Category Archives: Brexit

The European Audiovisual Observatory reported today that the number of broadcasters relocating away from the UK has fallen back to pre-Brexit levels, suggesting that an exodus away from the UK which was primarily caused by Brexit is now finally complete.

This broadcaster exit (or brexit, if you will) has been significant: the Observatory previously reported that the number of TV channels based in the UK had halved between 2018 and 2020, from 1230 to 586.

The Observatory says that many of the relocations have been subdivisions of international broadcasters such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Viaplay, NBC, Paramount, Antenna, SPI International, as well as versions of Sky and BBC targeting foreign markets and international channels aimed at pan-European audiences in general.

Obviously these broadcasters havent pulled out of the UK completely. Rather, while smaller broadcasters or individual channels owned by those groups could previously base themselves in the UK while broadcasting to one or more EU countries abroad, now theyve had to relocate across to the mainland continent.

Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and The Czech Republic were the main destinations for networks that chose to relocate. Several of those markets had been actively pitching themselves as new European hubs for broadcasters, spotting a post-Brexit opportunity to attract new business.

UK + ECTT, or EU + AVMSD?

The reason for this mass evacuation comes down to the EUs rules around broadcasting licences rules which have previously benefited the UK by allowing a number of TV businesses to base themselves in the UK even though they didnt actually serve UK audiences.

The Country of Origin principle enshrined within the EUs Audiovisual Media Services Directive states that broadcasters are permitted to transmit across the entire EEA so long as they comply with the rules of their host country, which of course must be a country from within the EEA.

Many broadcasters chose to set up shop in the UK, obtaining a licence for UK regulator Ofcom. Ofcoms guidance is considered by broadcasters to be very clear and detailed, thus being relatively easy to comply with.

But since the UK has left the EU, it no longer falls under the AVMSD, which effectively left UK-based international broadcasters with two options.

A separate piece of legislation created by the Council of Europe (which the UK is still a part of) similarly allows for broadcasters based in one member state to also broadcast in other member states. This piece of legislation, the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT), sets its own rules which broadcasters have to comply with in order to broadcast across borders.

So broadcasters could have chosen to remain based in the UK and be governed by the ECTT, but there were a number of drawbacks to this. Not all EU member states are signed up to the ECTT, and it doesnt cover on-demand content or streaming services (since it was written in the eighties). Its also generally less comprehensive than the AMSD, and doesnt have mechanisms for conflict resolution.

The alternative was to relocate to an EU member state a move which also had its drawbacks. Broadcasters had to physically locate at least part of their business to that country, or else try to justify saying they were established in the country using technical rules around satellite uplink. Either way, they also had to learn the rules of that countrys TV regulator.

But clearly of the two options, many saw the latter as preferable.

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The Brexit-Led Broadcaster Exodus from the UK Appears to be Complete - VideoWeek

Brexit may never have happened if Boris Johnson hadnt won the 2019 Tory leadership contest, broadcaster Laura Kuenssberg has said.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the BBCs former political editor said there was a decent argument that Mr Johnsons involvement in the Brexit debate tipped the balance towards leaving the EU.

She said there was also a case to be made that should Mr Johnson not have won the Tory leadership contest in 2019, Britain may never have made its exit.

Asked how he will be remembered, she said: He will, without doubt, always be seen as a prime minister of huge consequence.

Because whatever you think of the UK decision to leave the EU, theres a decent argument to be made that his involvement tipped [it], but theres also a decent argument that if he hadnt won the Tory leadership in 2019, it [Brexit] wouldnt have happened.

So he will have a chunky chapter in UK history. Then being the prime minister who was in charge during the pandemic, not least the PM who nearly lost his life to the disease.

Ms Kuenssberg also described Mr Johnsons likely successor, Liz Truss, as a great survivor.

She has often been looked down on by people who she then outwitted or outlasted, she said.

She is a great survivor. Relentless, shape-shifting, being pragmatic, having a bit of fun at her own expense those are all things that she is [or is] willing to do. Shes instinctive.

