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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)

@CoppetainPU

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Mainly trade stuff. Journalist. WTO Secretariat 1996-2015. Usual disclaimers on RT etc. Member: @coppetainpu .bsky.social

Coppet, Switzerland
Joined September 2012
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@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
2 months
@davidlowemusic2
davidlowemusic
2 months
I created a longer version of the BBC News Theme - The News Countdown. With its dramatic build, and the combination of rave sounds, pulsing beat and pips, and the BBC Concert Orchestra at #AbbeyRoadStudios This is how It happened. #BBC #BBCNewsThemeTune #BBCNewsCountdown
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@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
One of the joys of Twitter is to be lectured about something you've been involved in for decades by people who only heard of it last week
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Someone give the Guardian's headline writer a prize for this gem. 👏👏👏
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@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
Remember that ground-breaking 🇬🇧 UK-Japan 🇯🇵 trade deal? The one that was so much better than the 🇪🇺 EU-Japan 🇯🇵 deal because the names of 70 British products would now be protected? 🇬🇧 Stornoway Black Pudding, Wensleydale, English sparkling wine, Scotch beef and more? 1/14
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@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Boris Johnson: “Obviously if we can’t, then we’ll have the very good option also of an Australian-style arrangement” No deal is NOT an “Australian style arrangement”. It’s worse than the arrangement Australia has with the EU. 1/7
@RupertMyers
Rupert Myers
4 years
Boris: no deal is a “very good option”
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Please @BBCNews @BBCRadio4 6 o'clock news, can we stop using "rules drawn up by the WTO"? Understanding this is ever more important. WTO rules are agreements negotiated by its member countries. WTO rules are agreements negotiated by its member countries
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Mark Carney is not an expert in WTO trade law. He's an expert in banking and finance. And yet he has taken the trouble to study the rules, and *Lo! and Behold!* Carney is right. Unlike some people
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Believe it or not this is TRUE: All 164 WTO members (almost the entire world) trade on WTO rules. They have to. That's what the WTO requires. This is also TRUE: Not one of them trades ONLY on WTO rules. Most have FAR better terms through free trade deals and preferences.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Twice on @BBCr4today , @DominicRaab calls “no deal” an Australia-style arrangement. Perhaps the foreign secretary should look at Australia’s trading arrangements. 1. Australia’s priorities are in its region. It has free trade agreements with all its neighbours 1/9
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Uniting a divided country requires confidence building. The South Africans called it "Truth and Reconciliation", a phrase that's been adopted elsewhere. This cannot be achieved without telling the truth. No truth, no reconciliation
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
I suppose this is news, @Channel4News . But one of the reasons why the British public don't know much about the European Parliament is because so much coverage of the parliament is about Farage misbehaving in it, and so little is about the work actually done there.
@Channel4News
Channel 4 News
5 years
“Do you really want me back in this place?” @Nigel_Farage says the current “slow motion betrayal” of Brexit is the “greatest betrayal of any democratic vote of our nation” - and could lead to his return to the European Parliament.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
7 years
The UK is a member. The OECD does what the UK and other members set it up to do.
@JuliaHB1
Julia Hartley-Brewer
7 years
The OECD can stay the hell out of our business.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
This has been trashed comprehensively, but I'm chuckling quietly to myself about a point I haven't seen picked up It's "independent" Switzerland. I'm fine with that but given the extent of regulatory alignment with the EU, surely Brexiters should be calling it a "vassal state"?
