What is the British strategy?

“British Exit”? A game of chess?

On June 23, 2016, former Prime Minister David Cameron organized a referendum on whether or not the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union. The “Leave” camp won with 51.9% of the votes and a participation of more than 72%, a record for the country. David Cameron resigns days after the result.

Theresa May replaces him and begins a long negotiation process with the European Union which was to end on March 29, 2019. The British parliament having rejected all the agreements negotiated with Brussels, European leaders agree to postpone the exit date to March 31. October 2019 to try to avoid leaving the country without an agreement.

Why are the negotiations taking so long? Who benefits from these postponements? Who will pay ? Who are the winners and losers? What is the British strategy?

It's time to reread the article " Negotiating with the British and Irish after Brexit" by Niamh Browne-Tixier and Laure Dykstra, to better understand the British and their negotiation tactics.

The British, fine negotiators

What negotiation techniques did the British use to win their case?

1. Pragmatism

"The British are pragmatic, committed to balanced relations between the parties; they are also strategists. If we look at the history of this country, we see that the United Kingdom is home to a people of diplomats and informers , intelligence agents, journalists, spies and detectives. Agatha Christie is an emblematic figure, like Sherlock Holmes or the venerated Scotland Yard agency for institutions."

2. Questioning

"Collecting information through the questioning methodas initially proposed by Rudyard Kipling serves to better understand the context and the client. The British are thus very adept at asking questions rather than speaking or delivering information. information themselves."

3. Influence

“To complete this approach, they believe in the virtues of influence, a strategy that they deploy very early on and which allows them to gain the necessary support to strengthen their positions. This very effective and global approach is used on a regular basis in business, it is discreet and indirect: the British are there in their comfort zone."

4. The secret advance

"This approach does not make the French very comfortable. More able to discuss, debate ideas, quicker to take positions of principle and less inclined to ask questions, the covert advance of the British escape, especially since the French do not always support a win-win approach. They are more inclined to establish power relations, sometimes even from the start of negotiations..."

The UK's position in Europe

“Endorsing such a decision a priori calls into question a century of continental involvement of the United Kingdom. It also calls into question Ireland's position vis-à-vis its 26 partners in the European Union. Ireland is very economically and commercially dependent on the United Kingdom, and the establishment of customs barriers would weaken its position.

For the United Kingdom, this will not be the first time. Already at the beginning of the 19th century it entered an era of splendid isolationfrom Europe. This position allowed it to develop its financial, commercial and colonial power.

For three centuries, the London market has demonstrated sustained ingenuity in financial matters. But can it maintain its position today, given the attractiveness of financial centers like Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and Luxembourg, now firmly anchored in the European Union?

Excerpt from Negotiating with the British and Irish after Brexitby Niamh Browne-Tixier and Laure Dykstra

English tenacity

To complete this article and try to understand the British in the current Brexit situation, we refer you to "English tenacity", taken from The Soul of Peoplesby André Siegfried.

Insularity and internationalism

Strongly anchored in their temperament, insularity explains the British demand for independence. Furthermore, forced to make a living from exchange, they had to turn to the international market. "The contradiction between insularity and commercial internationalism is the very expression of the British personality"...

There is also "an indescribable distrust of everything that is not England" which is perhaps explained by this desire to remain distinct.

Pragmatism

When the Frenchman defends the virtue of reason, the Englishman announces the bankruptcy of reason: "If the Englishman can admire the brilliant intelligence of the Frenchman, he has difficulty placing his trust in him." By freeing himself from logic, he places himself on another ground in the discussion. “I'll muddle through” does not mean “I will manage” in the French way, but “by dint of floundering I will get by”.

“Refractory to Cartesian intelligence which analyses, distinguishes, reconstructs”, the Englishman is wary of intellectuality and logic. He believes that the solutions remain precarious and must be regularly revised. “He evolves in the unstable, accepting this instability as a fact that he cannot change and against which it would be vain to protest.”