Theresa, Howard and Corina...er who?

Manx Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK witters on incessantly about Brexit. Not surprising really as where economically the UK go and the uncertainties that pertain will impact us all.

Howard tends to be fairly upbeat and indeed, although it seems a long time ago now, back in May 2017 the Manx government averred:

“If there was no UK/EU Free Trade Agreement in place World Trade Organisation (WTO) schedules would apply to the UK’s trade with Europe as well as with other WTO members. As the UK’s membership of the WTO included the Isle of Man those schedules would also apply to the Island.

‘These schedules will therefore determine not only the UK’s - but also the Island’s – external tariffs on Brexit day. This is because we are in customs union with the UK and therefore our external tariffs must be consistent with theirs.

‘So we must ensure that we have the right legal and administrative framework in place to give effect to these external tariffs.’

In addition to the WTO issue, explained Mr Quayle, the Government was also assessing how the Isle of Man could be included in future Free Trade Agreements that the UK may negotiate with the EU and with other countries.”

Note Howard’s certainty about the seamless transition, if required, to the WTO

Link:

https://www.gov.im/news/2017/may/16/potential-impact-of-brexit-significa...

To listen to Howard, ably assisted by all the experts he has assembled in the Cabinet Office. WTO membership is as easy as getting a new sim card from the Manx Telecom shop. Well not quite!

While everyone is focused on Mrs Mays current EU difficulties the WTO scenario it seems is also fraught with problems not least because membership of the body is predicated on consensus in vital trade areas of all its members and the UK seems to have ‘cheesed off’ one of the smallest Moldova.

The UK probably didn’t give much thought to the consequences when it denied a visa last year to Corina Cojocaru, Moldova’s economic counsellor to the WTO.

The United Kingdom likes to see itself as a global player and probably gave little heed to the slight to some ‘minor official’ from a tiny Eastern European ‘backwater’ such as Moldova. It was a bad move as it seems Ms Cojocaru has a long memory. This report from Bloomberg News the US website:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-17/how-tiny-moldova-s-br...

Images: Corina Cojocaru, Theresa May and Howard Quayle

Bernard Moffatt