Observer backs fisherfolk and Brexiteers!

Suddenly,  the Observer seems to be on the side of the gallant little fishermen of England. Not long ago, they were piddling little anachronistic hangovers from an earlier age standing in the way of progress and the glorious future of metal window frame manufacturers, a product of Johnsons' nostalgic fantasies. However,. now, it seems, some of them are prepared to find fault with the terms of the deal:

 

fishermen’s leaders accused Boris Johnson of “caving in” at the 11th hour to clinch agreement on Christmas Eve.... promises made by Leavers that they would regain control of all UK fishing waters by voting for Brexit had been broken....we’re still looking for the ‘prodigious amounts of fish’ we were promised, and for us it changes nothing.”

 

The Observer's version of the deal has it that

 

In the Christmas Eve deal the UK government and Brussels agreed that 25% of EU boats’ fishing rights in UK waters will be transferred to this country’s fishing fleet over a period of five-and-a-half years. The UK had originally demanded that the EU’s rights be cut by 80%. The UK did, however, reduce the number of years over which the change will be introduced to well under half of what the EU originally demanded...After this period, the two sides will negotiate over future fishing rights, with the deal allowing for either to impose tariffs on the other’s exports of fish in the event of serious disagreements.

I think the last bit means full (formal) control subject to annual negotiation, not permanant quotas and regulation as the EU wanted but I am no expert. We shall see.

 

A key factor in the Observer's sudden championing of the fishermen might be that:

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on Saturday complained that promises made to her country’s fishing sector had been broken, insisting this was “yet another example of Tory governments forcing Scotland in the wrong direction”...

She added that an independent Scotland could be a “bridge-builder between the UK and the EU”.

Talk about fantasy! Scotland at the heart of Europe I believe the SNP slogan is.

 

The rest of the Observer story seems to support the view held by some old Brexiteers that the deal needs further discussion. 

The Tory MP and former Brexit secretary David Davis told the Observer he wanted reassurances that the deal would not allow the EU to impose a wide range of tariffs on UK goods if there were future disagreements over fishing rights....t was premature to think Eurosceptics would give the deal unqualified backing: “It might not be white smoke. It might be black smoke.”

The Observer backing Brexiteers! Anything to avoid any possibility that the cad Johnson might get some credit after all 

Meanwhile, I wondered what the Observer cartoonist would do if a deal was signed. What would happen to the ogre/landlside/yawning chasm of no-deal Brexit? He hasn't much idea yet of what to replace them with yet except words, in a cliched setting for the change of year. What a duffer.