On her own next steps, she said she wants her version of the Sunday programme to have some wit around it and warmth.

Ms Kuenssberg said there is no point being aggressive for aggressives sake.

But firm? Absolutely damn right, she said.

Ms Kuenssberg is due to take over the Sunday politics show on September 4 with a new set, format and title music.

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Brexit may not have happened if Boris Johnson hadnt won 2019 Tory leadership - The Independent

Located at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, Gibraltar was a part of the European Union before Brexit. With 95 percent of its residents having voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, relations between the British overseas territory (BOT) and London have been turbulent ever since.

Spain's acting Foreign Minister, Jos Manuel Garca-Margallo, has repeatedly renewed calls for joint SpanishBritish powers.

As the issue dragged on, the narrative grew more resentful, with the Spanish ambassador, Agustn Santos, saying negotiations between Madrid and London were urgently needed to overcome Gibraltar's "colonial" status.

The remarks, in his annual address to the UN Decolonisation Committee in June, echoed calls by Mr Picardo, insisting "the Gibraltarian people" would not accept any solution proposed in their name and without their participation.

Mr Picardo's commitment to ensuring Gibraltar's future is not determined by two countries other than themselves was reflected in comments he made in response to the claims he had held "secret talks".

He continued: "We have stated repeatedly that we are constantly meeting with colleagues from the UK, the EU and Spain as we continue to try to finalise negotiations for a safe and secure treaty between the UK and the EU which settles our future relationship with the EU and which has no implications for sovereignty.

"I am very proud to be leading the Gibraltar negotiations, alongside (Gibraltar's Deputy Chief Minister) Joseph Garcia."

"The work is constant and unrelenting and occurs daily by telephone, email, WhatsApp, video conferences and in-person meetings.

"It has not waned through the summer months as we try to finalise matters as soon as possible."

The Gibraltar Chief added:"Work on the proposed treaty therefore continues, with more formal rounds to be announced shortly starting in September, and as soon as we can announce areas of progress or agreement, we will do so."

The Gibraltar Government said there is nothing "remotely secret or undisclosed" about such meetings.

They added: "The Government only makes announcements of such meetings when they are formal negotiating rounds or when they involve senior ministerial representation from other governments involved."

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega

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Gibraltar chief forced to deny 'secret talks' on Brexit deal with Spain as mystery swirls - Express

25.06.2016

One of my early portrayals of Boris Johnson, before Id rendered the caricature down to a minimal mop of vision-impairing blond hair complete with a big gob and Pinocchio nose. Here he is the morning after the EU referendum with his Brexit bedfellows, Nigel Farage and Michael Gove, having successfully screwed the nation.

30.03.2019

It was always my opinion that the only objective of Boris who allegedly had childhood dreams of becoming World King was merely to gain power, even if that meant destroying the country in the process just so he could be leader of the remaining shit heap. This was published before Johnson had actually become Prime Minister, so my prediction wasnt far off

31.08.2019

From those halcyon days early on in BJs leadership before Covid, Partygate and all the other gates that were yet to come where he was just merely piggybacking onto the Queen to unlawfully prorogue Parliament.

15.06.2019

As we now reach the prolonged end of yet another Tory leadership battle where the dozen or so people in the Conservative membership get to choose the next Prime Minister this cartoon takes us back to the previous one in 2019. It all got a bit bizarre when the subject of past drug-taking became a cause clbre which all candidates were interrogated on. Regardless, Johnson snorted away all the competition in the end.

15.02.2020

A cabinet of nodding Yes People. It always seemed the only qualification needed for being on Boris top team was just devout loyalty and the willingness to appear on morning news interviews to blow raspberries in answer to questions about whatever the latest scandal was. If you were able to do this, then it didnt matter how bad you were at your actual job, youd be an unsackable asset!

24.10.2020

Published before the government performed a U-turn on its original pro-child food poverty stance, when they were still rejecting Marcus Rashfords campaign to extend free school meals to children from low-income families during school holidays. My intention was to convey what the Government was saying no to in a succinct manner, something cartooning can be a very effective medium for.

