In-expensive In the spare-wheel compartment of one author’s car is a fluorescent yellow gilet. It may soon have another use apart from making him more visible if he has to change a wheel at the roadside. But with Paris in flames, Berlin in flux and Rome in financial meltdown it may not be necessary to … More Quickies-5
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
This post looks at these two terms as they are applied in practice by the EU. (the first sentence) We illustrate how these terms are used, and often misused, by the EU. This post looks at these two terms as they are applied in practice by the EU. In various posts we have said a … More Subsidiarity and Competence
A cynic is “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” [Oscar Wilde]. In relation to Brexit a typical Whitehall mandarin knows the risk of everything and the opportunity of nothing. Except they don’t know the risks, they are guessing at the cost of Brexit using estimation methods already shown … More Canny or Carney?
Can the market adjust if today’s food supply chains cost more after Brexit? The chances of leaving the EU without a deal are now very serious according to the Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, and Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, agrees. One of the most serious alarms about this possibility was raised a while ago … More Bacon, Lettuce and Tomatoes
Depressing The 1930’s Great Depression hit the USA hard but the suffering was less in the UK because in 1931 the Bank of England abandoned the Gold Standard and the Fed did not until 1933 (although it was only fully abandoned by Nixon in 1971). For the economy to recover, unemployment and low wages persisted; … More Quickies-3
(Sung by Mel Brooks – as Hitler impersonator – in the 1983 film, “To Be Or Not To Be”) If “Nagging is the repetition of unpalatable truths” (Edith Summerskill) then once again we will remind Remainers that the European Union has failed in its original goals. The idealists who conceived and designed the EU wanted … More All I want is peace. Peace! Peace!
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
This EU Won't Work 