Another head-banging day for the £112bn UK creative sector that is starting to ingest how difficult #Brexit is going to make their lives - and how little the government is really willing to do to fix the lack of a 'mobility' chapter in the EU-UK trade deal. Quick update.../1

First Equity @EquityUK put out a letter to @BorisJohnson warning that #brexit was a "towering hurdle" (you'd want Brian Blessed reading that part) to UK actors plying their trade in EU - a double whammy with #COVID19 /2

https://t.co/mXjTAISqZk
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson One third of Equity members say they've seen job ads asking for EU passport holders: "Before, we were able to travel to Europe visa-free. Now we have to pay hundreds of pounds, fill in form after form, and spend weeks waiting for approval" /3
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson Worth recalling that all this goes back to the UK desire NOT to have a 'mobility' provision within the TCA - all part of 'ending Free Movement' and the professional services folk - including musicians, actors, fashion models etc -are all victim of that/4

https://t.co/hCsJo5ei0g
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson What's the government going to do about all this? Good question, which brings us to todays @CommonsDCMS hearing in which the Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage @cj_dinenage frankly pin-balled around the issues /5
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage Have a listen, if you like from around 11.27 minutes when @DamianGreen asks her what the government is up to....given that the creative industries have been handed what he termed a "no deal" #Brexit...the minister is clearly struggling /6

https://t.co/qO1sGfHKh8
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen She starts be accepting that the EU & UK aren't going to renegotiate the TCA which (for reasons above) has no visa waiver agreement or joint declaration on exempt categories (sports, arts etc) ...so we're not going back there.../7
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen Which then raised question of striking bilateral deals with the EU...which the minister said the UK was keen to do...and then quickly said it was "very difficult"...admitting no talks had actually started...tho officials say they are prioritising targets nations/8
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen The question is whether EU member states and the EU Commission are going to allow individual member states to be picked off by the UK in separate mobility packages, on UK terms - it feels like a long shot on both fronts tbh. /9
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen The musicians industry body @ISM_music boss @DeborahAnnetts says they have a scheme that - from the sounds of it - would narrowly grant visa-waiver to musicians (who face £600 bill for single gig in Spain) but minister @cj_dinenage sounded sceptical (probably rightly)/10
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen @ISM_music @DeborahAnnetts The over-riding impression is that the government doesn't really have answers...which may explain why @FashionRoundTab haven't even had a reply to their letter of two weeks ago, per @TamaraCincik - the government doesn't really anywhere to go /11
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen @ISM_music @DeborahAnnetts @FashionRoundTab @TamaraCincik But this stuff is going to affect huge numbers of not-so-glamorous creatives - like the group of textile designers led by @DesignersGuild boss Simon Jeffreys who wrote to @BorisJohnson explaining how the deal was hitting his business /12
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen @ISM_music @DeborahAnnetts @FashionRoundTab @TamaraCincik @DesignersGuild They've fallen victim to the Rules of Origin hubbing issue - they print textiles in EU, have them shipped to UK...but now of course they can't ship them back to the EU without incurring tariffs. Solution? Open distro in the Netherlands.... /13
@EquityUK @BorisJohnson @CommonsDCMS @cj_dinenage @DamianGreen @ISM_music @DeborahAnnetts @FashionRoundTab @TamaraCincik @DesignersGuild A lot of this pain is masked by #COVID19 - there are no concerts, fashion shows, tourism etc - which gives the govt some breathing space. But ultimately the deal is what it is - no one should expect miracles. ENDS

More from Peter Foster

Remember the government wanting to "follow the science"? It is remarkable how far it is ignoring scientific advice on this new ultra-infectious variant of #Covid-19 by keeping schools open... both SAGE and @imperialcollege issuing warnings on school closures. Stay with me. /1

First the @imperialcollege paper, which finds that the new variant is still being ultra-infectious despite November lockdowns - link here, but cases of new variant trebled in SEast, even under lockdown /2

https://t.co/fdvuVX3OkW


The paper then notes (given schools were open and under 20s are most infected): "A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021." /3


This echoes what govt science advisory SAGE cmme told ministers on Dec 22...that it was "highly unlikely" the R number can be kept below 1 (cases falling, it is currently 1.1-1.3) with schools open /4

https://t.co/yV5qcSkErJ


But on Dec 30 Gavin Williamson announce primaries would go back, and secondary schools would have staggered return while testing regime (lateral flow, not that sensitive) was set up - see statement here

More from Brexit

A further thread on the EU/UK musicians/visa for paid work issue (the issue is paid work: travelling to sing or play at eg a charity event for free can be done without a visa).


The position that we now have now (no relevant provisions under the TCA) is complicated. For EU musicians visiting the UK see


In essence the UK permits foreign (including EU) nationals to stay up to 30 days to carry out paid engagements, but they must (a) prove they are a professional musician and (b) be invited by an established UK business.

Either condition could be tricky for a young musician starting out and wanting to play gigs. And 30 days isn’t long enough for a part in a show with a run.

Longer stays require a T5 visa - which generally requires you to be in a shortage occupation (play an instrument not played in the UK?) or to have an established international reputation.

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हिमालय पर्वत की एक बड़ी पवित्र गुफा थी।उस गुफा के निकट ही गंगा जी बहती थी।एक बार देवर्षि नारद विचरण करते हुए वहां आ पहुंचे।वह परम पवित्र गुफा नारद जी को अत्यंत सुहावनी लगी।वहां का मनोरम प्राकृतिक दृश्य,पर्वत,नदी और वन देख उनके हृदय में श्रीहरि विष्णु की भक्ति अत्यंत बलवती हो उठी।


और देवर्षि नारद वहीं बैठकर तपस्या में लीन हो गए।इन्द्र नारद की तपस्या से घबरा गए।उन्हें हमेशा की तरह अपना सिंहासन व स्वर्ग खोने का डर सताने लगा।इसलिए इन्द्र ने नारद की तपस्या भंग करने के लिए कामदेव को उनके पास भेज दिया।वहां पहुंच कामदेव ने अपनी माया से वसंतऋतु को उत्पन्न कर दिया।


पेड़ और पौधों पर रंग बिरंगे फूल खिल गए और कोयलें कूकने लगी,पक्षी चहकने लगे।शीतल,मंद,सुगंधित और सुहावनी हवा चलने लगी।रंभा आदि अप्सराएं नाचने लगीं ।किन्तु कामदेव की किसी भी माया का नारद पे कोई प्रभाव नहीं पड़ा।तब कामदेव को डर सताने लगा कि कहीं नारद क्रोध में आकर मुझे श्राप न देदें।

जैसे ही नारद ने अपनी आंखें खोली, उसी क्षण कामदेव ने उनसे क्षमा मांगी।नारद मुनि को तनिक भी क्रोध नहीं आया और उन्होने शीघ्र ही कामदेव को क्षमा कर दिया।कामदेव प्रसन्न होकर वहां से चले गए।कामदेव के चले जाने पर देवर्षि के मन में अहंकार आ गया कि मैने कामदेव को हरा दिया।

नारद फिर कैलाश जा पहुंचे और शिवजी को अपनी विजयगाथा सुनाई।शिव समझ गए कि नारद अहंकारी हो गए हैं और अगर ये बात विष्णु जी जान गए तो नारद के लिए अच्छा नहीं होगा।ये सोचकर शिवजी ने नारद को भगवन विष्णु को ये बात बताने के लीए मना किया। परंतु नारद जी को ये बात उचित नहीं लगी।