I have been keen to look for signs that there is indeed a real shift in the UK's stance to these negotiations - of course this has not been easy due to the pace of them being impacted by the pandemic - but I believe that the resultant timetable pressure could be a positive for the UK - and I believe that there are signs that we are gaining progress in the upward challenge.
Key is for Barnier and, more importantly, the leaders of the main EU nations, to realise that the UK would walkaway rather than submit. When facing Robbins and May's perpetual acquiescence it was easy for the EU to maintain unanimity across the EU27 - I think that if we hold our positions as June approaches then Barnier will start to get some 'pointers' from key countries and the EU's positions on these key areas will be softened towards accommodation of the UK's - if they don't - then on balance we are better to walkaway anyway.
There are current signs that the UK are indeed resolute in maintaining our positions that an FTA must reflect such deals that the EU has with other nations - and not contain 'special' clauses to provide the EU control over UK policy - this is as it should be and very encouraging - as the bleating from Barnier, others in the EU and Remainers reflects.
On fishing, I found this stance encouraging......
"A UK source on Thursday said no legal text had yet been put forward by Britain because the two sides were currently “talking past each other on the issue”.
And they warned: “We have certain fundamentals on this. At the end of the year we become a country with control over our coastal waters, we become an independent coastal state, we will base our tests on science and it will be up to us to determine access by annual negotiations. That is just fundamental.”
They added: “If the EU wants to talk us about how that will work on that basis then fine.”
But they warned: "There are some fundamentals that we’re not going to change and not going to move on... They’re not just negotiating positions, because they’re what an independent state does. An independent state has control over its coastal waters. “
Mr Barnier last week said "no progress" had been made on the issue of fisheries, and attacked Britain for having "not put forward a legal text”.
He added: “The EU will not agree any future economic partnership that does not include a balanced, sustainable and long-term solution on fisheries — that should be crystal clear.”
But a British source hit back, and made clear the UK would be weighing up “whether this is a productive process or not” as a crucial high-level meeting to decide on whether or not talks will continue looms.
They said: “What we would ideally want to have seen, what we’re wanting now, is an EU understanding that we’re not going to subordinate our laws to them in any areas. We’re not going to accept the European Court’s involvement in settling disputes between us...
“If we can see that they understand our points on that then I think we’re going to be able to reach agreement. At the moment I’m not sure they quite have but it maybe takes a bit of time for some of this to sink in.”
https://www.politicshome.com/news/a...-collapse-over-fisheries-unless-eu-backs-down
This is the style of approach and language that we should have been expressing/hearing 3 years ago - what a disaster the May-led government was for the UK