14 December 2017 Keep Calm And Carry On Davis puts his foot in it. By John Watson Blab, blab, blab, blab. The ink was hardly dry on Mrs May’s agreement with the EU Commission on the three preliminary issues (the Divorce Settlement, the status of EU nationals already resident in the UK, and the Irish… Continue reading Issue 133: 2017 12 14: Keep Calm And Carry On (John Watson)
Tag: Brexit negotiations
Issue 127: 2017 11 02: A Long Time In Politics (John Watson)
02 November 2017 A Long Time In Politics Keeping the real issues at the top. By John Watson A well-worn quotation it may be, but there is a good reason for that. Prime Minister Harold MacMillan’s reply to the question of what he most feared, “Events, dear boy, events,” sums up the position of every… Continue reading Issue 127: 2017 11 02: A Long Time In Politics (John Watson)
Issue 119: 2017 09 07: Week In Brief: UK
07 September 2017 Week In Brief: UK Brexit NEGOTIATIONS: The nation returns from its holidays to find that not much has moved in the negotiation between Mr Davis and Mr Barnier. The EU still insists that further progress on three issues – the “Divorce Bill”, the rights of EU citizens who already live in the… Continue reading Issue 119: 2017 09 07: Week In Brief: UK
Issue 115: 2017 07 27: Week in Brief: UK
27 July 2017 Week In Brief: UK Brexit BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS: Last week’s round of talks ended with little agreement. Points at issue include whether EU citizen should be able to bring their families to the UK without restriction, whether the European Court of Justice should have any jurisdiction in the UK, whether the British people… Continue reading Issue 115: 2017 07 27: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 107: 2017 06 01: Week in Brief: UK
01 June 2017 Week In Brief: UK NEWS Terrorism TERRORIST THREAT: Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is in charge of the investigation into the Manchester bombing, has said that a large part of the network supporting the bomber has been successfully wound up and that the threat of further outrages has been contained. The difficulty… Continue reading Issue 107: 2017 06 01: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 98: 2017 03 30: The Brexit Negotiations (John Watson)
30 March 2017 The Brexit Negotiations A matter of timing. By John Watson Okay then, what happens next? The press is full of guidance as to the steps which follow the giving of notice under Article 50. Today there will be a White Paper. Tomorrow Mr Tusk will send out guidelines regarding the structure of… Continue reading Issue 98: 2017 03 30: The Brexit Negotiations (John Watson)
Issue 97: 2017 03 23: Silence is Golden (Robert Kilconner)
23 March 2017 Silence is golden Hardball negotiations by Robert Kilconner “Silence is golden” may be the name of a song but like many phrases drawn from popular culture it contains a truth, in this case a truth about negotiations. Suppose a man wants to buy your house. He offers you £100,000 but you would… Continue reading Issue 97: 2017 03 23: Silence is Golden (Robert Kilconner)
Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Ms Sturgeon’s Demands (John Watson)
16 March 2017 Ms Sturgeon’s Demands Why the SNP should be seen off. By John Watson It is a jack-in-a-box time of year. No sooner had the Government obtained the authority of both Houses of Parliament to begin the Brexit procedures by serving notice under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, than up pops… Continue reading Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Ms Sturgeon’s Demands (John Watson)
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
12 January 2017 A Very Predictable Stance Why the drop? By John Watson Here we go again. Up, up, up, up,…… cranking its way to the crest of a slope and then wheeeeee…. back down to October levels; the pound continues its imitation of the big dipper in a fairground. Well, there’s nothing surprising in… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
Issue 79: 2016 11 10: Enemies Of The People? (John Watson)
10 November 2016 Enemies Of The People? What Mrs May needs to do now By John Watson For those who thought that there was a limit to the amount of nonsense that could be talked over a few days, the reaction to the Divisional Court’s decision in the Article 50 case must come as a… Continue reading Issue 79: 2016 11 10: Enemies Of The People? (John Watson)
Issue 76: 2016 10 20: The Brexit Debate (John Watson)
20 October 2016 The Brexit Debate Should we have one? By John Watson To scrutinise or not to scrutinise, that is the question. Should the Government have to publish a White Paper setting out its strategy for the Brexit negotiations? To keen Europhiles like Mr Clegg, discussion in Parliament represents a braking mechanism, something which… Continue reading Issue 76: 2016 10 20: The Brexit Debate (John Watson)
Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Week in Brief: UK
15 September 2016 Week in Brief: UK Foreign Affairs LIBYA: A report of the House of Commons Defence Committee has heavily criticised David Cameron’s role in the 2011 bombing campaign in Libya. Stating that the then Chief of Defence Staff, Lord Richards, disassociated himself from the claim that the operation was in the national interest,… Continue reading Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 69: 2016 09 01: With Autumn Comes Brexit (John Watson)
01 September 2016 With Autumn Comes Brexit The seconds will soon be out of the ring. by John Watson All in all it has been a good summer. The sun has shone and Team GB has done spectacularly well at the Olympics. A new government has moved into place with a minimum of fuss, and… Continue reading Issue 69: 2016 09 01: With Autumn Comes Brexit (John Watson)