How Brexit Has Changed British Politics Forever

Nov 14, 2023 | In this new Federal Trust video, John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the dismissal of Suella Braverman and the appointment of David Cameron. Does this represent a new political path for the Conservative Party and Rishi Sunak? Or is it simply the latest throw of the dice for a divided Party that will be reversed before Christmas?

Brexit Has Hit UK’s Economic Openness, Says Bank of England Governor

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Andrew Bailey says free trade demands greater international cooperation on financial rule-making

The governor of the Bank of England has called for greater cooperation on financial rule-making, warning that Brexit has affected the “openness of the UK economy”.

In an apparent swipe at those calling for the UK to develop a separate rulebook for banking and insurance activities, Andrew Bailey said free trade needed strong regulation based on agreements with foreign watchdogs.

Speaking in Dublin at a financial services conference organised by the Irish central bank, he argued against trade protectionism and regulatory fragmentation.

“As a public official, I take no position on Brexit per se,” Bailey said. “That was a decision for the people of the UK.” » | Phillip Inman | Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Brexit has helped the City, not harmed it despite 'pretty dire' warnings from economists and experts, says Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey: • Bank of England governor says Brexit opportunities have 'protected' Britain • Mr Bailey said Britain had defied 'dire' warnings from economists and experts • Comments are a marked shift from his immediate predecessor Mark Carney »

If my memory serves me well, Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, at the time of the Brexit Referendum advocated for the UK to leave the EU. I am almost certain that he was an ardent Brexiteer. – © Mark Alexander

UK Is Weaker Because of Brexit, Says Ex-British PM Tony Blair | #shorts

Tony Blair tells us why Brexit was such a dumb move.
God Almighty! The Tories have f****d up this country, good and proper! – © Mark Alexander

Michael Lambert : Why Did These BILLIONAIRES Back BREXIT?

Oct 21, 2023 | It was easy for some billionaires to recommend Brexit, the result of which was unlikely to affect them. Many of the national newspapers such as the Sun, The Times, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail all recommended Brexit and yet they are all owned by those who do not pay tax in the UK and whose proprietors live in other countries.

Prominent businessmen such as Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos, Anthony Bamford of JCB fame, James Dyson, the manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and Bernie Ecclestone all recommended Brexit. Such men are extremely rich and were unlikely to be affected by Brexit. In order to reduce his tax bill Ratcliffe moved to Monaco, Bamford is being investigated by HMRC, Dyson moved his business to Singapore and Ecclestone has just received a suspended 17-month prison sentence for attempting to deceive HMRC. He was also ordered to pay them around £530 million pounds.


Excellent analysis. Thank you.

The rich haven't got enough yet; so, Sunak is mulling tax cuts for them. That's to save his own skin, of course, after those disastrous by-election results this week. It's almost certainly curtains for Sunak anyway, whichever way one slices it. But I suppose he will want to go out in a blaze of glory.

I have always been a committed democrat, but I must say that after many years of ordinary folk being dished out crap, I'm really beginning to have second thoughts about it.

I know what Churchill said about democracy as a form of government back in 1947 and, until recently, I bought into the idea. But is democracy really the best form of government? In recent years, it has failed the people miserably. Not so, the super-privileged few; it has served them well. Very well! They've gone from strength to strength, regardless. – © Mark Alexander

Wine Definition to Be Watered Down in Post-Brexit Move

GETTY IMAGES
BBC: The government plans to change the legal definition of wine following Brexit, to reflect demand for low-alcohol versions of the drink.

Under rules the UK inherited from the EU, wine typically has to contain at least 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) to be marketed as such.

It means low and alcohol-free versions have to be sold as a "wine-based drink", or a similar product name.

That rule will now be scrapped in England next year.

The change is part of a wider package of measures designed to boost British winemaking in the wake of the UK's exit from the EU.

The government says Brexit presents a "unique opportunity" to review "overly complex" EU-era regulations governing the sector. » | Paul Seddon, Politics reporter | Tuesday, October 17, 2023

First there was talk of having a ridiculous and undemocratic, incremental ban on smoking for young adults; so, then they will be expected to fight for their country and maybe lose their lives in times of war, but they won’t be able to enjoy a fag after the fight. Now this crap!

But you have to hand it to the Tories! They are very adept at coming up with weird and wonderful ideas. The Tories are now going to turn wine into water! Jesus would surely be envious of the miracles that 'Sunak the Teetotaller' is able to perform! Jesus turned water into wine in a wedding in Cana; now, Sunak, in Westminster, is turning wine back into water!