@thequentinletts
Quentin Letts
5 years
Just skied from the EU into independent Switzerland. Quite disgracefully, there was no hard border. Not even a line in the snow.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
It really stretches my patience to watch @TiceRichard on @BBCNewsnight . He lied about his visit to the WTO (something I know about). Has zero credibility.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
1/10. Had a long chat with an old friend today. We both worked in information, briefing journalists etc. He did it most of his working life. Some of my working life was also on the other side, ie, a journalist receiving briefing. We got to talking about media coverage of Brexit.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
@JamesDelingpole Dear @JamesDelingpole I'm not an FBPE activist. What an assumption! I was a WTO official and I worked on that text. The WTO website has a copyright statement. All you needed to do was credit it. As for the real errors in your article, all it takes is to check with someone
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
“Retaliate”? How? The EU *must* levy its third country tariffs on UK goods if there’s no deal. “WTO“ rule, ie MFN (GATT Art1) The UK also *must* levy its MFN tariffs on the EU or violate MFN. Going higher than that also violates MFN Fulfilling an obligation isn’t retaliation
@Peston
Robert Peston
4 years
That was quite something. @BorisJohnson seemed to say that if EU levies WTO tariffs on UK goods, UK would retaliate by doing the same. Which from memory is contrary to official government policy. We seem to be entering Trumpian trade war territory with the EU
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Is Patrick Minford really claiming the new customs declarations and other procedures violate WTO rules unless the costs are close to zero? Which rules might that be? #Newsnight @BBCNewsnight
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Why care? Because at some stage the UK will have to pull out of deep recession caused by the pandemic. If that coincides with a poor, hastily negotiated deal with the EU, or worse, no deal, then that will worsen the prospects for recovery. Having the time for a good deal matters.
@afneil
Andrew Neil
4 years
Strange journalistic obsession with whether or not coronavirus will extend Brexit transition period beyond end-2020. I suspect most folks, as they confront the growing corona crisis, think at this stage — who cares?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
All those countries the UK wants to negotiate with are now asking: is this mischief by unnamed "sources" or is the UK not to be trusted with what it signs? The list includes: EU, US, Japan, Canada, NZ, Australia, WTO members negotiating UK tariff quotas
@DavidHenigUK
David Henig 🇺🇦
4 years
Secret plans to break a treaty and avoid checks in the Irish Sea are the new secret plans to break the law and avoid extending the date of Brexit
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Surprised to hear Nigel Farage repeat the fallacy unchallenged on @BBCr4today this morning about having to be prepared to walk away. To repeat: Fine, if walking away leaves status quo. Walking away from Brexit talks means cliff edge and furthest distance from status quo
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
As one aviation expert put it, this is “insane”. Diverging from internationally harmonised standards and certification does not increase sovereignty. It massively increases red tape. Unless the aim is to slash regulation — on air safety. Not a great idea.
@BEERG
Tom Hayes
4 years
Beyond belief. The UK is planning to leave EASA, the EU's aircraft industry safety regime. Once again, it seems, sovereignty trumps every other consideration.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Total nonsense from Nigel Farage about 🇨🇭 "Little countries like Switzerland have bigger trade deals than the EU does," he says on @bbcquestiontime #bbcqt The only way that might be remotely possible is if you include Switzerland's level of integration into the EU single market
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Why is Brexit evidence ignored. Take @BBCNews & its ping-pong approach to "balance". Today we had the IFS on the impact of tariff cuts and IDS saying he didn't believe them. For @BBCNews that's the story. Balance. Job done. Far from it, says @sjwrenlewis
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
So the answer to @EvanHD ’s question: @GregHands and @tradegovuk were wrong to claim the UK-Japan CEPA “goes substantially further than the existing EU deal” on geographical indications. The EU has added 28 new names. The UK? None (so far). 14/14/end
@EvanHD
Evan Davis
4 years
@CoppetainPU @WSTA_Miles @GregHands @BBCPM Haven't followed the ins and outs of this.. can I just ask though, did Greg Hands get it wrong? (I'd prefer a nuanced answer.. A little wrong? Sort of wrong? Sort of right? Basically right in essence?)
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
So. Preserving most but not all of what the UK already has with Canada under the EU-Canada agreement (CETA) — which the UK is about to leave — is "a fantastic trade agreement for Britain"
@BorisJohnson
Boris Johnson
4 years
Great to speak with @JustinTrudeau , @mary_ng and @trussliz today to secure a fantastic trade agreement for Britain. British businesses export everything from electric cars to sparkling wine to Canada, and today’s deal will ensure that trade goes from strength to strength. 🇬🇧🇨🇦
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
The Brexit debate largely overlooked the fact that economic integration (particularly the single market) reduces red tape by having common standards and regulations. A few people pointed out that Brexit would increase red tape, not reduce it, but that was largely ignored.
