Tag Archives: Michael Gove
‘I’m a fisherman and lifelong Tory who voted Brexit. I won’t vote for them again’
Fisherman James Stephen has been at sea for more than 40 years. Based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, which is home to the largest fishing port in Europe, he voted for Brexit in 2016 in the hope it would give his community a greater share of fishing in UK waters. But eight years on, he feels he was sold a “pack of lies” and says it has cost the Conservatives his vote at the general election. “I would say that 99 per cent of the fishing industry would have voted for Brexit in the hope that we could get back control of our waters, rightfully get our share of [fishing] quota which was given away when we joined the EU,” says Mr Stephen. “I hoped, by voting for Brexit, we could undo some of the unjust that was done to the industry then. But for me, it’s been a total disaster. Nothing we were promised materialised.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
Hook, Line, and Sinker: How Brexit betrayed the UK fishing industry
Retired fisherman Charlie Waddy, former first mate of the Kirkella, knows what’s at stake on the ocean. His close friend died while working on deck beside him; his father was lost at sea returning from Iceland and Norway when Waddy, the youngest of seven children, was just three years old. But for the desperate hand of a nearby crewmate, Waddy himself nearly went overboard, his chances of survival slim in the frigid and pulsating waters below. Believing evocative memories of trawlers departing for distant seas might be reclaimed, Waddy voted for Brexit. He said he now felt betrayed by politicians who extoled the benefits of leaving the EU but then failed to deliver. “I wish I never,” he sighed. “They told us everything that we wanted to hear.” Photos, > click to read< 08:30
Brexit deal branded ‘sell out’ after ‘shameful’ treatment of fishermen
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement which went live at 11pm on December 31, 2020 and is widely referred to as the Brexit deal, set out plans to fulfil the promises made during the Leave campaign. An estimated 92 percent of British fishing communities voted for Brexit, likely lured by promises of “reclaiming our seas” and turning Britain into an “independent coastal state” with higher quotas for fishermen already struggling in the face of European competition. >click to read< 07:57 United Kingdom
Michael Gove’s startling Brexit admission: ‘EU will continue to have access to UK waters
Despite Downing Street calling a “mutual compromise”, it does seem Prime Minister Boris Johnson capitulated on one of the most contentious areas of Brexit trade talks: fishing rights. The UK wanted any fishing agreement to be separate from the trade deal with access negotiated annually in a similar fashion to Norway’s agreement with the bloc. Norway is an independent coastal state, with the rights and responsibilities under international law associated with that status. Stocks shared with the EU are managed through annual bilateral negotiations. Each autumn these talks set total allowable catches on the basis of scientific advice. This contrasts starkly with the position of the UK fishing industry within the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, something the EU wanted to maintain at all costs. >click to read< 08:14
Brexit has left us all at sea – even the fishing industry
Teething troubles? Bumps in the road? Pull the other one, Mr Gove. As the daily news from fishing crews, farmers, road hauliers, wine merchants, musicians and thousands of businesses up and down the land, not least in Northern Ireland, confirms, Brexit tier 3 is indeed a disaster. Far from having teething troubles that disappear, many of these businesses are having their commercial teeth extracted. It becomes increasingly manifest by the day that this is a Conservative act of conscious economic self-harm which, in an ideal world, would be rescinded before things get a lot worse. >click to read< 08:50
UK set to back down over fishing quotas during Brexit transition
The UK government has accepted that British fishermen will not enjoy a larger share of the fish available to be caught in domestic waters during the post-Brexit transition period. Michael Gove, environment secretary, has called for an immediate renegotiation of fishing quotas and access for EU vessels in British waters from March 2019, when the UK will leave the bloc. But the British government is set to accept on Monday demands set out in the EU’s draft transition text, which includes a clause making clear that the UK share of the “total catch” will remain unchanged during the two years after the UK leaves the EU. >click to read<11:44
Brexit Betrayal: EU Boats ‘Will Still be able to Catch Large Amounts of Fish in British Waters’, Says Gove
Leave campaigner and Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove has shocked the British fishing industry by walking back a pledge to end the exploitation of Britain’s waters by EU vessels, saying they “will still be able to catch large amounts of fish” on a visit to Denmark. “Danish fishermen will still be able to catch large amounts of fish in British waters, even if the British leave the EU. Britain has no fish cutters [those employed to clean, trim and bone fish] and production facilities enough to catch all the fish in British waters,” he said. Video, click here to read the story 09:16
Michael Gove mercilessly mocked over embarrassing fishy cock-up
Michael Gove was left red-faced after he said fishing was “very close to my heart” – but then blundered over the names of two major ports. The Brexit backing Justice Secretary was having a pop at the EU’s common fisheries policy. He blames the rules for the collapse of his father’s business as a fish merchant in Aberdeen. But he stumbled over the names of two Scottish ports – referring to Peterborough and Fraserhead rather than Fraserburgh and Peterhead. Of course, the internet was merciless in its mockery. Read the rest here 18:29
