BARNIER AT THE LSE

Michel Barnier (centre) with his LSE hosts,

This is how the LSE described the event:

This event is part of the LSE Programme: Brexit and Beyond, which is a dedicated series to stimulate the public debate and informed discussion about this most pivotal topic. It comprises a variety of events, targeting LSE staff and students, as well as the general public and specific categories of policy-makers, practitioners and professionals working on Brexit; with the aim of continuing to shape the discussion surrounding its complex and uncertain agenda. The Programme is organised by LSE's European Institute and School of Public Policy.

And it was all downhill from there.

Of course Michel Barnier was good. He gave a good standard EU Brexit presentation followed by a masterclass in the Q&A.

But really, the provocative, ignorant and baiting questions that were put to him were a disgrace and of an intellectual standard unworthy of what I thought LSE was all about.

Kevin Featherstone actually put it to him to consider that the British aggressiveness, including Theresa May's red lines, were part of a successful strategy in putting Barnier off his stroke at the outset. After all, we all saw how puzzled and unsure Barnier was when faced with this onslaught.

It didn't seem to occur to Kevin, that Barnier was simply trying in his own mind to rationalise the apparent stupidity of this British approach. Barnier knew well that Theresa May was not so much addressing the Union as the extreme brexit wing of the Tory party. It came across in the course of the session how much background reading and preparation Barnier had actually done.

In the beginning ... ...

The famous photo of the negotiators, with the EU side and their briefs in front of them while David Davis smirked in the absence of a single sheet of paper, proved prescient.

Yet again, Barnier had to explain the concept of the Single Market and how its protection genuinely and severely limited any concessions that the EU could make. He even had to point out yet again that entrusting non-member country British officials to implement EU law was an unprecedented concession never before obtained by anyone else.

On the UK's vain attempts to open up alternative negotiating channels behind Barnier's back and over his head, he had to point out that he was not simply negotiating on behalf of the Commission but also for the 27 member states and the European Parliament.

Kevin wondered what the EU was going to do when the UK reneged on the border in the Irish sea. Wouldn't they have to construct a new border along the track of the old one dividing the island of Ireland in two once again.

Barnier replied that the British PM and his team knew exactly what they were signing up to having intensively argued it line by line and that the EU therefore expected them to live up to what they had agreed.

To British ears, that answer didn't really solve the problem and it looked like the EU really didn't have a solution.

Barnier had to point out yet again that the existing protocol was the solution and that it needed a little more goodwill to implement it properly.

Kevin recalled that Barnier in his book compared David Davis to a child. I wondered what his mature reflection would make of the crazy stuff now playing out before our very eyes in LSE.

Barnier, at a Commission presser, pointing out that
UK had signed the Political Agreement
which they were now reneging on.

I'll jump to the concluding remarks when Minouche Shafik praised the UK/EU negotiations for how civilised they had been (couda fooled me) and Barnier was in like a shot pointing out that one aspect of civilised behaviour was honouring your signature.

As I said, a Barnier masterclass but a crap event on the whole.

And don't get me started on the technicalities. The lighting was shit. Barnier at times looked like some sort of Zombie rustled up from the local graveyard. The sound was worse. It seemed to be half picked up by a single mystery microphone suspended somewhere out of sight of the camera. And the set looked like it had been improvised at ten seconds to midnight.

Barnier seems surprised when the session was brough to an apparently abrupt halt - "it is finished ?". But the hour was up. He was probably a bit taken aback at the superficial treatment of brexit in the Q&A and was waiting for the meat.

Really, the whole thing was an insult to a man of Barnier's stature and I hope it was not his only reason for travelling to London.

Doubt if he'll be back. But then you never know with these civilised French types.