Aneurin Bevan put his finger on it. “This island is made mainly of coal and surrounded by fish,” he said. “Only an organising genius could produce a shortage of coal and fish at the same time.”
Although, in reality, the UK fishing industry contributes but a fraction of the GDP its place in the public psyche cannot be denied. For an island nation, fishermen represent all that has put the great in Great Britain - independence of thought, creativity, resourcefulness, guile, the crew working as a team and above all grit and determination to take whatever is thrown at them. So it came as no surprise when the industry became a figurehead to represent leave campaigners.
BBC2 Daily Politics show sent reporter Adam Finn was sent to Peterhead fish market to talk to Aaron Brown the mastermind behind the Fishing for Leave campaign that organised the Thames Flotilla during the Brexit campaign.
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Later in the show, SNP's MSP Stuart Stevenson and Hull MEP and UKIP Fisheries spokesman Mike 'fisticuffs' Hookham discuss their vision for the industry post-Brexit along with feedback from Conservative, Lord Dobbs.
Listen to the report from Peterhead and studio debate in full:
If ever there was a bigger test of the government's resolve to deliver what they promised during the Brexit campaign then surely fishing must be right there at the top - remember the words that summed up their campaign,
'We will take back control"
Watch this space.
For a flavour of how the general public (well, FT readers) view the forthcoming negotiations read the aruicle and expand the comments form today's Financial Times article:
EU fishing fleet urges post-Brexit access to UK seas.
British fish exports could face tariffs without deal to keep rights for vessels