@MarkCunliffe76
Mark Cunliffe
4 years
"At the very moment when we have left the EU and its real or imagined burdens, the government is implementing the biggest piece of red tape seen by the industry. "This is not an EU decision, this is a UK decision." ?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
2 years
Was it worth the time looking at the UK’s big deal with Indiana? The one the government hails as a “milestone” and the minister calls a “US trade deal”? They wants us to take it seriously. So I did. Let’s say I did it so you don’t have to. 1/8
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
@IanDunt Alternatively, a "full WTO Brexit" means no free trade agreement with anyone, no mutual recognition agreement with anyone, no kind of agreement of any kind involving trade. A bit like that fuss in the Commons gallery, but without the underpants.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Let’s keep this simple. The UK-Japan agreement has no impact on soy sauce. It *would have been* more expensive than now if the UK had failed to roll over the EU-Japan deal. It *will be* more expensive if no UK-EU deal because a lot of it comes from the EU #ContinuityAgreement
@biztradegovuk
Department for Business and Trade
4 years
To clarify: thanks to the UK-Japan trade deal, soya sauce will be cheaper than it otherwise would be under WTO terms, on which we would be trading with Japan from 1 Jan if we had not secured the UK-Japan trade deal.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Why does anyone take this talk of slavery and oppression seriously? Colonial powers seized lands, enslaved people against their will. Britain chose to join the EU, was active in it and is free to leave. Who's stopping it? Not the EU. It's entirely an internal British squabble
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
For heaven's sake John Humphrys @BBCr4today if you're going to ask Mark Carney about GATT Art24 why on earth don't you find out first what it is? It's about free trade agreements in goods. Doesn't apply with no deal. Thread
@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
The morning after. Boris Johnson, the current leader in the race to be the next UK Prime Minister, called for a “standstill” in trading relations with the EU to avoid tariffs & quotas if there’s no deal. #BBCOurNextPM , June 18, 2019. (From 22’50”) 1/10
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Pssst! Don't tell Quentin about Schengen Seriously, false claims about the Swiss border are as much a waste of time as false claims about GATT Art.24. Both should have died long ago. There are more important things to talk about
@thequentinletts
Quentin Letts
5 years
Just skied from the EU into independent Switzerland. Quite disgracefully, there was no hard border. Not even a line in the snow.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Why is Brexit such a mess? (Nothing new here. How could there be? It’s all been said before.) This is just one angle. PRETENDING THAT THE COMPLEX IS SIMPLE 1/8
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
@AllieRenison @CPhilpOfficial Allie is right. On any motorway crossing into Switzerland, the infrastructure is substantial. I've even seen French customs checking commuter cars entering Ferney Voltaire beside Geneva airport, a route trucks don't use. This is Bardonnex on the motorway into Geneva
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
No matter how often people correct @davidcollinslaw , he still persists in an incorrect interpretation of the WTO SPS and TBT agreements in this @spectator This time, allow me to pull rank. I worked in the WTO for over 18 years including on SPS and TBT. CC: @TiggerTherese 1/4
@davidcollinslaw
David Collins
6 years
My article in @spectator Who’s afraid of the WTO?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
I usually try to respect other people's opinions, but today I make an exception. This is unbelievably stupid
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
The weight of debunking this report is immense. We have here a fringe, flawed economic position, with additional errors about what WTO rules say. But to political journalists that doesn't matter. To them what counts is whether this hurts Theresa May. Not whether it's credible
@DavidHenigUK
David Henig 🇺🇦
6 years
My verdict on the Economists for Free Trade Report - A World Trade Deal: The Complete Guide. Not credible. If you want to push me I can go further. Not remotely credible. Not remotely a complete guide either. Nonetheless, let's have a little fun. 1/
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
The BBC is one of the most precious assets Britain possesses. Yes, we can all criticise it. Yes it can improve. But overall it does a wonderful job. Look at what is being criticised here. That's the BBC doing it's job. It needs protecting.
