24 January 2019 Lens on the Week UK TIME FOR REALITY: We have always thought that Brexit would remain uncertain to the last possible second and we weren’t wrong about that. Now, though, the participants are waking from their slumbers as the courtiers did when the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty. For a start, there are… Continue reading Issue 186: 2019 01 24: Lens on the Week
Article Category: Lens on the Week
Issue 185: 2019 01 17: Lens on the Week
17 January 2019 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: Mrs May’s deal has been rejected by a majority of 230 votes in the House of Commons. That leaves her with three days to come up with a proposal. See comment article. Meanwhile the Government has survived a no confidence motion with a majority of 19.… Continue reading Issue 185: 2019 01 17: Lens on the Week
Issue 184: 2019 01 10: Lens on the Week
10 January 2019 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: The year got off to a confusing start with 22 Tory MPs voting to restrict the Treasury’s power to prepare for a no deal exit. Michael Fallon and Oliver Letwin were among the rebels, politicians who regard a no-deal exit as something which should be avoided… Continue reading Issue 184: 2019 01 10: Lens on the Week
Issue 183: 2018 12 20: Lens on The Week
20 December 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: So there we have it. The cabinet is dusting down its no deal plans and all parties are rejecting the idea that an exit without an agreement could be softened by practical measures. Does that mean that everyone is coming to the conclusion that the hardest… Continue reading Issue 183: 2018 12 20: Lens on The Week
Issue 182: 2018 12 13: Lens on the Week
13 December 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: It has been a busy week in politics. First out of the blocks was the European Court of Justice with its ruling on Monday that Britain can unilaterally withdraw its article 50 notice and remain in the EU. No surprise there as the Court followed the… Continue reading Issue 182: 2018 12 13: Lens on the Week
Issue 181: 2018 12 06: Lens on the Week
6 December 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: The forced disclosure of the government’s legal advice on the withdrawal agreement has dominated the first two days of the five-day Brexit debate. The advice makes it clear that once we have signed the Withdrawal Agreement it becomes impossible to escape from the back stop arrangements… Continue reading Issue 181: 2018 12 06: Lens on the Week
Issue 180: 2018 11 29: Lens on the Week
29 November 2018 Lens on the Week UK TOUGH NUMBERS: Maths is back at the centre of the Brexit debate at three levels. The first is the forecasts of how the various options will affect the economy. Treasury figures point to an 8% shrinkage on a no deal exit, with house prices dropping 30% and… Continue reading Issue 180: 2018 11 29: Lens on the Week
Issue 179: 2018 11 22: Lens on the Week
22 November 2018 Lens on the Week UK GOVERNMENT: As Mrs May carries on courageously the forces besieging her government move closer to the walls. Her allies in the DUP regard the draft withdrawal Agreement as unacceptable because the backstop arrangement would impose EU standards on goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the… Continue reading Issue 179: 2018 11 22: Lens on the Week
Issue 178: 2018 11 15: Lens on the Week
15 November 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: The deal announced yesterday between the Government and the EU regarding Brexit was being denounced by the various political factions before they had had a chance to read it. At the moment the draft is only available to members of the Cabinet so we will have… Continue reading Issue 178: 2018 11 15: Lens on the Week
Issue 177: 2018 11 08: Lens on the week
8 November 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: According to “1066 and All That”, faced with the problem of what to do about James II “the people lost control of themselves altogether and, lighting an enormous number of candles, declared that the answer was an Orange.” This time the answer will be a fudge. … Continue reading Issue 177: 2018 11 08: Lens on the week
Issue 176: 2018 11 01: Lens on the Week
01 November 2018 Lens on the Week UK BUDGET: Some modest giveaways, no further raid on pension contributions, the Budget may not represent an end to austerity but there is definitely loosening. How has the trick been worked? The answer to that is better than expected figures from the Office of Budget Responsibility, which has… Continue reading Issue 176: 2018 11 01: Lens on the Week
Issue 175: 2018 10 25: Lens on the Week
25 October 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: Question: “When is a backstop not a back stop?”. Answer: “When it is a backstop to a backstop”. The Byzantine negotiations over what happens in which contingency are enough to confuse anyone, but in the end it is all about where we end up if there… Continue reading Issue 175: 2018 10 25: Lens on the Week
Issue 174: 2018 10 18: Lens on the Week
18 October 2018 Lens on the Week UK BREXIT: Tusk thinks it is all going down the drain. French and German diplomats believe that an agreement on the Irish question is possible. The former head of MI6 accuses Olly Robbins of putting British security projects under EU control. Philip Hammond and Greg Clark are said to… Continue reading Issue 174: 2018 10 18: Lens on the Week
