@pasoti1
You are absolutely right about those monstrous trawlers sp. They are an abomination against the planet's ecosystem. So why did our cowardly government vote against the ammendment Pogles cited in October? "Because we were negotiating" you say??.....Errr isn't that the very time to raise such issues? Oh yeah - you mean the fishing deal where Boris claims he got his cake and ate it. That's the one where the EU offered to hand back just 18% of their catch and we 'demanded' 80% - in the end they will hand back 25%...... to be phased in over 5 years
However, the issue highlights the very parochial nature of Brexit. As one of the major EU powers this is exactly the type of thing we should have metaphorically 'gone to war' with the EU over. Really pushed for a complete EU wide ban on (not just in the UK waters). We would have had the moral high ground and could have used it to threaten to seriously disrupt the EU …...if our own government really gave a monkey’s about it that is. Most of the other 27 would have either backed us or at least not seen it worthy of a massive bust-up over.
But we are where we are. Certainly we could and should now petition & campaign against them or at the very least insist on the scrutiny of on-board observers to record the number of dolphins etc. killed by them and independent analysis of their effects. But even if we did actually succeed in getting this bunch of chancers to take on the EU over this issue (as if!) and banned them from UK waters that would be very welcome but in the grand scheme of things - so what? A tiny stretch of water around a small island off the coast of Europe will be free from their effects. But they will continue to scar the seas & oceans of Europe and the rest of the world. Is that OK? Do we wave our own little flag, pat ourselves on the back and look away tutt-tutting?
This is one of my fundamental problems with Brexit. It means we've given up an opportunity to make a serious stand to benefit an entire continent (and potentially the planet) - not just our own little patch. If the EU banned them that would lend a massive moral pressure for environmentalists throughout the world. Sure - it wouldn't have been easy, it would have cost us political capital and doubtless there would have been some 'quid pro-quo' elsewhere. But that will be the case anyway if we now suddenly want to bring it up after our smoke-and-mirrors, 'cake-and-eat-it' deal…….Especially after they watched our parliament overwhelmingly vote it down in October
See what I mean sp? Brexit……parochial, narrow-minded and devoid of ambition. Inside the EU we were a serious player - we mattered - and the other 27 leveraged our influence to a global scale. Now, who else cares even if we do ban these things?
