Spectator article saying no deal is ok

[Nyx]

One of my friends has posted this article on Facebook, looks like an ex-Australian PM saying that no deal isn't going to be a problem because the UK can unilaterally decide not to have tariffs - it something. He says that Australia is basically in a no deal situation with the EU themselves and are doing fine.

Does this hold any water at all? Seems pretty optimistic to me

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/03/no-deal-no-problem/

This has already been comprehensively de-bunked - iirc, including by a real Australian trade negotiator, rather than a failed and discredited ex Australian PM.

Australia DOES have arrangements with the EU. Every country does, more or less. Not a full blown trade deal but plenty of other agreements on various things.

I find it depressing that people post this stuff without even THINKING about it first.

Where is Australia, geographically? What products do they export?

He's an irrelevant nincompoop. But we are talking about it so "yay" for Spectator and its advertising revenue.

I was looking to debunk it for my friend, not spread it around to promote the Spectator, sorry.

Sorry @Nyx , I sounded blunt.
There's money to be made and profiles to be raised and this is an example of that.
Australians have a lot to say about their conveyor belt through the PM role in Canberra. Like any politician, he isn't the last word on the subject.

OP lots of different sources have said they feel no deal wouldn't be as bad as some quarters paint.
Meryvn king ex gov of bank of England thinks with 6 months prep it would be fine.

Some posters will pounce ^ on that. Like famished piranha s. Rip Mervyn to shreds and tell us all he's a disaster capitalist who doesn't care.

BUT he led the country during the credit crunch. No he didn't predict it but no one did really and that still doesn't undermine his extensive experience.

Spectator publishes a lot of tripe.
Can be entertaining & easy read. But still tripe.

There is a bloke who posts on twitter who has experience as an actual Aussie negotiator at the WTO and who has done a lot of very accessible stuff on what trading on WTO terms would mean:

www.explaintrade.com/twitter-threads

Interesting guy, young, smart, good explainer. If your friend is really interested in trade then @DmitryOpines is a good place to start.

Also Australia didn’t used to have a really great deal with the eu, including free movement of people and goods, and shared institutions and then rip it all up overnight.