The U.K. may well have still had a heavy engineering and shipbuilding industry, amongst others, had government assistance not been so selectively used, the U.K. played by the rules as per usual, whilst other governments renamed government aid, and so kept their industries alive, I know this seem over simplistic, but it is generally true.

Did the EU misjudge Brexit negotiations? Well, not while T May was Prime Minister and O Robbins was chief negotiator.

Not a single Brexit voter, voted for a 'deal'. We voted LEAVE. Even Cameron told us 'out means out'.

Mr Munchau said "There's no shortage of fish". That is absolutely incorrect, fish stocks are dwindling and must be carefully managed.

Just walk away from this now. Any damage to us is nothing compared to the Corona impact and long term the benefits of a clean break will be worth it a thousand times over.

Yes but Spain is selling us our own cod.. Our fishermen could catch all our cod and sell it to UK supermarkets.. The mackerel can live happily if the eu won't buy them..

Fishing is symbolic of what Brexit is about, if we can't get fishing right there is no hope of getting anything else right.

If anything, the British brexiters misjudged the negotations. Remember the 'easiest deal in history' mantra? Nobody at the EU side made such claims; they knew it was going to be tough; the EU knew what was involved. And they kept their nerve. Their red lines were not populist posturing red lines (like May's), but survival of the EU red lines. They showed remarkable unity, which came as a surprise to the brexiters (remember the: "the real negotiations will be with Angela Merkel" pooh-poohing). And most of all: the EU is ready for a hard brexit, while Britain is woefully unprepared. And the sad thing: the British still don't get it. As they never got what the EU was really about.

the EU have negotiated like a jilted lover - spiteful and sulkingly

When I can't tell which "side" Wolfgang is on that is exactly what we need right now. He can put both sides forward, provide some analysis for why each may hold their respective positions & speculate on what we may see moving forwards. Perfect. I wish more of the coverage we had were like this. Thankyou for the content!

It is looking likely so. It turns out the British people aren't so daft for wanting Brexit afterall.

No Deal Brexit!

People who voted to leave the EU didn't vote for a deal they voted to leave with no rules or laws comeing from the EU end of

Allegra’s boyfriend just taking the Carrie line, he’s been spouting the same guff in the Times. Get out of the EU, if Johnson caves in he’s and his pseudo Tories are finished.

The EU did misjudge the UK stance, they went in thinking that the British government was a rational actor that would negotiate in good faith. Instead they faced a group of toddlers and intellectuals midgets who have lied and cheated themselves onto a ledge and now threaten to jump - in an ideal world you say go ahead, but as the sane party the EU is morally responsible for the insane UK. No sane person thought that UK was willing to sacrifice it’s world beating £trillion banking sector that employs hundreds of thousands to save a fishing industry that employs a few thousand and is worth a couple £billion with the majority of catch reliant on the EU market.

Bravo. It's rare to see unbiased commentators who don't seem to have a dog in the fight. I actually felt I could trust their insights and perspectives. A rare experience these days.

Did the _EU_ misjudge Brexit? LOLOLOLOL.

The debate about Fish is not strange, it is not about economic scale, it is about UK sovereignty over its coastal/sea waters.

Twenty minutes of balanced, reasoned debate by three intelligent, thoughtful commentators. Are you watching BBC, Sky et al?

France and Germany just changed there state aid when they like

Britain must have 100% sovereignty.

Here’s the deal that works We eat our own fish and they eat their BMW’s

I wish our own establishment cared about our own fishibg industry like Macron does his.

How refreshing to hear a grown-up discussion instead of the rubbish we hear from the MSM every day.

Fish is constantly downplayed by the pundits as being economically insignificant. But, being seen to have full control of your own waters is symbolic of sovereignty and as such is highly significant (as evidenced by the current state of negotiations).

I’ve never bought into the argument that the UK would end up caving in. The EU’s demands on fishing and the level playing field were unreasonable and petty. I can’t imagine circumstances where France or Germany would accept similar demands on their countries were they to leave. I think the EU just thought “Britain has traditionally given in to us, let’s try it on.” Boris was right to stand firm. Maybe one day he will try standing firm on other things,

And then, at the eleventh hour, Spain will veto unless they get access to Gib. We should walk. Now.

After what this Country has gone through with Covid, the Financial DISASTER we are now under, yet the Destruction to our Businesses - a 'No Deal Brexit' will be a Walk in the Park!!!!!! We have spent over £350 Billion on Covid already. We need a clean break right now, so we can re-structure our Country, in OUR own way, at OUR own speed, and with OUR own Money! No Deal please- just walk away. The EU have had nearly 5 YEARS, to do a deal. They are NOT going to do one in one month - are they? WALK NOW!"!

Perceptional issues? Tell that to the uk coastal regions. I implore Carrie Symonds to tell Boris its time to stop the talks.

This all sounds very nice... but let's cut to the chase, if Boris caves...Boris and the tories are toast...end of.

Unless and until we walk away the EU will not offer a fair and reasonable deal.

These jokers seem to think we all want 'a deal' lol, most would be elated to get 'no deal'.