They’ve taken long enough to come up with a single Brexit benefit; so this must surely be it! Now, people will be able to attend weddings and swig wine to their hearts’ content without getting pi**ed! Who said the Tories can’t perform miracles? And who said there weren’t any benefits to Brexit? – © Mark Alexander

The Brexit Blame Game | #shorts

Telling truth tp power.

Germany Invites UK to Reach Improved Brexit Trading Deal

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Finance minister offers standing invitation to ‘intensify your trade relationship to the EU’

The German finance minister has issued an open invitation to the UK to reach a new deal to improve Brexit trading relations that would reduce trade barriers and “obstacles in daily business life”.

Christian Lindner told the BBC: “This is a standing invitation for the UK: if you want to intensify your trade relationship to the EU, call us. We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people … and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify [the trade relationship] again.”

His comments will come as a surprise to the European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, who negotiated the Brexit trade deal, and they throw the door open to the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, who has said he will seek “a much better” relationship with the EU if he wins the next general election.

Šefčovič has insisted the Brexit deal will not be “put in the shredder”. He is also resisting calls from the car industry in the UK and the EU for a three-year suspension of tariffs, scheduled to come into force in January, on electric car exports.

It is understood he may, however, agree to a one-year suspension as a compromise. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brussels correspondent | Saturday, October 14, 2023

Brexit beeinträchtigt deutsch-britische Beziehungen

UMFRAGE IN GROSSBRITANNIEN
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Drittel der befragten Briten sagt, die Beziehungen du Deutschland hätten sich durch den EU-Austritt verschlechtert. Jugendbegegnungen sind aber weiterhin gefragt.

Die Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Großbritannien haben sich durch den Brexit tendenziell verschlechtert. Ein Drittel der Befragten im Vereinigten Königreich äußerte in einer von der deutschen Botschaft in London beauftragten Umfrage, die Beziehungen seien etwas oder stark schlechter geworden. Ein weiteres Drittel gab an, sie hätten sich nicht verändert. » | Von Johannes Leithäuser, London | Donnerstag, 28. September 2023

Brexit: The UK Is So Vain

Sep 25, 2023 | In this new Federal Trust video John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the recent report commissioned by the French and German governments on the future governance of the European Union. They conclude that the conclusions of this report have been grotesquely misreported in the British media; and that political reactions to this misreporting have, not for the first time in the UK’s European debate, only compounded the confusion.

SPEAKERS

Brendan Donnelly is the Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.
John Stevens Chair of the Federal Trust and an analyst and commentator on economic affairs.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL TRUST

The Federal Trust is a research institute studying regional, national, European and global levels of government. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.

Brexit Called ‘A Huge Mistake’ by Protesters at Rally in London

THE OBSERVER: National Rejoin March culminated in demonstration in Parliament Square calling for the UK to rejoin the EU

A protester in Parliament Square in central London on Saturday. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters against the UK’s exit from the EU have labelled the move “a huge mistake” as they campaigned to rejoin the bloc.

A large crowd of pro-EU protesters gathered outside the Hilton hotel on Park Lane in central London for the National Rejoin March (NRM) on Saturday.

Hundreds of people dressed in blue clothes and carrying EU flags filled the pavement before the march through the city’s streets, which was expected to culminate with a rally in Parliament Square.

Clusters of Metropolitan police officers were at the scene as protesters handed out flyers and passing cars hooted their horns in support. » | PA Media | Saturday, September 23, 2023

Voters Are SICK of Politicians LYING about BREXIT

Sep 23, 2023 | According to the polls, the vast majority of the British electorate have now seen through the Brexit delusion. They realise that far from taking back control, we’ve transformed from being a rule-MAKER WITHIN the EU, to being a rule-TAKER OUTSIDE the EU, having to comply with EU rules in order to trade with the massive economic bloc on our geographical doorstep - but no longer having any say in those rules. The public have realised this, so why are the government and the official opposition still LYING about the true consequences of BREXIT?

Michael Lambert: Why the UK Is in Such a MESS

Sep 23, 2023 | This week Rishi Sunak announced that he was cancelling five items of obscure ideas for possible legislation. This was bizarre. He delayed and amended the net zero programme against his manifesto commitments and to the annoyance of many. Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister and a few colleagues took a 160-seat plane to New York to at huge cost to the taxpayer.

Sunak heads a cabinet of 30 which includes 30 ministers, 20 of whom voted to remain in the EU. Keir Starmer heads a shadow cabinet all of whom voted to remain in the EU.

In the meantime, the consequences of Brexit are becoming more and more evident. Businesses are failing, inward investment depends upon huge grants being given to companies such as Tata, owned by a friend of the Prime Minister's father-in-law.

