UK and EU Agree Move to Phase II of Talks. Snakes and Ladders in Politics and A14 Networking.

With a quick early morning dash across the Channel to Brussels, Prime Minister Theresa May's turn at Brexit Snakes and Ladders took a significant step forward.

The EU and the UK have agreed 'Joint report from the negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom Government on progress during phase 1 of negotiations under Article 50 TEU on the United Kingdom's orderly withdrawal from the European Union.'

See: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/joint_report.pdf

There had been movement by the UK on the question of the 'divorce payment'. Both the UK and EU moved slightly on the question of EU citizens rights in the UK. The DUP, whilst still in talks with the government, did not put any stumbling blocks in the Prime Minister's way when she decided to set off on the early morning trip to meet with Jean-Claude Juncker. The UK had committed to aspiring for an open border between North and Southern Ireland

The result was the announcement from the President of the European Commission that “sufficient progress” had been made in the first phase of negotiations to allow movement to the next phase.

Rather than jubilation, there was more an air of relief. Both hard line brexiteers and remainers in the Tory cabinet made positive noises about Theresa May's achievement. The only real sour grapes came from Nigel Farage, who saw the event as a humiliating capitulation by the UK to the EU's terms. In a sense he is right in that the EU has had the upper hand throughout, setting the direction and pace of the talks. It just took much longer for the government to get to a stage where they could actually present today's decisions and offers.

The text of the entire document has been described as a masterpiece of bureaucratic wording, allowing all sides to give their positive spin on the agreement. The immediate next stage is to negotiate the transition period beyond the UK leaving the EU in March 2019. Then the talks on the actual trade deal can begin. These difficult negotiations are likely to be like the slide down a snake on the game board as they re-expose the cracks between brexiteers and remainers again.

I arrived early at the Tap room in St ives for the A14 networking and discovered a basket of games. Taking out the snakes and ladders board, Natasha dn Karen joined in the game as gradually everyone else arrived and the conversation began to flow. Natasha Won!

Spent a couple of hours at the Norris helping convert photos of three walls of painting on display into a pictorial guide with another volunteer. Dashed off after 12 to catch bus to Huntingdon, meeting a group of HBNers for lunch in the Wetherspoons there. I like the combination of being able to order from your table via the Wetherspoon app and the clear listing of the calories in the different dishes. My baked potato with chilli con carne came in at just under 500 kcal.