Ever closer union requires harmonised laws and common law enforcement, among other requirements for uniformity. The language is firm, if not always precise (e.g. “account shall be taken”). Many laws are imposed on Member States while lightly disguised as beneficent recommendations. CONSOLIDATED VERSION OF THE TREATY ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (TFEU) Article … More EU Treaties-3: Uniformity, Promises & Achievements

The EU practices top-down government. They give us big talk on democracy and citizens’ fundamental rights, repeatedly stated but not practised. The goal is convergence – economic, political and regulatory. Mutual assistance between member states has proved hard to achieve. CONSOLIDATED VERSION OF THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION (TEU) Article 1: This Treaty marks a … More EU Treaties-2: Values & Democracy

This ‘post’ links to our set of posts about the Lisbon Treaty (11 posts in total). We draw from the two Treaty documents (comments in red are selected from our posts since 2016). Firstly from TEU and then from TFEU; these two treaties have been consolidated to form the Lisbon Treaty, as it is popularly … More Treaties: Examined in detail

The treaties drawn up by the European Union are an attempt to design a collaborative ‘Europe’ (as they call their union) to compete with major powers, politically and commercially. This, the second of our posts on the EU Treaties, asks how reality compares with treaty-based theory. We examine the Treaty answers to the following questions: … More EU Treaties-1: Background & Membership

Did Boris Sign The Withdrawal Agreement in Earnest or in Jest? Here are some questions that arose from the fuss around the IMB (see the The UK Internal Market Bill for more on this topic). Question 1.Why did Boris Johnson sign such a bad WA? In order to win the Tory leadership contest, Boris Johnson … More Why has the Northern Ireland Protocol created a legal crisis?

The Treaties establish in legal terms what the EU wishes to achieve. This, briefly, is to set up and run a federal government for Europe, taking control to the centre from the member states of the Union. In ten detailed posts we have selected and commented on some key Articles that demonstrate the main agenda … More EU Treaties-10: Overview & Conclusion

The European Union drew up treaties to describe what they wish to do and to establish, in legal terms, how they intend to do it. The ambition is to set up a federal government for as much of Europe as possible. Over time the EU has developed a complex and detailed set of rules that … More EU Treaties-0: Introduction

Her Majesty’s UK Government (“HMG”) introduced UKIMB 2019-21to “clarify” some terms in the Agreement to withdraw the UK from membership of the EU. Here we focus mostly on ‘good faith’. “The Union and the United Kingdom shall, in full mutual respect and good faith, assist each other in carrying out tasks which flow from this … More The UK Internal Market Bill

The EU Commission has begun legal action against the UK Government for breaking the Withdrawal Agreement. A nation doesn’t break any international laws by enacting a bill though it might if it acted on it but that would need to be decided by a neutral, impartial court. No law has (yet) been broken as a … More EU Commission To Sue the UK

There has been much consternation, condemnation and resignation since the Government decided to consider breaking international law to protect its own internal market, so ruining its trusted reputation. Can the EU be trusted and can the protection be justified legally or pragmatically? Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) has now agreed that before potentially breaking international law … More Breaking International Laws