24.04.2021

Theres something very satisfying as a cartoonist when you have a basic idea that can then be cram-packed full of gags. In this instance they came naturally. The stench of Tory sleaze was lingering heavy when this one was published in April 2021, so I depicted various members of the Conservative party as postcards in a phone box offering their services to those who want to party like its a Covid lockdown work event

04.09.2021

After the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, Britain launched Operation Warm Welcome, a scheme to resettle Afghan refugees who had worked with the UK in the past 20 years. It turned out that those who managed to get in on the UKs limited and chaotic embrace arrived in a country with shortages of well, just about everything.

20.11.2021

Injecting some Wile E Coyote style slapstick for when the Government was accused of letting down its newest cohort of Red Wall voters in the North after it scaled back plans to upgrade the regions rail network. It proved, as had long been suspected, that Levelling Up was just another vacuous slogan.

15.01.2022

When Johnsons claims that all those lockdown gatherings at Downing Street were work events started to crumble. It wasnt Partygate that finished Boris premiership in the end, but it left him with a mighty hangover.

14.05.2022

As a cartoonist, once youve been drawing a public figure for long enough and have rendered them down to just a set of lines you could draw with a blindfold on, you can start to be creative with pushing the limits of that likeness and metamorphosise the caricature into all sorts of whimsical forms. Such as this one, where I imagined Boris as a Platinum Jubilee cake, in which all I needed was a blob of yellow custard for the hair, some jam filling for the lips and a protruding candle for that nose. This one also presented an opportunity for lots of pudding puns.

08.07.2022

The End (or is it?)

Signed/unsigned prints of all these cartoons and more are available at: benjenningscartoons.newsprints.co.uk

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Boris Johnson cartoons: Three years of chaos, from Brexit to Partygate - iNews

Since January 1, 2021, football clubs across Europe have had to get used to post-Brexit player trading regulations.

Already this summer, deals have fallen through because a potential signing has not secured the relevant number of governing body endorsement (GBE) points needed to obtain a work permit to play in the Premier League or EFL.

In one instance, the club thought they had a deal in place and the required points wouldnt be an issue, only for that to change in the space of 48 hours, resulting in their application being rejected.

And with clubs across the United Kingdom keen to add to their squads on deadline day, whether a player qualifies to receive a GBE is going to be a key issue in negotiations.

The Athletic explains why

What is GBE?

GBE is a points-based system in which players need to earn at least 15 points to be eligible to play for a Premier League or EFL team.

For players hoping to arrive in the UK from Europe, the post-Brexit regulations essentially mean they must go through a similar process to signings coming from South America.

It also means Premier League and EFL clubs can no longer sign overseas players under the age of 18 (this would have meant Cesc Fabregas, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, would have been prevented from moving from Barcelona), and those who are 18 and above have to earn a set number of points to qualify for a work permit.

The applications are submitted by the clubs and are either rejected or approved by the FA.

How is a players eligibility assessed?

A players eligibility is assessed by a range of factors, including:

International appearances are the only way potential signings can be granted an automatic pass.

In terms of domestic minutes, players will score higher if they play in a better league.

There are five bands set out by the GBE:

Band One: English Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1

Band Two:Portuguese Primeira, Belgian First Division, Eredivisie, Turkish Super Lig, English Championship

Band Three: Scottish Premiership, Liga MX,Primera Division of Argentina, Russian Premier League, Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A

Band Four:Croatian First Football League, Swiss Super League, Bundesliga 2, La Liga 2, Austrian Football Bundesliga, Ligue 2, Czech First League, Ukrainian Premier League, Greek Superleague, Colombian Categoria Primera A, MLS

Band Five:Danish Superliga, Polish Ekstraklasa, Slovenian PrivaLiga, Chilean Primera Division, Serbian SuperLiga, Chinese Super League, Uruguayan Primera Division

Are there a set number of points needed to qualify?

