‘Actions speak louder than words’. We should judge UK and EU leaders by what they do, not by what they say or by their looks, mannerisms or affiliations. Their handling of the covid-19 pandemic and public reactions have been mixed. Some find Boris Johnson’s ebullient manner grating while others find it uplifting. We have the … More The Unimportance Of Being Earnest
The EU is struggling to maintain its much-acclaimed ‘solidarity’ in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic posed a dilemma for the EU: should it step up to the challenge and assume more powers or back off to let the member nations deal with it according to their own judgements and circumstances? … More Stuck in the Middle
Some leaders wish to complete integration and form a European superstate but citizens consistently reject the opportunity when given a say. In practice the same leaders retreat under pressures of the moment. Robert Frost makes our point pithily: In our previous post [1], to which this is a follow-up, Guy Verhofstadt confirms that he is … More And Those Against
Is this pandemic the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning for the EU? Some see the covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity and a requirement to hasten and tighten the programme of unification; others see it as the likely end of a failed experiment. What follows is the recipe of arch-federalist Guy … More Those in Favour…
Are the rules and links binding EU countries weakening in the face of the latest crisis? Daniel Craig, aka James Bond, claims his latest movie, ‘No Time To Die’, tries not to be political but is inevitably tainted by Trump and by the nihilism of Brexit. We can’t see what he means because the release … More The EU’s Bonds
Self-interested, corporate lobbying and a hidden process for lawmaking undermine the integrity and accountability of the EU rule-makers. Peter Teffer, who used to be an investigative journalist for EUObserver, has spent many hours looking into how the EU makes its decisions and the influence that corporate lobbyists have on those decision. He summarises his conclusions … More Lobbying, Corruption and EU Decision-Making
This post describes the negotiating mandates for the UK’s future trade with both the EU and the US. The details reveal the real motives and agendas of the parties. It’s like trench warfare. Just as disputing the lands of France and Belgium was not the prime cause of the First World War (WW1), negotiators from … More Negotiating Mandates
The European Central Bank (ECB) has used up its ideas and its armoury; now the eurozone (EZ) is reduced to negative interest rates and bail-outs that benefit the big banks of donor countries and the foreign ambitions of large corporations. The world is experiencing historically low interest rates but the problems of the eurozone (EZ) … More The Jewel in Whose Crown?
Towards the end of last year the EU produced a guide to how it sees its future, titled A New Strategic Agenda 2019-2024. If voting for EU federal governance were allowed, this document would stand as a political manifesto—in support of its present leadership, since there is no alternative on offer. It is, as we … More A New-Old Strategic Agenda
Remainers and Leavers still argue about the benefits of Brexit and the EU, arguments that have divided friends and families. Here we imagine a family argument, still raging after two years of bickering. The UK population became a lot more engaged in politics during the prolonged exit negotiations and started to recognise some details of … More Still Bickering
This EU Won't Work 