In our previous post we noted that the Government has acknowledged that the bills to clarify the Withdrawal Agreement will transgress international law. In the light of various comments we need to qualify this. The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (“the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB)”) has a clause referring to the sovereignty of the … More Sovereignty Again
The UK Government has said that it wants to ‘clarify’ some terms of the Withdrawal Agreement and a bill to that effect is being discussed in Parliament. However, Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) has acknowledged that the bill as proposed will transgress international law. In our recent post [1] we made a guess at why this … More Will the UK be Sovereign Again?
Our title is literal, the hot news on Brexit is that the British Government has stunned the country, the EU and probably the world by publishing a bill which it admits would break an international treaty – a treaty that the Prime Minister himself signed. Why? We’re puzzled by what the Government is doing in … More Breaking News
There has been no progress in the Brexit negotiations since they resumed, following the covid-19 interruption. Both sides have blamed the other, who’s fault is it and who will suffer if there is no agreement? Michel Barnier has accused the UK of not engaging constructively in the Brexit negotiations and of wasting time. He said: … More Stalemate
The major obstacles to reaching a trade agreement between the EU and UK are now down to two: fishing and ‘level playing field’ rules (on state aid, labour, environment and tax). Beyond any resolution of these lie some troubling issues for the UK. Britain’s chief negotiator, David Frost (Frosty as he is known in Whitehall) … More Frosty Negotiations
Any administration must be judged on its deeds rather than its words. This post is a reminder of the some gaps between the EU’s rhetoric and its actions. The EU has a history of disappointing its citizens’ desires and expectations. The executive is driven by a vision beside and beyond those desires and expectations but … More Words versus Deeds
The EU rescue package for the national economies worst hit by coronavirus is a top-level agreement between Council members based on a Commission proposal. The EU Parliament, at the next level down, has no direct vote or veto but wants to make its presence count. Earlier, in May this year, the European Parliament (EP) drew … More Rescue Action, Reaction and Inaction
The EU’s national leaders put on a brave and united front concerning the agreement reached last week on funding recovery from the corona virus pandemic, but what do they think back home? Italy The biggest recipient of funds from the rescue package, by far, will be Italy but that might not be enough to reverse … More Reactions to the EU’s Recovery Plan
A rescue fund has been agreed but will the citizens (voters) of the giving and receiving nations be satisfied? ‘If we can just heave past this covid crisis we’ll be a lot further on the path to a properly-functioning state at EU level’. We imagine this is the thinking of Commission members after the national … More The EU Covid Recovery Plan
Until its citizens voted to leave, the UK headed the awkward squad of countries that were uncomfortable within the EU. Has the Netherlands reluctantly assumed the role? In June 2016, just before the British referendum, we quoted from an article in The Guardian newspaper, which suggested that citizens of the EU shared “a deep loss … More Dutch Disengagement
This EU Won't Work 