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
There may be reasons to be fearful of leaving the EU but what are the reasons to be cheerful about remaining? After her Salzburg savaging Theresa May demanded respect from the EU. Council President Donald Tusk duly complied, saying “We decided that for the good of the negotiations, and out of respect for the efforts … More Reasons to Be Cheerful
This post is the third and final part of our review of Jean-Claude Juncker’s speech to the European Parliament. The full text of his speech can be downloaded from here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/soteu2018-speech_en_0.pdf Responsibility: Swipes and Digs “It is our Galileo programme that is today keeping Europe in the space race. No single Member State could have … More State of the European Union 2018 – 3
This post is the second part of our three-part review of Jean-Claude Juncker’s speech to the European Parliament. The full text of his speech can be downloaded from here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/soteu2018-speech_en_0.pdf Unification The Five Presidents Report [1] is not often referred to directly these days but its plan still underpins the economic activities of the Union … More State of the European Union 2018 – 2
Jean-Claude Juncker gave his last SOTEU presentation as President of the European Commission to the European Parliament on September 12, his third since the UK Referendum. We commented on the previous two [1], [2] and now add the third. This post is the first of a three-part review of his speech. The text of his … More State of the European Union 2018 – 1
“…have lighted fools the way to dusty death.” If we are guided by intended outcomes rather than actual ones we are unlikely to follow the best path. We cannot know the future for sure but if we look at the past, the present, recent trends and current plans for the EU and our part in … More All our yesterdays…
The continuation of our review, in which we comment on some possible consequences of a collapse of the EU under crisis. by Ian Kearns (Biteback Publishing Ltd, 2018) A book review (Part 2 – see Part 1 in the previous post) Part 2: Collapse and its consequences The EU faces economic and political risks that … More Collapse: Europe After the European Union – 2
In this and the next post we review a book which postulates possible outcomes should the EU collapse, by an author who views the project as indispensable, based on his belief that the EU is in a crisis that it may not be able to resolve. by Ian Kearns (Biteback Publishing Ltd, 2018) A book … More Collapse: Europe After the European Union – 1
A collection of six short, independent pieces on various topics, with links to many related posts. Friends Like These After two years of zero concessions by its negotiators we can justifiably say of the EU Commission, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?” We think they are driven by outrage that anyone would want to … More Shorties-17
This EU Won't Work 