A. What has the EU (ever) done for us? Has it made us richer? Our growth has stayed pretty much on post-war trend throughout. We didn’t catch up with average EU6 post-war recovery rate, they slowed to ours then fell behind on average. Has it made us safer? Only Britain, France and Poland … More Shorties-16
The EU is happy to use its legal muscle against Brexit Britain, American corporations it doesn’t like and less ‘important’, deviant member nations while overlooking blatant German malpractices and Russian interference. There’s been a leak from the European Commission which shows that gas sales by Russia favour Germany over other EU nations in central and … More Gas Leak
Brussels has threatened to exclude the UK from the Galileo project, a rival/alternative to America’s GPS satellite navigation system. This shows just how small-minded and vindictive these people are, as if that wasn’t clear enough already. The UK has contributed 12% of the funding so far so if we can’t use it we should dock … More How Disobliging Can You Get?
Psychology suggests we’re more likely to fail if we believe we’re going to fail: optimists who look forward to a successful future are more likely to succeed. That applies to people, to communities and to nations. Too many Britons are worried by what we may lose when we leave the European Union and don’t recognise … More Accentuate the Positive
We are not just citizens of the EU, we are subjects of an administration that we cannot change, either alone or in the company of a majority of our fellow citizens. We examine the claim that the EU is a democracy. Here is the definition of the term ‘democratic deficit’ from the EU’s own glossary … More Democracy Denied
David Davis is a nice bloke, always smiling despite having to deal with the intractable Michel Barnier and those behind him. Compare him with Donald Trump, widely regarded around the world as a complete oaf. Which of them is the more successful negotiator? Despite the USA being the world’s foremost power it feels it has … More The Art of The Deal
It seems that the Brexit negotiations have reached some agreement with regard to the transition (EU) or implementation (UK) period. Full details are in the linked document, 23-euco-art50-guidelines, prepared for the European Council (it’s only seven pages long). The numbered items are titled “Guidelines – 23 March 2018” but unlike earlier guidelines leave more room … More Transition Guidelines
When you are in charge, and not subject to voters’ wrath, you can do much as you please. A senior appointment and comments from the President of the European Commission reveal the underlying attitude. On February 21 Jean-Claude Juncker called a short-notice press conference to announce that the European Commission had appointed Martin Selmayr, previously … More Revealing Appointment
We have finally agreed something with the EU – to extend the negotiations for an extra 21 months. Under the EU treaty rules we could have agreed to simply extend the Article 50 period beyond the minimum two years. Instead we will have left in theory in the minimum time but hardly in practice. We … More Transitional Agreement
Polls suggest that potential Leave and Remain votes haven’t changed much since the Referendum though some have swapped sides, either frightened or disgusted by what has since happened. The EU is proving a tough negotiator in the Brexit talks, even an inflexible one. This promises to do us harm when we leave yet many still … More On the Other Hand
This EU Won't Work 