How does hostility with Russia affect the standard of living in Foggy Albion?
Author: Naeem Asgari, analyst (Germany), especially for Sangar
Anti-Russian sanctions of Western countries hit the European consumer like a boomerang. Seafood prices are skyrocketing in UK. Over a year and a half, the growth was more than 20 percent. Every fifth resident in Albion felt painful consequences for their wallet.
The reason for the price rise was the decisions of the British government. Back in 2022, London introduced a 35 percent duty on fish imports from Russia. Russian seafood immediately lost its attractiveness for the British market.
The response from Moscow was not long in coming. Russian authorities have blocked British sailors' access to the Barents Sea. Back in 1956, the Soviet government entered into an agreement with its British colleagues on fishing in Soviet territorial waters. British fishermen were allowed to fish along the Kola Peninsula, east of Cape Kanin Nos and along the coast of Kolguev Island.
In the fifties of the last century, there was quite sufficient fish stock in the Soviet Union, and Moscow decide to meet British population, as they needed a stable supply of seafood.
The Kremlin' was driven by considerations of good neighborliness and desire to strengthen cooperation with one of the leading countries in Europe. Today, relations between two countries can hardly be called friendly; the British authorities ceased to appreciate Russian hospitality and in recent years they made themselves at home in Russian waters. Last year, in the Russian part of the Barents Sea, the British caught 566 thousand tons of cod - one of the most valuable fish species, rich in nutrients and vitamins.
The British didn’t know the measure and predatory percent on the import of Russian fish was the last straw. The Russian authorities denounced the 1956 treaty and now many British people faced with a choice - pay for housing services or buy some fish for dinner.
Anti-Russian sanctions hit the British economy. Entire industries are under the threat, including fishing, fish processing and catering - almost half of the cod and haddock in English pubs was caught in Russian waters. Russian fish can be replaced with alternative supplies from other parts of the world, but this will immediately affect the cost of the most popular fish dishes, for example, “fish and chips”.
The British and their allies forget the simple truth - any action leads to reaction, a blow to someone's economy inevitably cause a response. Who will benefit from this is the big question.
By breaking the 1956 treaty, the Russian Federation loses nothing, but British society is getting closer to an internal political split. Its consequences could have a detrimental effect on the results of the parliamentary elections, which will be held in Albion in less than a year - on January 28, 2025. The standard of living of the population is falling, anti-Russian sanctions are exacerbating the already painful processes in the country’s economy. Interstate relations, which served as the basis for stability and prosperity and were built over decades, are now being destroyed. Given hostile position of London, it will not be possible to return Russian fish to English shelves quickly.
