever the anti-democratic, Illiberal values of the EU to shield the global corporates from scrutiny and to continue to build partnerships of responsible world governanance between the unelected officials of the EU and the ERT150"

Blue Eyes said...

Well even Sadiq now realises that instead of Remoaning we need to present a strong case for the EU to be reasonable. That is significant as up until now he has been shrilly winding up his unthinking supporters.

The Graun is right, except on grammar, for a change.

The White Paper set out why the EU members ought to be careful what they wish for. We have an interesting situation in which as individual members they want a smooth transition so that their own economies do not tank, but collectively they will want the rEU to look strong and nip any thoughts of other members leaving in the bud. National self-interest and democracy will triump I expect.

As Sadiq correctly points out: an organisation that tries to kill a leaving member does not look very confident to those on the outside.

It is going to be tough going and I will personally try to avoid getting wound up by each twist and turn, but a good deal can be done.

Dick the Prick said...

As per veiled threats - too right. Plus this random £60 euro divorce bill, they're just taking the piss. I'm a great believer in aiming for the stars and you may hit the moon so fair play on all accounts but Europe has been cavalier to the point of negligence with their own security so it seems damned impertinent if they expect that to continue whilst giving us a punishment beating.

As mentioned, the prose is rather turgid but a decent enough opener.

Sobers said...

"As Sadiq correctly points out: an organisation that tries to kill a leaving member does not look very confident to those on the outside"

Oh, the irony................

Blue Eyes said...

What am I missing? Is the Labour Party trying to embarrass those who leave it?

Sobers said...

"What am I missing? Is the Labour Party trying to embarrass those who leave it?"

I was more thinking of the irony of a Muslim telling an organisation not to beat up on someone who wants to leave it.................

Blue Eyes said...

I did wonder if you were being an arse, but thanks for confirming. Did you assess May's letter through the prism of her background and beliefs? Thought not.

Anonymous said...

"Did you assess May's letter through the prism of her background and beliefs?"

Daughter of Anglican pastor, not really relevant. It's a long time since the CoE was fired up about anything except racism and global inequality. They're passionate about not being passionate.

1 Corinthians 14:8 "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"

Her beliefs - well, I think we stand more chance of finding poor Ben Needham tbh.

Electro-Kevin said...

Donald Tusk said "Do widzenia. And thank you for all the fish."

Sobers said...

" Did you assess May's letter through the prism of her background and beliefs?"

I would have done if there had been such a blatant mismatch between her private religious attitudes and her public pronouncement. If she'd suggested that we grind our EU enemies into the dust, when her religion tells her to turn the other cheek for example.

How exactly is it not utter hypocrisy for Khan to demand the EU club go easy on someone wishing to leave it, when his religious club want to kill people who leave it?

Electro-Kevin said...

Actually Tusk said this “We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye.”

Now this worries me. Modern Brits are suckers for sweet talk. It even moved me a little.

Dick the Prick said...

@EK - ah, bless! You ol' sentimental so and so!

Anonymous said...

Has the phone rung yet?

Any letters from major trading nations saying "well done, we're ready to do business". Perhaps Togo might want something.

Any encouragement or acknowledgement from anyone? Anywhere?

Anonymous said...

"I was more thinking of the irony of a Muslim telling an organisation not to beat up on someone who wants to leave it....."
Seems fair to me since Donald Tusk* said "If anyone leaves the EU** kill him".
*It was someone else
** It was not the EU but something 5 letters long

Anonymous said...

I remember well Juncker saying

"Behead those who insult the EU"

"Teresa May, you will pay, the 27 are on their way"

"The penalty of apostasy is death, or at best no free trade agreement"