Yes, the points system is broken down into three different categories: ineligible, can appeal and eligible.

If a player scores 15 points or more, they are eligible for a GBE and can therefore play in the Premier League and EFL.

Should they receive 10 to 14 points, the club will be able to appeal the decision so long as they can provide evidence that exceptional circumstances prevented the player from receiving 15 points.

However, if a player scores fewer than 10 points, then they will not receive a GBE and will not be able to appeal the decision.

This was the case with Justin Kluiverts proposed transfer from Roma to Fulham yesterday, with the 23-year-old Netherlands midfielder refused a work permit. Despite appearing for Nice on loan last season, his lack of recent appearances for Roma meant he failed to meet the FAs criteria and an appeal was not permitted.

What happens if an application is rejected?

If an application is rejected and the player achieves between 10 and 14 points and there is evidence that exceptional circumstances stopped them from receiving 15 points, then clubs can appeal to the FAs exceptions panel.

In this scenario, the FA will appoint an independent panel of three members, which includes one legally qualified chair and two panel members who have relevant experience at the top level of football.

A fee of 5,000 plus VAT will be charged for every exception panel appeal and this must be paid by the club before the application is considered by the FA.

Even if the exceptions panel recommend that a GBE is given, the FA is not obliged to offer one.

Should a club apply for one player to obtain a GBE and it is initially rejected, then a second application will be granted if the circumstances have changed.

For example, if, at the beginning of August, the player had not played enough minutes but then by the end of the month they had, the club can apply to the FA again. But the situation must have changed in order for this to happen.

What about female players?

Female players are subject to the same application system as male players, although they require 24 points as opposed to 15 to be granted a GBE.

They are ranked in the following five categories:

The league quality is measured by two bands:

Band One: English Womens Super League, Australian W-League, French Feminine Division 1, Italian Femminile Serie A, German Frauen Bundesliga, National Womens Soccer League, Spanish Womens Primera Division, Swedish Damallsvenskan, Norwegian Toppserien and Danish Elitedivisionen.

Band Two: All other leagues not in Band One.

If the player in question achieves 24 points or more, they will be granted a GBE. Should they receive between 20 and 23 points, then (similar to male players) evidence of exceptional circumstances preventing them from achieving 24 points must be submitted to the exceptions panel.

This costs 5,000 plus VAT.

Anything 19 points or below will be rejected and an appeal cannot be lodged.

When is the deadline for a work permit application?

There is and there isnt one.

Technically speaking, clubs can make applications all year round, so todays 11pm deadline will not hinder a teams ability to complete a deal.

However, any application should be submitted to the FA by midday (at the latest) on the relevant transfer deadline day for it to be processed the same day.

But as per the guidelines, a club can sign and register a player even if they do not have the required points to qualify for a GBE.

If this were the case, however, the player would not be eligible to play until they are eligible and have successfully applied to the FA.

To get around this, some teams, in theory, can buy a player who does not qualify and then immediately loan him out overseas in order to get his points up. By doing that, they can complete the signing they want and benefit later down the line.

(Top photo: Marcio Machado/Getty Images)

Continued here:

Brexits impact on transfers and how clubs obtain a work permit for players - The Athletic

SirKeirStarmer has been pressed on how a Labour Government would take the Northern Ireland Protocol during a call-in on BBC Radio 5 Live. The Labour leader told a caller from Belfast there could never be a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Presenter Nicky Campbell interrupted the conversation to warn Sir Keir against appearing like he was siding more with Brussels than London.

Host Campbell questioned why the UK could not just "tweak it" before warning the Labour leader risked opening himself up to suggestions he is backing the "EU over the UK."

Sir Keir replied: "The Government has said it is going to rip it up - that is what is destroying our reputation internationally."

He added that a veterinary agreement between the UK and the EU would make a "massive difference".

"The EU has got to give and take as well", he stressed.

SirKeirsaid the UK "needs to make Brexit work".