The cost-of-living continues to be a huge problem. The NHS HAS 7 million patients awaiting treatment, the immigration service, the police, crime, education, etc, are all in crisis. Councils ARE going bankrupt; and yet Sunak and Starmer are both preaching support for Brexit.

We Can’t Alter Brexit Deal to Appease Car Industry, Says European Commissioner

THE GUARDIAN – EUROPE: Thierry Breton stands firm amid opposition to incoming tariffs on electric vehicle exports between EU and UK

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, said he could not favour one ‘category’ over another. Photograph: Spanish Eu Presidency/EPA
The Brexit trade deal should not be reopened just to satisfy demands from some sectors of the UK and EU motor industry concerned about looming tariffs on electric cars, Thierry Breton, the influential European commissioner, has said. EU leaders have come under pressure to suspend 10% tariffs on electric car exports that are expected to begin in January under the Brexit treaty.

But Breton, who is responsible for the EU internal market and was speaking exclusively to the Guardian, said the commission and EU leaders are bound under competition laws to look at the entire automotive “ecosystem” and not favour one “category” in the industry over the other.

He believes the trade deal should not be unpicked.

“If something has been negotiated, it shouldn’t be changed,” Breton said. » | Lisa O’Carroll in Brussels | Friday, September 22, 2023

Michael Lambert: GREED and INEQUALITY will DESTROY the UK

Sep 16, 2023 | In addition to Global Warming and AI the biggest threat facing us is greed and inequality. The inept government of Rishi Sunak is out of control with new problems confronting it every day. Post Brexit, the economy is struggling. … | HATS are available from HATS are available HERE.

This is another great video, full of common sense, from Michael Lambert. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my assessment of the dire state of the UK economy, post-Brexit. Not to put too fine a point on it, and in two words, Brexit has f****d up the UK and its economy. And the Tories are to blame for the FU – the Tories and that contemptible man, Nigel Farage. It is to be hoped that the Tories will pay a heavy price for this screw-up in the next, not-too-far-off election. In fact, the Party deserves to be wiped out for the Tories' incompetence, stupidity and corruption. There is only ONE problem: Labour are NOT the solution. The LibDems are this country's only hope now. Fortunately, under Ed Davey's sound leadership, the Party is going from strength to strength; however, the pace of the Party's gains needs to accelerate. – © Mark Alexander

Theresa May on Brexit, Trump and China: Bloomberg UK Show

Sep 14, 2023 | Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May has defended her handling of Britain's EU exit. In a wide-ranging interview, May said her Brexit deal was better than Boris Johnson's. She also said the Capitol Hill riot was a wake-up call to the West that political stability should not be taken for granted. "Bloomberg UK" focuses on the biggest economic, financial and political issues facing Britain. Hosted by Francine Lacqua, the program goes beyond the market moves with expert analysis and top interviews from the heart of London.

Mrs May: Brexit was a disaster. No sweet words will change that fact. – © Mark Alexander

Brexit Means Britain Can ‘Attach’ Itself to India’s Booming Economy, Says Rishi Sunak

THE TELEGRAPH: Prime Minister says UK's newly won freedom to strike trade deals with countries such as India was one of the reasons he backed leaving EU

Mr Sunak and Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, met at the G20 summit in New Delhi CREDIT: Dan Kitwood/PA
Brexit means Britain can “attach” itself to India’s booming economy and benefit from its success, Rishi Sunak has said.

Speaking on his first visit to the country as Prime Minister, Mr Sunak said that Britain’s newly won freedom to strike trade deals with countries such as India was one of the reasons he backed leaving the EU.

India’s success as the fastest-growing economy in the world now presents an “exciting opportunity for the UK”.

Mr Sunak also said that he had found it “inspiring” to see India’s focus on training children in maths science and engineering, suggesting that Britain could learn from the country’s example.

The Prime Minister’s remarks came as Britain seeks to close a trade deal with India, amid disagreements on issues such as alcohol tariffs and UK demands for curbs on the production of cheap generic drugs. » | Edward Malnick, Sunday Political Editor, in New Delhi | Saturday, September 9, 2023

The truth will out! So Sunak wants us to go cap in hand to India – the country we once ruled over! This is indeed a reversal of fortunes! The Raj is being turned upside down! Great good fortune for india and the Indians, not, perhaps, so good for the United Kingdom or its citizens subjects. Is this what you get when the governance of your country is handed over to people who have shallow roots in your country? For those of us whose families can be traced back many generations, we feel far more attached to the European continent. With all due respect, we are Europeans; we are not Indians. Successive governments have allowed hitherto alien religions and cultures to grow and proliferate in our once hallowed, united nation; and in so doing, have diluted the nation's European character and identity.

It is too much to expect a person of Indian heritage to understand what it means to be European. No more than a Brit can truly understand what it means to be an American.

