The EU often stresses that it is a rules-based union but it is flexible when it wants to be. If there’s a hard Brexit the EU would expect to have: a hard border in Ireland rather than respect the Belfast Agreement (which says, no hard border and no change to the UK union without consent … More Rules Are Rules
The Economist (TE) in its Charlemagne column of 13 October offers an explanation of why Europe (i.e. the EU) will “…never produce a Google”. https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/10/13/europes-history-explains-why-it-will-never-produce-a-google “Europe lacks large firms in areas like social media, e-commerce and cloud computing comparable in scale to America’s Google and Microsoft, or China’s Alibaba and Baidu.” “Europe’s history explains the … More Empire Building?
In this post we continue our discussion of the EU’s Task Force report on Active Subsidiarity. [1] The authors are not in any doubt about what ‘subsidiarity’ means in the EU’s treaties: “The Member States have expressly limited the areas in which the Union can act by conferring specific competences on the Union in the … More More is Less: Subsidiarity-2
After the publication of their White Paper (WP) on the Future of Europe in March 2017, The European Commission (EC) set up a group, called the Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and ‘Doing Less More Efficiently’ to reflect and report on the fourth scenario outlined in the WP: “Doing less more efficiently”. [1], [2] This … More More is Less: Subsidiarity-1
It is reported that Prime Minister Theresa May may concede an ‘Irish backstop’ that will keep Britain closely tied to the EU’s Customs Union and regulatory framework – indefinitely if the EU insists, which it will of course. It is mainly fear of the economic consequences of no deal that keep leading her down the … More Brexit Means … Nothing Actually
Are the EU’s ‘values’ merely aspirations? And are there hidden values it doesn’t admit to? Some other views. Do we love or hate EU? PR = Profoundly Ridiculous? Article 2 of the EU treaties states: “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and … More Shorties-19
In the 2016 Referendum the people decided to leave the European Union but had very little idea of the effects this would have on their country. Therefore when the terms of separation are agreed should the people have the right to decide again, provided they now understand these effects? To avoid another defective decision (which … More Second Referendum Test
The longest word in Parliament; a chain reaction; the UK outcast; boomerang bailouts; a bad design; a bad marriage; a superior, foreign court; whose law is it then?; weak economic foundations; why are EU?; an outdated ideology; to the Land’s End station; the impossible dream; apply the obvious. Floccinaucinihilipilification You may be interested to learn … More Quickies-4
Can the EU steal London’s banking business? Would Italy be better off outside the eurozone? Will the EU manage to overturn yet another referendum vote it doesn’t like? Would equal taxes be fairer to all EU member states? More Negotiations Reuters reports in an article that can be found here: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-options/stairway-to-brexit-barnier-maps-out-uks-canadian-path-idUKKBN1ED23R “[I]n an interview with … More Shorties-18
Quotations from and comments on an article concerned that the EU may fail because of moral degeneracy evident in the Commission and other EU institutions. In an interesting opinion piece for the EUobserver (https://euobserver.com/opinion/143013 ) Franklin Dehousse, a former judge at the European Court of Justice (ECJ), compares the present track of the EU to … More Timely Judgement
This EU Won't Work 