What if the barrel is rotten? There are two main reasons that lead us to believe that the EU project will fail. The first is ambition and the second is competence. In May, before the UK referendum, we asked tentatively EU in Crisis? We also asked, Is breaking-up so hard to do? These questions have … More 100 Days Review (Part 3)
Why is free movement of people sacrosanct? Is this about diluting nationalism to make centralised control easier? Or is it sacrosanct simply because it has always been a central plank in the ideology. It is of course presented simplistically, so as not to confuse people with details. It would be possible to define the “free … More 100 Days Review (Part 2)
How would you like your Brexit? Beware the cold-eyed lizards in the Treasury with their one-dimensional models (which haven’t worked well so far). The job of the Treasury is narrow and focused on the economy, and particularly on those who benefit from it. They are likely therefore to make decisions that protect, and perhaps enhance, … More 100 Days Review (part 1)
It is of course possible that Brexit will turn out to be a disaster for Britain, and it could be if we don’t take suitable action – though we believe that Britain will cope, in part because of our history and experience and in part because the EU is itself failing, perhaps terminally. However, some … More Manufacturing v. Services
We’re not complacent about the pound’s plunge, uncertainty is not helpful in financial matters. Brexit has added uncertainty but is far from the only factor causing this. Since the global crisis, almost a decade ago, central banks have been competing to devalue their currencies to support growth (or prevent deflation). The Chinese have always done … More Sterling’s Fall
The first time we left a law-making, tax-collecting, over-regulating, European super-union was in 1534. The taxes then went to Henry VIII’s treasury rather than the Borgias’. The oceans were freed for our global exploration (the Pope had declared the Atlantic a Spanish possession). A revolution in trade and industry was triggered. A fuller (and better) … More It’s a Second Brexit
In Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s story the White Queen lives her life backwards (in looking-glass mode) and it seems to us that EU “royalty” have a similarly distorted view. The White Queen is adamant that there shall be “jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day.” Once upon a time in Europe there … More Europe Through the Looking Glass
The EU has the ambition to rule Europe and to be sure of this it needs to have its signatories agree to obey new and updated rules and regulations as they are introduced. Treaties, agreements, rules and regulations are made in Brussels and enforced by rulings from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Member states … More Dynamic Compliance – Endlessly Trapped
Following their meeting in Bratislava on 16 September, the European Council (please don’t confuse this with the Council of Europe – see Europe versus EU in our May archive) issued a Declaration, which can be downloaded from here: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press-releases-pdf/2016/9/47244647412_en.pdf The Declaration is short and thin and is as bland as we would expect from an … More State of the Union – 4 (The Bratislava Declaration)
Not everyone is as critical of the speech as we have been; here we offer a critical appraisal of an alternative reaction from a supporter. The Economist’s Europe correspondent, Charlemagne, visited Strasbourg to listen to Jean-Claude Juncker give his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament. His take on the speech is … More State of the Union – 3 (Alternative view)
This EU Won't Work 