Truth to tell, I had a sneaking suspicion that Sunak would want to draw this country closer to India. Why? Because Sunak's commitment to Brexit made no sense otherwise. A man as well-educated and well-versed in matters of economics and commerce as Sunak so obviously is would not otherwise be in favour of his country committing economic suicide by walking away from the largest single market in the world - The Single Market. Could one, perhaps, speak of an agenda here? A secret agenda that has been shown the light of day, at last?

Well, I have news for Sunak... I—along with millions of other Brits—am a dyed-in-the-wool European. And as dilute as my commitment to Christianity can sometimes appear, I am a Christian, and a proud Christian. And Christianity is the religion and heritage of Europe, however dilute it might sometimes appear to outsiders. We Brits are not Muslims and we are certainly not Hindus.

However much the Indian economy is booming, India is no role model for us Brits. We need no caste system and we need not come under Hindi raj or subservience either.

The Tories have turfed out European workers whom we so desperately need only now to have to replace them with workers from the Indian sub-continent, Asia and Africa. What is this government trying to do to the indigenous population of this once proud nation?

I am not against people from any culture, nation, or continent; but I DO want to protect my own kind. This cannot be done if we are going to swamp the country with all manner of alien religions and cultures. Multiculuralism has its limits!

To repeat Margaret Thatcher's now famous words: No! No! No!

You, Mr Sunak, clearly don't know it, still less understand it; but we, Sir, are Europeans, not Asians! Our place is in Europe, in the Europeaan Union, to be precise. Our place is at their top table, not at the top table in new Delhi! – © Mark Alexander

Michael Lambert: How BREXIT MADNESS Ruined a Once Great Nation

In this brief history of Brexit, Michael Lambert explains how it all started with Nigel Farage complaining about the EU, of which he was a member for twenty years. Michael Lambert also explains how David Cameron, worried about losing votes to UKIP, agreed to a referendum after the 2015 general election which resulted in a vote to leave. …

Michael Lambert’s hats for sale here.

The Guardian View on Brexit’s Fantasy: Waking to a Nightmare Foretold

THE GUARDIN – EDITORIAL: As Britons grow unhappier with being outside the EU, the UK is having to admit it needs closer relations with Brussels

In the ninth season of Dallas, the 1980s blockbuster TV show about Texas oil barons, the handsome young scion of the Ewing dynasty – Bobby – appeared in the shower of his ex-wife and true love Pam even though the character had been killed off a year earlier. Dumbstruck viewers had to swallow the idea that 12 months’ worth of storylines had all been a dream. But the show’s declining ratings suggested the audience missed Bobby – and waking up from a slumber offered the cleanest way to recover Dallas’s mojo. Across Britain, lots of voters must think the same might be true of Brexit, reasoning that the decision to leave the European Union is a nightmare that the country needs to wake up from. » | Editorial | Friday, September 8, 2023

The Federal Trust: Join the Euro, Rejoin the EU

Sep 7, 2023 | In this new video, Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens argue that membership of the euro will be necessary to sustain the UK’s re-entry into the European Union after Brexit. They recognise that political leadership will be necessary for such a radical step to come about. But they also argue that British public opinion would be more receptive to leadership on the issue of the single currency than is often assumed.

SPEAKERS

Brendan Donnelly is the Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.
John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL TRUST

The Federal Trust is a research institute studying regional, national, European and global levels of government. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.

Britain Can Recover from the Self-harm of Brexit. Today’s Return to the EU’s Horizon Project Shows How

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Polls suggest a majority of Britons regret our exit. Rejoining the scientific programme could be the start of something bigger

Is this the dawn? Have we reached the glimmer of a new beginning? Rishi Sunak’s about-turn on joining the European Union’s Horizon programme is a first note of sanity in the two and a half tortured years since Britain formally left the EU. Let it not be the last.

The story itself is miserable. Horizon is an £81bn continent-wide programme to give Europe’s scientific research community a critical mass to compare with that of the US or China. It acknowledges the obvious truth that advanced scientific research needs collaboration rather than competition. Britain’s universities had been leaders of the pack, and they were among Horizon’s principal beneficiaries. If anything made sense of a united Europe, it was Horizon.

Brexit was an act of sabotage. In a measure of infantile daftness, its adherents declared that here, as in all things, Britain could go it alone. Sunak’s own enslavement to the creed required him to agree, and he duly engineered a £14bn Pioneer programme with grants that were intended to replace Horizon. Many senior scientists in Britain protested the inadequacy. Sunak appeared unaware that research is as much about collaboration and scholastic exchange as it is about money. » | Simon Jenkins | Thursday, September 7, 2023

Related article here.