Tag Archives: European Union

The EU has had overall responsibility for environmental concerns in the UK and other member states for almost 30 years (Treaty on European Union, Art 191).  How well has it done beyond putting up blue flags?  Has it done better than the Member States might have achieved outside the EU? …

I was in the barbers last week talking about a recent visit to the South of France.   I was asked where I would most like to live.  I said “not the South of France” – much too hot in summer nowadays, the beaches are skirted by major roads, the …

Theresa May used to tell us “Brexit means Brexit”. However, she never really told us what Brexit means. In truth Brexit is like a rainbow, a range of colours, opinions and viewpoints. If we can define a rainbow, can we define a Brexit? Can it ever be touched? On our …

As I was going home the other day, I passed a group of students waving Catalan flags. I didn’t stop to find out what they were demonstrating about. Rather confusingly someone handed we a leaflet about socialism in Chile. Were they Chileans complaining about Catalonia, Or Catalans complaining about Chile? …

Our man Rex seeks to establish the Brexit agenda for the week ahead. The last week of October promises to be a fascinating, indeed crucial, week in the quest for Brexit. What will happen? We don’t know for sure but there is a timetable, of sorts. There are four key …

The Remain campaign, both before and after the referendum, have long argued that being part of the European Union’s Single Market and Custom’s Union benefits our non-EU trade. They argue that we benefit from the “clout” of being part of a large bloc, that goes around the world negotiating multiple …

What happened to the debate about a Deal? In the hive of activity surrounding Prorogation, what a “good” Brexit deal would look like has seemingly been left by the wayside as politicians argue between ‘No Brexit’ and ‘No-Deal Brexit’.  While much can be said about the Prime Minister’s decision to …

How reasonable is it to use the word “Traitor” when describing a Remain supporter? Remain supporters are offended by the use of the term “Traitor”.  They believe that when, as Kenneth Clarke said, “the Westminster Parliament is just a council chamber in Europe.”  [1], the people of Britain will be …

Prior to the 2016 European Union Referendum I had certain assumptions about Britain, our laws and our politics. It was inconceivable to me that we would have an election and the result not be implemented. I couldn’t imagine Labour winning an election and somehow being prevented from forming a Government. …

Test your knowledge of Brexit.  Tease those Leaver friends. Page down for short answers or click on links below each question for sourced answer. 1. When was Parliament last Prorogued? a. At the start of every session. b. 1997 by John Major c. 1639 Rules on proroguing Parliament 2. Did …

The UK has been in a perfect political and legal storm.  It has a minority Government, a Referendum that narrowly supported leaving the EU and a Parliament that overwhelmingly rejects leaving the EU. In normal times the Government would call a General Election but the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011 …

With Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in late July 2019, fear of a “no deal” Brexit has markedly increased. “Project Fear” has been ramped back up, and with Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement supposedly dead, rhetoric about “crashing out” and a “no deal cliff edge” is now …

The new Prime Minister appears to be standing his ground that the backstop must go. The EU’s key players still insist that the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) can not be changed. A key Remainer, Dominic Grieve appears publicly to accept that Brexit will happen. Philip Hammond argues that Boris is asking too …

Let’s imagine that somehow the UK leaves the EU sometime around the end of October and makes a clean break. The EU faced with the prospect of no deal might at the last minute give us a more favourable deal. Alternatively, the UK might actually leave with out further negotiation. …

If, as a journalist or news editor, you know about the facts below but have never reported them you should seriously consider your ethics. John Major, the man who threatened to see the Government in court if it prorogued Parliament did this himself in 1997 – see The Sleaze Report. Yes …

After the economic crisis in 2007-8, the deficit of the United Kingdom skyrocketed to over a record 10% of GDP. In response, a policy of “austerity” was adopted, with an aim to reduce public spending and the government’s budget deficit. This policy has been widely criticised as a Tory ideological …

Without the Scots and Northern Irish the vote for Independence in the EU Referendum would have been overwhelming: If there were to be a Second Referendum on EU Membership, so breaking the “once in a generation” rule on referendums, the Scottish and Northern Irish should be given Independence Referendums first …

Here is a guide for Remain voters so that they can answer the charge that they are focusing on vilifying UK Leave voters rather than supporting an exciting project for the future of the UK. On immigration they can point out that the EU now has a Return Directive so that those …

The departure of Theresa May offers Britain a glimmer of hope in the current constitutional crisis.  I will describe how a pro-independence successor could turn events around. You may be thinking “how can anyone solve the crisis when No Deal will be a catastrophe?”.  Perhaps you might reconsider this belief. …

Although the meteoric rise of the Brexit Party is making the news the most interesting feature of the European Elections is that the polls suggest that for the first time the right and far right may gain control of the EU Parliament. In France the National Rally (aka National Front) …