@hendopolis
Neil Henderson
3 years
MAIL PAGE 2: ‘The days of state-run television are over’ #TomorrowsPapersToday
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
I'm seeing again the claim: "only 5% of UK business trades with the EU". It's disingenuous. What % of UK business relies on that 5% to trade with the EU? Think of the local greengrocer selling fruit and veg from the EU. The greengrocer doesn't trade with the EU. Someone does.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
@mikepaterson @IIIILamboIIII @Carlton_Blade @Femi_Sorry @DmitryOpines I've read the rules. Many times. And the jurisprudence (linked here). And the academic articles by law professors. Have you? Did you even read the two articles I linked above?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Rishi Sunak: "We've left the EU. We left with a deal." On @BBCr4today
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
In fact, while no new British names have been protected in Japan, since Feb 1, 2021 the EU has obtained protection in Japan for 28 new names 13/14
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
“No wonder so many people just blame politicians for the mess. No wonder they just want to get Brexit ‘done’ as if it will go away anytime soon. The main message they get from the principal news bulletins is that it’s all about squabbling troublemakers.”
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
PM: “I don’t want Australian WTO outcome particularly” Just as well since an "Australian WTO outcome" won't be available to the UK if no deal with the EU. Reminder to #Marr Australia has specific access to EU tariff quotas, mutual recognition agreements and more. The UK won't.
@faisalislam
Faisal Islam
4 years
PM to Marr: “EU needs to understand we utterly serious about controlling our own laws/regulations..and repatriation of fisheries” Marr: in any way worried about no deal in mid of pandemic? PM: “I don’t want Australian WTO outcome particularly... But can more than live with it”
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Two minutes and 45 seconds of Dominic Grieve as few in the UK hear him, on French-Swiss TV last night.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Here's a thought The point of a wearing mask is not to protect oneself. It's about saying "I'm happy to be part of the effort to protect you." Not wearing a mask in crowded places is saying "I don't give a s***."
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Key assumption in "no deal" claim: To be strong in a negotiation you have to be able to threaten to walk away with no deal. False. 1. The other side knows what "no deal" means to you. 2. Walking away is fine if that leaves the status quo. For Brexit it's the extreme opposite.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
"Brexit has always thrived on slogans, but struggled on detail. And now it’s all about detail."
@tconnellyRTE
Tony Connelly
4 years
Brexit talks: Reality bites in the final hours via @RTENews
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
7. My friend and I agreed that many of the better reporters on Brexit are not in London, but in Brussels. They work for the BBC, RTE and the print media. My take on it is that they are forced to see the other side of the argument, to take a more rounded view
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
@Peston The PM's interpretation is one thing. But, @peston , this was about YOUR interpretation. You wrote as a statement of fact that the letter "said the UK should be punished for leaving the EU". That was plain wrong. The Observer has set an example with a correction and apology
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Someone asked me to comment on the mentions of the WTO in the MPs’ letter, so here goes First a question. R in ERG = “research”, right? 1/11
@stephenkb
Stephen Bush
6 years
Here’s full text of the ERG letter to the PM demanding full Brexit obtained by @SamCoatesTimes
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
A lot of comment on this tweet. So, some context: @bbcnickrobinson was asking @RishiSunak about the economic impact of “no deal”. The Chancellor’s reply implies “no deal” cannot happen now because there is already a deal. That’s—let’s say—disingenuous.
