How to cut EU migration without leaving the Single Market October 13, 2016 The Tory MEP Vicky Ford has taken a major step back from the idea of closing frontiers to European citizens which still appears to be the throbbing desire of Tory-Ukip hard Brexiters. In a newspaper interview, she set out ideas for reducing inflows of European workers within EU rules. She cites Liechtenstein, which was allowed [...]
There are plenty of lessons the German Chancellor can learn from yesterday’s men September 22, 2016 What is it about the rule of 10? Ten years at the top in European politics is more than enough. This month Angela Merkel celebrates her eleventh anniversary as Chancellor of Germany. She now has to decide whether to go on and on and seek another four years in the federal elections in September 2017. [...]
As Luxembourg’s foreign minister calls for Hungary to be kicked out, is the EU starting to unravel? September 13, 2016 Tom Slater, deputy editor of Spiked, says Yes. Is the EU unravelling? We can only hope. The Luxembourg foreign minister’s outburst this week, lambasting Hungary for its migration policies, reminds us that the EU is not a glorious union of European peoples — it’s an oligarchy, whose anti-democratic edicts pit rich countries against poor, northern Europe [...]
Even Switzerland doesn’t want Britain to adopt the Swiss model post-Brexit August 22, 2016 Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but it is doubtful whether anyone in Switzerland is thanking the City and the British Bankers’ Association for coming up with the idea that London should seek a Swiss-style relationship with Europe once Brexit is fully consummated. The reason Swiss banks and finance firms are so [...]
Is the IFS right to warn that Britain will be up to £70bn worse off if it leaves the Single Market? August 10, 2016 Denis MacShane, former Europe minister, author of Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe and senior adviser at Avisa Partners, Brussels, says Yes. For centuries, the main purpose of British foreign policy was to gain access for British goods, services, and professions to other markets in the world. Britain currently has unfettered access to 500m mainly middle class consumers [...]
It took Britain 12 years to join the EU – don’t expect the break-up to go much faster August 8, 2016 Theresa May was only a little girl when Neil Sedaka’s plangent song “Breaking up is hard to do / Now I know / I know that it’s true” was a Number One hit. Britain has announced it wants to break up with Europe, but it is turning out to be a harder to do than [...]
