“BREXIT BRIEF” – ISSUE 21, 29th June 2018
Bordering on the ridiculous
Salutations from another fine part of our cherished European Union (albeit one that is about to have membership ripped from its metaphorical hand). I’m in Northern Ireland where 56 per cent of people voted Remain in the 2016 referendum but, as part of the United Kingdom, will be forced to tread the same path of uncertainty when Brexit happens on 29 March next year.
Tomorrow I have the privilege of travelling to County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland for the 26th annual Finn Valley Agricultural Show. There will be no border checks on entry or departure, and any delays will only be a consequence of the popularity of a wonderful event. However, if the latest summit of EU leaders is an indicator, such easy passage could soon be a relic of the past.
Despite clear warnings to the contrary, pro-Leave politicians promised us a “frictionless” Irish border if voters chose Brexit. Many of them have since swallowed their baseless words, whilst British Prime Minister Theresa May has been left to find a solution with her 27 fellow EU leaders. Unsurprisingly, her normally affable Irish counterpart Leo Varakar is becoming more irritated by the day. With his nation’s economy benefitting from ￡43 billion each year in trade with the UK, his concerns are perfectly understandable. And speaking in Brussels yesterday, he was keen to express them. “You would have thought that before people voted to leave the European Union they would have an idea what the new relationship would look like,” he said. “I appreciate that that hasn’t happened, and two years later it still hasn’t happened.”
Theresa May’s Cabinet is due to gather again next Friday to try to unpick the lock. In the meantime, frustration mounts here on the Emerald Isle. Thankfully I’m happy to tell all who ask that I voted Remain.
MAC to the future
I recently reported that the British Government had decided to exclude non-EU medical professionals from the annual Tier 2 visa cap of 20,700, thus creating opportunities for other highly skilled professionals including vets to work in the UK. This is undoubtedly good news, but we now require guarantees of better access to professional veterinary expertise from other countries and, crucially, that this will continue unfettered after Brexit.
This week Caroline Nokes, the British Immigration Minister, answered two Parliamentary Questions in ways that made me cross. First, Conservative MP Alec Shelbrooke asked if the Government planned to include vets in the country’s Shortage Occupations List. She replied that Ministers were awaiting advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) - which will not produce its report until next spring.
Then Labour MP Afzal Khan enquired when the Government expects to publish its ideas for a new post-Brexit immigration system. “Later this year,” was her woolly response. She said that the MAC would again be to the fore, having been invited to “advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the EU.” Ms Nokes added: “The Government will have sufficient time to take account of the MAC’s advice when making any final decisions about our future immigration system, which would be implemented from 2021.”
Again, I remind myself that this is a family publication so I will be careful with my words. But it seems to me that the UK Government is incapable of acknowledging the scale of the problems they are storing up in accessing foreign skills and the glaring need to put plans in place as a matter of absolute priority. I have meetings both scheduled and requested to inject a greater sense of urgency into the situation. Be assured that, on behalf of Eville & Jones, I will continue to fight the good fight.
Meanwhile in America…
In weeks like this we must be thankful for US President Donald Trump and his unfailing ability to give the world someone to ridicule. Fresh from his “tremendous success” in persuading Kim Jong-un to surrender his little rockets (satellite images have since shown North Korea upgrading one of its nuclear facilities), now Trump has another man on his mind. Yesterday it was announced that he will hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on 16 July.
"Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with meddling in our election!" Trump barked on Twitter 30 minutes before his date was confirmed. This, of course, runs counter to what his own intelligence agencies have said and will be music to the ears of Putin, a former KGB Director. But Trump loves the drama and, bizarrely, craves the affections of the leaders of America’s contemporary foes more than her traditional allies. Above all else, his latest attempt at a bromance will secure the “very excellent ratings” that he craves as the world’s first reality television President. But the Donald Trump Show still feels anything but real.
Sláinte.
Jason
Jason Aldiss BEM
Managing Director