@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Rishi Sunak: "We've left the EU. We left with a deal." On @BBCr4today
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
I do wonder why some people think the EU will cooperate over managing no deal if the UK refuses to pay the commitments it's made in the EU
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
News? This pathetic smut-rag isn't good enough to wrap fishbones in, let alone fish and chips, no matter who caught the fish and in which seas. Breaks every rule of journalism.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
For some time I've credited @theresa_may with treading a careful balance between the wings *she* wants to keep united while preserving a degree of honesty. For me, that ended today. Leave or Remain, honesty has to come first. Why else should we listen?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Keep those analogies coming. This is a good one
@TheEconomist
The Economist
6 years
In most negotiations, being prepared to walk away is key. But Brexit talks are akin to bargaining for a parachute having already jumped out of the plane
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
This thread looks at Professor David Collins @davidcollinslaw 's article claiming the UK will be fine with no deal with the EU next March. I’m going to stick to the facts, particularly about the WTO and what WTO agreements do and do not say. 1/17
@davidcollinslaw
David Collins
6 years
My article in @spectator Who’s afraid of the WTO?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
7 years
Reuters WTO correspondent has a meltdown
@tgemiles
Tom Miles
7 years
HAHAHAHAHAHA The point of Brexit is... to allow Britain to revitalise the @WTO !!!! That’s a good one! So funny it’s almost painful! 😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪😫😫 The WTO is deadlocked because 164 members can’t agree. It’s not because they need U.K. to show them the light.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Good job by @faisalislam on @bbcnews at Ten explaining that the trade deal with Japan broadly preserves trading arrangements UK companies currently have via the EU-Japan agreement, plus a number of additional provisions. Many bulletins that just called it a major new trade deal
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
1. A year later, has protection for any new British names been approved in Japan? No. The official Japanese list for foods still has only the original three UK names ⬇️ 7/14
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
One of Wales’ largest lamb exporters says the extra cost and paperwork of selling meat into the EU means it is making “virtually nothing”. Randall Parker Foods warned it may lose a third of its 150 workers unless new border controls change.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Complete nonsense. @BBCChrisMorris was factually correct, not making a "remain case". You can't create good policy by picking and choosing only the "facts" that are convenient for your agenda
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
The letter said nothing of the kind, @Peston It said: « Il est indispensable de montrer clairement aux opinions publiques européennes que le respect des engagements souscrits n’est pas négociable et qu’il y a davantage de dommages à quitter l’Union qu’à y demeurer. » ie, ...
@Peston
Robert Peston
3 years
. @BorisJohnson is visibly angry at the letter sent by French pm @JeanCASTEX to @vonderleyen about the fishing row which said the UK should be punished for leaving the EU. This will run
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
The UK-EU Agreement is being described as the biggest signed by either side. But how is "biggest" measured? Whatever the answer, on trade it's nowhere as deep as the EU agreement with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, aka EEA.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
. @IanDunt is a rare political journalist prepared to peer into the mire of WTO rules. @Jacob_Rees_Mogg 's bizarre claim on @daily_politics , is a misreading of two WTO legal texts. He also seems to advocate keeping the UK-EU status quo for 10 years. Ian's piece should be read
@alexisconran
Alexis Conran
6 years
Essential reading once again from @IanDunt The Brexit tactic seems to be: talk about unicorns buried in texts that no one can understand or will try to find. That way you cannot be scrutinised during an interview. Thanks @Jim_Cornelius @CoppetainPU
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
A “WTO deal”? As in a “WTO-deal” Brexit? Never heard of it. Until recently. So I pondered what it might mean. I came up with this answer: via @YouTube
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
This is what the UK's new trade advisor wrote in the Spectator, 27.10.2018. His advice would be a violation of the very first article of WTO rules for trade in goods: MFN, equal treatment for trading partners (except under a free trade agreement). 2/2
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Almost everything is on hold for a few months: ● Football, tennis, other sports ● Concerts, festivals, theatre ● WTO meetings ● US-UK trade talks ● Parliaments ● Entire Western economies and many economic activities Except: ● post-Brexit talks (oh, and the US elections)
@JGForsyth
James Forsyth
4 years
The UK will not request an extension to the Brexit transition period
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
In other words, all those votes against the Withdrawal Agreement were simply about getting rid of Theresa May and getting Boris Johnson into Number Ten, nothing to do with the actual content?
@AlexTaylorNews
Alex Taylor
5 years
Ridge : the deal seems very similar to Mrs May's which you described as completely cretinous, bureaucratic and a betrayal of common sense - so have you changed your mind ? Rees-Mogg : Churchill often ate his own words and found it a nourishing diet Viewer : speechless.. #Ridge
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
2. So whether or not new names have been registered, they surely will be, in due course. That’s not what was wrong. 3. What was wrong was the claim that this could only be done under the 🇬🇧 UK-Japan 🇯🇵 deal. It was/is possible under 🇪🇺 EU-Japan 🇯🇵 12/14
@GregHands
Greg Hands
4 years
@CoppetainPU @EvanHD @BBCPM It's hard to find, but it's here in the agreement in article 14.34, para 5. This is better than under EU deal and means more UK GIs - including wine - could be protected in Japan thanks to #CEPA .
