Following up their article on the Greek crisis, covered in our recent post Evidence of Fragility (Part 4), The Economist (TE) has a related article with the subtitle, “Why European institutions cannot handle the Greek crisis”. As the TE is firmly pro-EU we can bring some more balance to our blog by citing it, while also … More Evidence of Fragility (Part 5)
Some economics forecasters have reversed their dire forecasts for post-Brexit Britain. We love economics. It’s a bit like driving a car at night without lights, peering at the road ahead, hoping that nothing unexpected emerges from a side road, all the time checking the mirrors to see whether anything behind looks familiar. There’s plenty of … More Car-crash Economics
Headline: This ‘will of the people’ talk must stop – we need a better democracy than that We know that most academics voted Remain in the referendum. Not, of course, because universities have access to considerable EU funds, but because membership of the EU is best for the UK, in their opinion. We read many … More Pontificating Professors
Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, issued a press release on 31 January which we should challenge. “The challenges currently facing the European Union are more dangerous than ever before …” Tusk outlines three areas of threat: first, external, from China, Russia, the Middle East and Africa, and the new US administration; second, anti-EU, … More United we stand, unified we fail
It’s possible that Theresa May has changed her mind about the EU, having voted remain in the referendum. It’s also possible that she is just dutifully implementing the decision that resulted from Parliament passing the buck to the electorate. There is a significant precedent for a change of mind, in the person of Margaret Thatcher. … More Changing Minds
The EU treaties describe the proper procedure for making laws; this procedure is regularly subverted in practice by the secretive ‘trilogue’ process. The EUobserver website has some information about the growing secrecy of EU law-making here. The organisation, largely supportive of the EU, describes itself as follows: “EUobserver is an independent online newspaper which values free … More Law-making in Secret
EU leaders want any deal Britain reaches with the EU after Brexit not to be better than the deal it currently has within the Union. Exploring this idea will uncover much nonsense. Here are some “thought experiments” which, by their nature, ignore most practical issues concerning Brexit. We’ll take two broad approaches, one technical, the … More Better or Worse?
Dr. Richard North’s blog, EUReferendum.com, is always worth reading and, though often discouraging in its interpretation of Brexit events to come, he knows his stuff and is probably correct. It is sad that he has become so frustrated at what he regards as the ‘zombie’ attitudes and behaviours he meets from politicians, journalists and other … More North going South?
This post focuses on a single issue; the ideology underlying the demands for progress towards Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The evidence is drawn from the Five Presidents Report (5PR); its roadmap remains the basis for maintaining progress towards completing the Union. At no point in the 5PR can we find any rationale for EMU; … More Fixated on Union
Martin Schulz is moving on from the Presidency of the European Parliament to campaign for a senior post in the German government in their election later this year. The full speech Schulz gave to the European Council on 15 December 2016, from which we offer some highlights, is transcribed here. He is, as usual, strong … More Insider Out
This EU Won't Work 