That German chap has some great insights. Would like him to be a more regular fixture

Finally an unbiased discussion This was great to watch!

We had the temerity to leave the E U and we can’t expect them to give us a good deal because there’ll be a stampede for the door by Italy, France, and possibly Spain. So the only option is to leave with no deal. Yes it will be painful in the short term, but to back track is not thee answer.Half in or half out ,NO THANK YOU.

Informative, succinct, and no line being spun. This is what we looked to the BBC for once.

WTO we voted leave without any control by EU

The clue is in the name UK FISHING WATERS

Munchau was an excellent contributor to this show. Knowledgable and balanced. Many thanks.

Since when does a nations natural resources have any thing to do with a trade deal. It’s akin the the UK demanding “fair access” to the Dutch offshore gas fields as part of a deal. Trade is trade and natural resources are natural resources, they are not the same thing. The distinction seems to have been blurred by certain politicians for their own political survival.

The Germans don't give the Engish free cars, the French don't give the Engish free wine why would the UK give the EU free fish?

We need to walk away. NO deal is best outcome for us. It is the only way .

How refreshing, a grown up debate

2016was the vote to leave, why can’t a deal be done in the 4 years since

Pleasing to see an intelligent exchange on this without the 'dumbed down' approach taken by the main TV news channels.

He's talking a loud of crap, Iceland catch cod the most in their waters & we've just struck a deal with them. Europe will just have to do like the British did when Ted Heath gave are fisheries away & told the fishing communities to retrain in other trades.

Just leave

Perhaps the EU can explain what their threats and insults have to do with a trade negotiation!

Yeah. Looks like no deal with probably a load of mini deals early next year once EU industry starts kicking up.

Just leave, work the details later after we are out.

Great Britain has always been sovereign, but it is not an equal contractual partner for the EU, nor for the USA or for China! Too small and not powerful enough!

The EU withdrew the Canada +++ deal.

I was pleasantly surprised with Wolfgang, he seems quite sensible. Then again, he is German (and not French).

EU is taking UK for a ride. Enough is enough. Leave on WTO terms!

You are asking the wrong question. The question you should be asking is why did Britain think that they would get a unicorn ++ deal.

Will the Eu25 invade Poland and Hungary?

Interesting how the focus was on Anglea Merkel calling the French to say grow up and not the British , strange that.

Boris you are the primeminister of a great sovreign state with the greatest history of any country in the world. Don't throw away your reputation on an unnecessary deal. Brexiteers will be with you if you take a tough stance.

The EU have misjudged nothing.

Unfortunately sovereignty has become confused with fishing rights. Fishing is a minuscule part of our economy compared to say car manufacturing. We seem prepared to throw our manufacturing under a bus for the sake of some fish. Nobody gave a stuff about the fish when our fishing industry sold its quotas to European fishing companies.

Intelligent and balanced analysis from Wolfgang Munchau.

100% a deal is coming - it always was. But what will be the range of compromises each side has had to make? My guess is the UK will have made the most concessions. Why? Because they allowed the Boris deadline to be suspended, and negotiations continue. This signalled to the Barnier team that No 10 had no intention (regardless of all the 'chest beating' ) of 'walking'; the UK wants an agreement, possibly desperately. I must add that as a lifelong Brexiteer I hope my analysis is totally wrong, I really do. Andrew, SPECTATOR TV is great. It's your own fault BBC.,

A really refreshing programme to watch. I voted Leave - for too many reasons to mention. I've been totally dis-Mayed by the way our government has approached and dealt with this. But given we are where we are, I think that the FISH issue isn't about fish - it's about us taking back proper control of our borders - the 12 mile limit. And does anyone else think that in any case this is just window dressing? It would appear that all of our governments, have, without our consent, signed us up to Davos WEF policies and that the Covid plandemic is the means to implement the 'Global Reset' that is now openly discussed? So does it matter if region 1 shares fish with region 2? Andrew Neil, I respect you enormously - but please, address this issue of the 4th Industrial revolution / the Technocracy and the G4tes 'foundation' with his stated goal of depopulation - and he's funding most of these Covid vax trials (for a virus that it's now evident is just a similar killer to annual flu...) PLEASE ANDREW NEIL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.

One of the best intelligent and considered interviews on the subject. Its true to say still nobody knows the answer to the outcome...after almost 5 years!

No more extensions they will talk for ever. Leave now talk after., if they and us want trade.

For 4 years Barnier and his mob have been trying to make an example of us all the time cashing in before we leave, no more time wasting get the job done and move on, we voted to leave (twice) so get on with it. The worst PM we ever had gave the EU hope of us staying and paying into their ponzi scheme but Boris needs to take this over the line

It seems to me that some people in this video live in the past. What the UK has done in the past is irrelevant. What matters is what the UK will do in the future when it is outside the EU. I am talking, of course, about state aid. I from the EU have also noticed that radical changes are taking place in the UK and nothing is certain. That is why it is understandable that the EU wants guarantees.

