In a recent article Nick Hubble, of investment company Southbank Investment Research, draws an interesting analogy between climate change and Brexit anxiety: “According to The Sun, experts are concerned chocolate will run out in the next 30 years. Climate change will make it too hot to grow cocoa beans.” Global warming will result in arid … More Brexit and Climate Change
The UK has some strategic advantages that do not depend on EU membership, they are the basis of a potentially vibrant, independent future. In December 2017 we reached “The end of the beginning”, or at least we were granted gracious permission by EU leaders to talk to them about things other than money, borders and … More The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Oranges
The EU was designed in a different age for different circumstances. Even then it had major design flaws and it has failed to adapt to meet today’s challenges. It is especially unsuitable for the UK which has a history and traditions distinct from most of its neighbours. Although conceived with noble intentions, to make inter-state … More Annual Review 2017
Four short, independent pieces on: implications of the EU’s dispute with Poland; zombie companies and the European Central Bank; the hypocrisy of Michel Barnier; integration and compromise. What’s it worth to be rid of Poland? The EU is in serious dispute with Poland; but suppose the Polish decided to leave, how much would the EU … More Can EU Trust Them?
Will it be a Brexit in name only, and what does the name mean anyway? The Prime Minister says “Brexit means Brexit” but Lord Malloch-Brown (Labour peer and former UN Deputy General Secretary) believes it should mean ‘No Brexit’ and that the recent Government defeat gives MPs the chance to reverse it (we expect other … More Transition, Implementation or What?
Continuing our critique of the euro and the Eurozone, particularly the effects on weaker economies. The Euro currency was a giant step towards political union, a dangerous one that could undermine the peace that the Union was supposed to ensure. For some countries it would be like being “trapped in a burning building with no … More Zone In or Zone Out?
The ideology underpinning the ‘Union’ in EU is all-pervasive. Sometimes the pressure is subtle, at other times overt. As an example of the latter, consider parental leave following the birth of a child. Sweden has extraordinarily generous terms, Spain’s are mean by comparison. Now the EU is considering unifying such provisions across its realm. What … More Union, Unity & Uniformity
Germany (still) calling Chancellor Merkel is struggling to put together a coalition government and many experienced EU commentators believe that little progress can be made with Brexit negotiations until Germany is able to make the decisions – it could take months. This tells us a lot about the distorted power structure of the EU, which … More Shorties-12
At the last election the main parties offered election manifesto promises to respect the Referendum vote but the wreckers, thinking only one move ahead, are determined that we don’t leave or only pretend to leave, with a Brexit so soft that it is meaningless. If we leave but cannot reach a fair agreement with the … More Euro Sloth
On Thursday November 9 Michel Barnier, lead Brexit negotiator for the EU, gave a speech at a conference in Rome. He spoke in French so we rely on the translated text, which can be found among the European Commission’s press releases, here. Much of the speech is bland and unexceptionable (unless you are annoyed, as … More Deadlocked Mandate
This EU Won't Work 