The Labour leader said: "We need to improve on the deal we have got, because it is not a good deal and it isn't working for many businesses."

During a Q&A on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said there are "too many burdens and barriers to doing business".

Asked about the potential advantages of Brexit, SirKeirpointed to VAT being taken off energy bills.

"It is astonishing the Government hasn't gone down that route. We have left the EU and we're not going back and therefore we have to make it work."

"I have got relatively young kids... We have got to put our shoulder to the wheel and make Brexit work."

He said the UK should "stop arguing over the (Northern Ireland) Protocol".

The UK has been urged to re-engage with talks on how to improve the Northern Ireland Protocol as three European Parliament committees were presented with draft laws that would be used in the event that the UK continues with its Protocol Bill.

The UK government is progressing legislation to give ministers powers to override elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was jointly agreed by the UK and EU as part of theBrexitWithdrawal Agreement to keep the Irish land border free-flowing.

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This unilateral move has been criticised for contravening international law.

Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South Sean Kelly was the lead author in finalising a report on the draft legislation, which looks at the measures contained in the post-Brexittrade deal on what retaliatory action can be taken if one side does not adhere to its obligations.

This aims to prevent a repeat of when the European Commission controversially suggested in early 2021 that Article 16 of the protocol could be triggered in response to a row with the UK about Covid-19 vaccine supplies.

Addressing a joint meeting of the European Parliament's trade, foreign affairs and constitutional affairs committees on Wednesday, Mr Kelly said that the Bill demonstrated the UK Government's "willingness to be aggressive and headstrong".

Read the original here:

'Backing EU over UK!': Starmer in heated Northern Ireland border clash during BBC row - Express

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have made their final pitches to Tory members as the contest to replace Boris Johnson enters its final hours.

However, filmmaker Peter Stefanovic picked up on a comment by Sunak that seems to point to an acceptance of the failings of Brexit.

Mr Sunak said leadership starts by being straight with the country about the economic challenges, adding: Ive not chosen to say the things that people may want to hear, Ive said the things I believe our country needs to hear.

Although it hasnt made my life easy, it is honest and, for me, that is what leadership is all about.

He went on: My plan is the right plan to tackle inflation, to compassionately support those who most need our help and to safeguard our childrens economic inheritance.

Because as Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson knew, maxing out the countrys credit card is not right, its not responsible and it is certainly not Conservative.

When asked by LBCs Nick Ferrari why inflation is higher here than in a number of European countries.

Sunak responded that: the reason why it is so high here is that the mix of energy is different to many other countries.

The second thing that we have here, that other European countries dont have is tightness in our labour market.

Sunak then tried to flatter the crowd saying: Now many people here will be running businesses, as this is a fantastic Conservative audience of small business owners.

However, that didnt wash with Peter.

He said: Inflation is due to shortage of labour.

The video then switches to Priti Patel telling a crowd that Brexit will finally end free movement of people.

Peter concludes: Even larry the cat knows Brexit has exasperated labour shortage in the last year.

Now it appears that Sunak, who championed Brexit, accepts one of the reasons why Britain is the only major western economy in which inflation has hit double digits is entirely self-inflicted by our own government.

Related: UK Inflation could reach an astonishing figure next year it has been claimed

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Watch: Did Sunak concede last night that Brexit is a significant contributing factor behind high inflation? - The London Economic

Liz Truss may trigger article 16 proceedings against the European Union within days of becoming prime minister, as a legal war with Brussels looms over the Northern Ireland protocol.

The foreign secretary and Tory leadership frontrunner is understood to have received fresh advice from trade and legal experts about invoking the emergency clause contained in the post-Brexit deal.

It has long been threatened by Truss, but there is renewed interest as the deadline approaches for the UK to respond to legal proceedings launched against it by the EU for failing to implement proper Irish Sea border checks.

The deadline for doing so is 15 September 10 days after the next prime minister will be announced.

With a lengthy parliamentary battle expected over the Northern Ireland protocol bill, a senior Truss ally quoted in the Financial Times described the triggering of article 16 as a stopgap until the legislation is passed.