As an American looking at this as an outside observer, what the hell is the benefit of having a FTA with the EU in which you have a massive trade deficit, you have to pay 50+ billion pounds as a divorce agreement, you don't have control of your own fishing territory, European courts are superior to British courts in British territory, EU sets British standards, etc etc. Just walk away!!

Stop wasting time. WTO NOW

Best to walk, work out what is needed and go from there.... right now a lot of hypothesis.... you will find business will get on with it

Give in on fishing then we do not have control of our waters. No deal

I don't think so. The EU has had a list of what it wants and it simply sits back and waits for the UK to buckle on everything. I'd say it's worked very well for them so far. To work out a proper deal in future, the UK should leave properly.

So EU can give trade assistance but we can’t 😡

Great interviews as usual Andrew.

The British people want a WTO deal. No deal is the best deal.

WTO NOW!

Heath ruined our fishing industry. We want it ALL back. A L L !

The question of fault is clear The UK is willing to respect EU sovereignty over their states, but the EU refuses to accept UK sovereignty over its borders. Political intervention isn’t required it should of always been a given a Sovereign UK should have left without a deal and, committed to only trade talks without political intervention, security and, policing internationally could have been under a NATO talks outside the remittances of EU.

As far as the "level playing field" goes THIS is why the EU are so insistent - they are afraid of us doing to them what they did to us! nyebevannews.co.uk/i-fact-checked-the-what-has-the-eu-done-for-us-viral-post-and-the-results-turned-me-into-a-brexiteer/ Also - the state aid to the militant French farmers is what killed off British farming. It took longer than the immediate disaster to UK fishing but has gradually destroyed it. The French are wary that if we start framing again we might undercut the French farmers we have subsidised for forty-seven years.

When I voted it was a very simple question remain or leave. I chose to leave I didn't see any mention of a deal on the ballot paper if they want to buy our fish they are welcome to buy them from the British ports they have been delivered to having been caught in British waters. On the position of eu goods if we want to buy them I'm sure some EU firms will be able to sell us their products. That sounds very level to me if they want to have a level on legal system they are free to be controlled by British law. But they don't have to agree to accept British law as we willingly let them have their own system. Same as we are entitled to our own system sounds like totally level playing field to me .

What a load of remoaning biased waffle we want our country back including our fish

They didn't misjudge; they were misled by the lilylivered remoaners.

He's right to say that we are not really dealing with significant economic issues here. We are dealing with serious sovereignty issues here. We can no longer negotiate that away to the EU.

It is like a car dealership... England (NOT the UK) wants to buy a car. The Car dealer pay 1000£ for the car and wants 1200 England wants to pay 400 In the end the dealer say... ok 1000 but England has promised his mother the car will cost 500. This is not a misjudgment from the dealer, WE ALL KNOW WHAT PRICE THE DEALER CAN ACCEPT. The dealer (EU) can not accept a "price" lower than they pay themself. This HAS BEEN CLEAR FROM THE START. As for the EU "judging" anything. This is NOT an EU event, this is a UK event, they are the ones trying to navigate this, not the EU.

How can people read so man y books and be so unintelligent.

No, the EU judged it perfectly. It was the UK that was caught up in a moment of febrile madness, imperial pretensions and nostalgic delusions.

The EU have negotiated in bad faith from the outset. The plug should have been pulled on these pointless negotiations a long time ago.

Fishing is the number one issue in the minds of the British public. These waters were exclusively ours before we joined the Common Market in the seventies, so they should revert to that state afterwards. Anything else is unacceptable.

this deal is all about what the eu want

Don't *"fink"* this guy has a clue what's going on.

Wolfgang. The 'sensible agreement' is that European countries pay for any access to UK waters and fish caught in them. That shouldn't be difficult but it appears that the EU doesn't want that arrangement and wants free access. Our own coastline can accommodate enough fishing to cover our own waters so why would the UK just allow the boats of any other country free access? Will UK farmers have access to farmland in Normandy?

Even if a deal is very thin by 31st December, I don’t think they will stop negotiating. In the end, a good deal is required for both sides even if that takes longer.

The old pipe dream of playing one EU leader against another.

One of the best pierces I've seen on Brexit - HOWEVER you miss the crucial point in your fine academic analysis : the British public want their sovereignty and OUR WATERS are SY bolic of that - you can make what sensible academic points you like but the sovereignty of this nation is non negotiable - especially with a bunch of thieves who've plundered our waters for 45 years

I voted OUT. Not to hang on and beg. No deal was always fine and preferred to going back under the EU thumb

yesterday I saw three - more or less - opposing reports on youtube. EU stopping talks, UK stopping talks and Barnier returning to the UK for more talks. What I missed this week was the usual "EU caves in. UK furious about EU demands. EU furious about UK demands" song and dance.

The French can be given additional fishing waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence adjacent to St. Pierre and Miquelon.

It's not about fish! It is about our sovereign independence. Historically, co-operation between UK and France has never worked out so what's to loose?

No deal, article16 and cut fishing permits and cut all ties with the EU!!

I am sorry to say, but Munchau did not apply the right legal or political framework of analysis for the TCA negotiations. That Andrew Neill et co. did not was self-evident.