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
What would we do without @IanDunt ? This thread start six hours ago
@IanDunt
Ian Dunt
6 years
Right. Amendment-apocalypse has begun.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Time for a reminder. "Rolling over" EU free trade deals (eg with southern Africa) for the post-Brexit UK will NOT "roll over" the whole value of those deals. Not unless "diagonal rules of origin" are included. And yes, that's as complicated as it sounds.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Let me see. Have I got this right? When Continentals follow the rules they are being submissive. When they don't they are being indisciplined and anarchic. When Brits don't follow the rules they are "freedom-loving". Right?
@Channel4News
Channel 4 News
4 years
“There is an important difference between our country and many other countries and that is our country is a freedom-loving country.” Boris Johnson responds after being asked whether Germany and Italy have lower Covid rates because they have publicly-run track and trace systems.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
I like the idea of "going it alone" with over 100 bilateral agreements, being part of the same veterinary zone, being a member of Schengen with no controls for people crossing the border except in a pandemic. Good idea. The UK should certainly think about it.
@danielmgmoylan
Lord Moylan
3 years
Switzerland is right about the EU – Britain must also go it alone
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
[Psst. Whisper it. Milk and dairy products criss-crossing between the North and Republic of Ireland] #Marr
@BBCPolitics
BBC Politics
4 years
Dairy farmers won’t be affected by a possible 35% tariff if there is no trade deal with the EU because "we would be applying our own tariffs on imported EU goods," says Environment Secretary George Eustice #Marr
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
3. We both felt too many journalists either didn't detect manipulation by their sources, or were reluctant to resist. Only some are critically-minded enough to sift out the spin. Too few bother to ask the PM "what have you proposed?" when he claims the UK is negotiating hard.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Some people have commented correctly on this thread that to do it sector-by-sector would violate the WTO's GATT Article 24, which requires free trade agreements to cover "substantially all the trade" (for goods) and GATS Article 5 "substantial sectoral coverage" (services) 1/2
@tnewtondunn
Tom Newton Dunn
5 years
Breaking: US National Security Advisor John Bolton says the US and UK could do some mini trade deals, sector by sector, within a year of Brexit (1)
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
This has been retweeted 2K times, but I'm afraid it's not true. Scotch will remain a protected name (a PGI not PDO) in the EU and probably in any other country where it is already protected either automatically or via a roll-over deal.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
Surprising that @Econs4FreeTrade and @OwenPaterson are still pushing this GATT Art 24 10-year grace period rubbish, this time in the Commons Ladies and gentlemen, I present you for the umpteenth time, explanations from three different people about why this should stop 1/4
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
The British government wants to convert the EU’s free trade agreements with other countries into UK deals. This looks at the EU-South Korea agreement to illustrate where “grandfathering” might be easy and where it might not via @wordpressdotcom
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
I thought/hoped it would die away, but it's become headline news—the favourite to be UK PM wants to use it … So here are answers to frequently & rarely asked questions about GATT Art24. 1. General 2. With-deal leavers 3. No-deal leavers 4. Remainers/revokers *SURPRISE* 1 /21
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Most if not all have free trade agreements with countries closer to home. Trying to compare no deal UK with any of them is misleading.
@SamuelMarcLowe
Sam Lowe
4 years
By the way, for all those trying, it is actually quite hard to think of countries that trade with the EU solely on WTO terms without any preferential arrangement in place at all. And pretty much all that do are trying to negotiate better terms.
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
It's pretty astonishing that someone like @richardm56 doesn't understand that a UK-EU customs union is a form of Brexit. The UK would be outside the EU. Law, and fact. You can disagree over what should or shouldn't be on the ballot for another referendum. But not over facts
@Femi_Sorry
Femi
5 years
Oh my god this was frustrating! You're either a member of the European Union OR YOU'RE NOT! #GMB
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
What's with this sudden dislike of "treaties"? Where would we be without them?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Don't mess about with Jim if you don't know your tariffs, even from almost half a century ago
@Jim_Cornelius
Jim Cornelius
5 years
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
That thread was inspired by a number of tweets today, including this one from @davidallengreen
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
I agree with @EUraTol @BBCNews 's long report rightly queries Abbott's unpleasant record on non-trade, but not his credentials on trade He called for UK trade policy with the EU not knowing it would violate WTO rules Australia would be 1st to complain.