Though the source said Truss would prefer a negotiated solution with Brussels, triggering article 16 remained an option as long as the talks remained deadlocked.

Trusss antipathy towards the protocol has grown in recent days, after British steel producers were told they would have to pay a 25% tariff to sell some construction products into Northern Ireland.

Triggering article 16 would allow either side to take unilateral action if they believed the protocol was causing serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or diversion of trade.

Serious difficulties are not defined, giving both sides room for interpretation.

The UK government has long said triggering article 16 remains an option, and some will view renewed discussion of the possibility as sabre-rattling designed to please the ardent Brexit-supporting Tory party members who will choose the next prime minister.

Over the past year, Truss has studiously lobbied Tory MPs believed to have concerns about her plans, in an attempt to avoid a return of the divisions that plagued the Conservatives from 2016 to 2019.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

Sources said the foreign secretary wanted the government to appear united, or else Brussels would believe its threats were empty because Conservative backbenchers could torpedo the most controversial elements of the Northern Ireland protocol bill.

John Finucane, the Sinn Fin MP for North Belfast, said reckless threats to trigger article 16 were evidence of the UK governments total disregard for the democratic wishes of people and businesses here.

He said the protocol was supported by most people, companies and elected politicians in the Northern Irish assembly, but the Conservatives had tried fiercely to undermine it. Finucane urged Truss to get back to the table with the EU to give certainty and stability to our businesses.

Earlier this month, the UK triggered its own dispute proceedings with the EU, accusing it of breaching the Brexit treaty by freezing it out of scientific research programmes following the row over Northern Ireland.

Truss said there had been a clear breach of the trade and cooperation agreement, with her department writing to Brussels requesting formal dispute talks.

The UK government claimed the EU was causing serious damage to research and development in both the UK and EU member states, with Britain frozen out of the science research programme Horizon; Copernicus, the Earth observation programme, which provides data on climate change; Euratom, the nuclear research programme; and space surveillance and tracking.

Read the rest here:

Liz Truss may trigger article 16 days after becoming PM, amid Brexit row - The Guardian

The impact of both Brexit and the pandemic has led to adapted routes to market and speculation that British drinkers palates are changing.

Brewers and independent retailers from across the industry revealed to the drinks business how Brexit effectively reduced volumes of beer intended for export, leaving more highly-hopped beers than usual on our shores. Additionally, the pandemic forced a direct-to-consumer route to market for breweries that needed to sell their beer for their businesses to survive, however, such beers which would have initially been sold through the independent off-trade are now selling via their own online shops with many undercutting former retailers in terms of price.

Cloudwater Brew Co CEO and founder Paul Jones told db: Brexit had made exports quite difficult and not really in the sense that it couldnt be done, but it just took a lot longer, and it was more expensive plus, there was the notion that the landscape of where beer went was changing and this influx was leading to heightened competition. As Jones identified: In my estimation, many of the top 100 craft breweries in the UK sent around 20% of their output to export markets prior to Brexit. Adapting rapidly to find domestic outlets for all that production volume, once the admin and logistic issues hit [it] caused quite a spike in competition within the industry. Jones observed how, as a result, there has never been as much fresh and hoppy UK-made beer available to this market, and that might well change the tastes of drinkers.

Exeter-based Powderkeg Brewery founder Jess Magill admitted: The pandemic did stick us with a load of stock and no customers open to sell it to. I would say we operate much more on the JIT model now a business our size cant afford to overproduce. But equally we never want our products to be unavailable or we lose customers. So its an eternal tightrope.

Similarly, McColls Brewery in County Durham saw that, almost overnight, the entire business model changed and with it there was a margin-boost along with the shift. McColls owner and director Danny McColl revealed how pre-pandemic we were 90% cask-focused, he explained, but somehow, fortuitously, we had just moved into can production and built a webshop in winter 2019, and without this being fully-functional on the day the news broke back in March 2020 we would definitely not be here now. It brought in immediate cash overnight as sales disappeared from trade, and skyrocketed online, obviously at a fairly better margin.

