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Across the UK, online, on DAB and on your smart speaker,

the Independent Republic of Mike Graham on Talk Radio.

Good morning, welcome to the Independent Republic of Mike Graham right here on Talk Radio. This week seems to have gone even faster than usual.

And as snow falls over the countryside, we are just three weeks away from Christmas. That's right.

Three actual weeks away from Christmas Day.

The shopping hordes are already out in force, queuing up for bargains and braving the cold,

but it's not really beginning to feel a lot like it, is it?

Not for me, anyway.

We've been veering from euphoria to despair at the announcement of a vaccine

breakthrough this week, which it turns out doesn't make you immune from coronavirus, and neither

does it stop me from spreading it to other people. Today we've learned that it might not

stop you from self-isolating either. Well, we'll be asking Professor Carol Sikora what the point

of it all is then. First up, though, we're talking Brexit with former MEP Alex Phillips, as France last night threw a spanner in the works of negotiations for a deal. They're now threatening to veto what

they're calling a bad deal over a row about fishing and a level playing field. Shouldn't we just

be calling it a day now? After all, the only reason France has given access to the waters around

Britain to fish them to death is because we gave them to them back

in 1973. Seems an awfully long time ago. I mean, why would you keep any other agreement that

you've had in place since 1973 without looking at the efficacy of it? We'll be finding out.

0344449-1,000. The Irish aren't too happy about it either, as Julie Harley Brewer said, they

appear to have been thrown under the bus by the French. We are heading up to Sheffield later on

...