So this is what it’s come to, then? Britain is now officially a laughing stock – and even those who have got the better end of the Brexit deal are cracking jokes at our expense. Our friends in Australia are showing us very little in the way of sympathy.
New Brexit trade deal takes effect – to mixed reviews
Earlier this week, the post-Brexit trade deals struck with Australia and New Zealand came into effect. Though the government are lauding this as a benefit of the referendum result, critics are far from convinced that we’re better off with this arrangement.
One of the most vocal detractors of Brexit is Liz Webster. The Chair of Save British Farming (SBF) is far from pleased with the deal, and she fears that the UK will now receive inferior products as a result of the much-maligned negotiations.
“Britain always had full access to Australian market. All this deal does is open up the British market to Australian, meat which is reared in monstrous feedlots with chemicals and hormones that are banned in the UK.” | Liz Webster
Australian news hosts rip into Brexit deal, UK exports
The humiliation doesn’t stop there, though. In fact, it seems that the UK has indeed become the punchline for news anchors Down Under. During a Channel 9 broadcast at the start of the week, several hosts were unable to contain their laughter when discussing the Brexit deal.
One wondered what we were actually offering the Aussies in return, speculating that the best we could muster as it stands is ‘some black pudding and a couple of sausages’. The ribbing, though gentle, continued at a rapid pace.
Leaving the EU and its lasting legacy
A female colleague joked that the UK could exchange ‘a Spice Girls CD‘ and ‘a nice cup of English breakfast tea’. The banter even spilled outside of the studio, and an interviewee remarked that it was hard to name a positive export from our shores.
If these are the sunlit uplands, we’re really not very impressed.
You can watch the Channel 9 news team skewer Brexit here:
Related: Manufacturing slump worsens as EU customers grow ‘tired of additional administrative Brexit checks’