@EUraTol
Tom Jenkins
4 years
@BBCNews - Tony Abbott: Ministers defend ex-Australian PM over Brexit trade role. But the fact is that @HonTonyAbbott is a charlatan who knows nothing about trade as @CoppetainPU demonstrates in this thread:
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
This is promising. The leading candidate to be next PM thinks on Oct 31 the UK can leave the EU and immediately the two can keep the status quo under "GATT 24". The leading candidate is in for a shock. A GATT Art 24 deal has to be negotiated first (See my blog) #BBCOurNextPM
@CoppetainPU
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
GATT 24? Mr Johnson? Really? How long will it take to negotiate and agree a "GATT 24" agreement with the EU? Mr Johnson?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Oh, and by the way, Australia and the EU are negotiating an FTA because … “Australia is seeking an ambitious and comprehensive FTA with the EU to drive Australian exports, economic growth and job creation.” An “Australian-style arrangement” 7/7
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
The Bank of England "has an utterly terrible record on forecasting". An easy claim to make to justify dismissing inconvenient truths without looking at content. 1. The Bank's record is actually pretty good. 2. If the Bank is wrong, please tell us what exactly is wrong.
@james_freeman__
James Freeman
5 years
Does the Bank of England think it's a bookmaker or is it stoking project fear - again? Clearly political interference from the Bank; & more importantly, it has an utterly terrible record on forecasting economic events! #BrexitBetrayal #LeaveMeansLeave
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Let's be clear. If the UK and EU cannot strike a post-transition deal, that will be a failure. If the UK thinks that is an acceptable outcome, then the failure will be the UK government's.
@mdouganlpool
Michael Dougan
4 years
Et voila. Johnson can call it "Australia-style" or indeed "Saturn-style" for all I care. The rest of us should get ready for a hard / no deal Brexit in 10 months time. You know - the sort he promised had only a 1/1,000,000 chance of happening...
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
Isn't he...well...not very good at trade?
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
AN ‘AUSTRALIA-TYPE’ DEAL? The British government has tried to disguise “no deal” by calling it an “Australian-type relationship”. It’s a fig leaf that doesn’t work. 2/7
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
So we have two sets of "sources", who are unaccountable because they hide behind anonymity, contradicting each other. Are we any wiser as a result? No. Not one iota
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
“Article 24 of the World Trade Organisation treaty allows us to continue to trade with Europe on zero tariffs while we negotiate a free trade arrangement.” Statements like this keep returning to the debate. Ilze Jozepa, @commonslibrary , takes a look
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
6 years
20 countries raised concerns on the record for the 1st time about the UK-EU draft post-Brexit WTO commitments in a meeting today, more or less confirming the UK will have to negotiate tariff quotas, with time running out (paywalled) via @Agra_Europe
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
4 years
So it's confirmed. The UK has a trade adviser who (among other things) failed Trade 101 by not understanding the first article of GATT, most-favoured nation treatment. Is he paid? 1/2 Former Australian PM Tony Abbott confirmed as UK trade adviser
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
3 years
And the official Japanese list for wines and spirits still contains these ⬇️ (no UK wines) 8/14
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
5 years
Richard Tice clearly wants to be ambassador in Washington. He has repeated his falsehoods about his visit to the WTO. What credibility does he have? Thank goodness the two others warn about the dangers of downplaying professional civil servants and diplomats. @BBCNewsnight
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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social)
7 years
“Customs union” is a technical term, @bbcnickrobinson . “Customs arrangement” is not. A customs union has the same external tariffs on imports from outside the group. A customs arrangement can be any kind of arrangement involving customs. Could be anything. Thread 1/7
@bbcnickrobinson
Nick Robinson
7 years
New Brexit puzzle - now you've understood the difference between THE customs union & A customs union what is the difference between them & a customs arrangement?
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