According to London-based independent retailer Hop Burns & Black, retailers understand that brewers did what they needed to do, but there is a limit to how much support a retailer will give to brewers that repay their loyalty by undercutting them now.

Hop Burns & Black co-founder Jen Ferguson said: Indie retailers now operate in a completely different environment to before the pandemic. An already very competitive landscape has been made even more challenging with more and more breweries selling direct to consumers. However I think most retailers are fairly pragmatic about it. We recognise the extreme challenges of todays market businesses have had to pivot and adapt in order to survive. For many breweries, especially during the first lockdowns, going direct-to-consumer was a much needed lifeline.

Ferguson pointed out: It would be unreasonable to ask breweries to stop selling direct, but hugely undercutting your retail partners in the process seems like a zero sum game and said that, unfortunately, while some breweries take care to ensure theyre not sabotaging retailers, others dont weve even seen examples where breweries are selling their beers cheaper on their web shops than we can buy wholesale from them. This makes indies look unnecessarily expensive customers will go elsewhere if they feel theyre being ripped off so retailers may choose to stop stocking that brewerys beers. It also creates a race to the bottom on pricing in which nobody wins and added: The breweries we have most respect for are those that recognise the importance of the wider ecosystem and the part we all play in it. Indies remain a vital route to market for any brewery, providing convenience, selection and importantly the personal service you dont get at a supermarket or web shop, championing breweries, introducing them to new fans, helping create the next craft beer superstars. The next 12 months are going to be some of the rockiest on record and we all need to pull together to make it through to the other side.

Making it out of the other side will mean, for many, adapting and staying as flexible as possible while other issues such as inflation become the next new challenges. After all, the craft beer revolution flourished when there was much less to worry about and every reason for would-be brewery founders to follow their dreams and remove themselves from the rat-race. But now, facing so many hurdles, the new race was beginning to feel more like a marathon.

Jones identified how a number of things have changed, specifically within craft beer within the UK and reiterated that it is really pertinent to talk about it all because pre-pandemic, the craft sector in the UK was definitely growing and felt very, very buoyant and comfortable growing either through organic means or through investment. There were loads of breweries that had taken on significant investment to grow several times their previous annual output in a short space of time and that felt entirely cool. But, sadly, the pandemic compounded a problem that we were all starting to face. He observed: We are living through slightly different times in terms of what people want and what people need. and inferred that the shape of the craft beer scene is changing as a result of all of the hurdles and ultimately, these struggles are absorbing rather a lot of the excitement that craft had initially brought to the nation.

The pandemic has changed everything. I think that some of the frivolity has been replaced by some of the complexities within the scene, he said, hinting that now, all the industry needs is to find new ways to invoke some of its verve and optimism so it can navigate towards a brighter future.

Perhaps a future where the over-saturation of beers made with dank zesty alpha hops will lead palates to seek out post-craft rebellious brews with a maltier backbone .

The rest is here:

How Brexit and Covid-19 changed the craft beer industry for good - The Drinks Business

MANY of the key issues that will dominate theindependencedebate as it builds over the next year and which will determine its outcome are already clear and were confirmed by the Ipsos Scotland poll this week.

As this newspaper reported, distrust of Westminster and a feeling that Scotlands trajectory in politics and society is different from that south of the Border are strong motivators for a Yes vote, while economic scaremongering and the best of both worlds fallacy still work in the opposite direction, though their influence is diminishing. Brexit continues to be a major concern, and an earlier poll indicated that support for remaining in the EU is now at 72%, a full 10 points ahead of where it was in the 2016 referendum.

Yet I still occasionally hear some people in the Yes movement say that focusing on Brexit is a distraction. Some even contend Scotland should accept what has happened and, as we become independent, seek a substitute for EU membership, such as association with the European Free Trade Association (Efta).

For my part, the importance of Brexit within the national debate is not diminishing but growing. Brexit isnt simply a choice voters in England and Wales made against our and their interests, admittedly nor is it something that can be made to work or done better. In fact, the Tory leadership contest has revealed it to be a fatal poison an obsession which is killing democracy.

READ MORE:Barrhead business loses out on 50k in EU funding due to Brexit

I am sorry to return to the Tory leadership contest again. It is an ever-more-revolting spectacle, and the sight and sound of Liz Truss on the issue of nuclear weapons was particularly horrific. She had clearly rehearsed the question, and it speaks volumes that instead of prefacing her inevitable hardline answer with a touch of humanity and a recognition of the awful nature of the subject, she not only robotically repeated: Im ready to do it she did so to the whoops and cheers of her Tory audience.

Contrast that with a published piece the day after by New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pointing to the impasse that seems to have gripped the nuclear non-proliferation treaty renewal talks in New York and quoting John F Kennedys plea to abolish these weapons before they abolish us.

Such an unpleasant glimpse of the current Tory party reveals the effect of the Brexit poison as does Lord Frosts preposterous, bizarre and utterly unworkable proposals to abolish democracy and devolution in Scotland. He, almost unbelievably, echoed the language of Lord Carson a century ago, who argued that Irish Home Rule of any sort could not be permitted because it would leave behind Unionists.

His comments also brought right-wing raving previously only encountered in the far reaches of Ukip and the BNP into the political mainstream and permitted prejudice against difference whether that be European or Scottish to be openly flaunted as was done on Thursday by the appalling Amanda Platell on a licensed TV channel, an intervention that should have brought immediate action from the broadcasting regulator.

EMILY Maitlis further confirmed the corrosive effect of Brexit in her Edinburgh TV Festival lecture because Tory hijacking of editorial control in the BBC took place to secure Brexit and then to ensure the details of the ensuing disaster was never revealed.

Of course, the rehearsal for such perversion of fact and argument was BBC coverage of our first independence referendum in 2014, something that should give Maitlis and her colleagues food for thought. Perhaps they might resolve not to allow it to happen again.

Doing some research a few days ago, I found myself counting the number of people appointed to Theresa Mays first Cabinet in mid-July 2016 who were still there just before Johnsons final meltdown.

The figure is telling, for it shows how completely the Tory party has changed, and how being stridently, fervently and obsessively in favour of Brexit has become the sole determinant for progress into government a fact which deepens the gulf between the politics of Scotland and England.

The figure, including Johnson himself, is five out of 27. The other four are Baroness Evans, the Leader of the Lords; Priti Patel; Sajid Javid; and, of course, Truss all of whom have willingly ridden the Brexit tiger.

An examination of the list of 357 Conservative MPs with the whip presently in the House of Commons tells the same story supporting Brexit is virtually the only way to get elected, just as going on supporting ever-harder versions of it is the only route to promotion. Amazingly Labour and the LibDems have drunk the Brexit Kool-Aid too.

Yet Brexit is clearly an unmitigated disaster, and there can be no doubt it is the major factor in making the general global challenges arising out of the war in Ukraine and Covid so much worse in the UK.

Some are now arguing that Truss is the last hope to secure what Brexiteers regard as a true Brexit.

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But that isnt true because if she turns out to be a traitor to the cause, as Johnson was increasingly seen, then the Brexit revolution will overturn its latest leader and seek someone even more fanatical.

The Brexit poison will continue to spread through the system, with ever-more disastrous results.

In 18th-century France, the terror was their answer to the failures of extremism. In 20th-century Russia, vast and bloody purges were meant to keep the system pure. In 21st-century England, the remedy is different but the principle is the same. Democracy, prosperity and perhaps even peace can and will be sacrificed for the sake of the Brexit revolution.

The price will be very high, and we must not be among those that are forced to pay it. That is why telling Scotland the truth about Brexit and what it is leading to remains for me at least the key argument in making sure we arent.

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Brexits place in Scottish independence debate is only increasing - The National