06 April 2017 Week in Brief: UK Brexit REPEAL BILL WHITE PAPER: The Government has published the Great Repeal Bill White Paper setting out the mechanisms through which Britain will disengage from the EU. The idea is that as from the date of exit (29 March 2019), the European Communities Act will be repealed so… Continue reading Issue 99: 2017 04 06: Week in Brief: UK
Tag: Brexit
Issue 98: 2017 03 30: Week in Brief: UK
30 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK Westminster ARTICLE 50: Britain has served notice under article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, beginning the two year countdown to its exit from the EU. LABOUR: Shadow Brexit secretary Kier Starmer has set out six conditions which his party will require if they are to back the… Continue reading Issue 98: 2017 03 30: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 98: 2017 03 30: Full Circle (Robert Kilconner)
30 March 2017 Full Circle Should the EU go for a fighting retreat? By Robert Kilconner Just occasionally absentmindedness can be a good thing, particularly if the result is that you forget to go to the bookshop. “No thriller this week” you think glumly. None of those Booker shortlisters will be gracing your bedside table. … Continue reading Issue 98: 2017 03 30: Full Circle (Robert Kilconner)
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 97: 2017 03 23: Poo Bags (Chin Chin)
23 March 2017 Poo Bags An image for the 21st century. By Chin Chin Oh, the beauty of an English woodland in spring. The trees are coming into bud and, in the deciduous forests, last year’s leaves and the icicles of winter have gone to make space for the new growth. Nothing is left from… Continue reading Issue 97: 2017 03 23: Poo Bags (Chin Chin)
Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Week in Brief: UK
16 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK BREXIT: Lord Heseltine has been removed as an adviser to Theresa May’s government after he voted in favour of an amendment to the bill which will trigger article 50; the amendment would necessitate the terms of disengagement from the EU to be approved by parliament. The amendment was… Continue reading Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Week in Brief: UK
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 95: 2017 03 09: Delivering the truth (John Watson)
09 March 2017 Delivering The Truth A focus on the arteries. By John Watson Politics by its very nature spawns slogans and also those descriptive expressions which bob along in their wake. We all remember the “wets” of the Thatcherite era, and the “big tent” of Tony Blair; time was when you could not go… Continue reading Issue 95: 2017 03 09: Delivering the truth (John Watson)
Issue 95: 2017 03 09: Week in Brief: UK
09 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK BHS: Sir Philip Green has agreed to pay £363 million into the BHS pension scheme. Commentators have said that the payment was made in an attempt to salvage his reputation and to ensure that he would keep his knighthood. BREXIT: The Government suffered a defeat in the House… Continue reading Issue 95: 2017 03 09: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 95: 2017 03 09: Budget 2017 (Frank O’Nomics)
09 March 2017 Budget 2017 Biting the hands that feed you. By Frank O’Nomics Pre-Brexit caution is prudent, but the Chancellor may have undermined part of the engine of growth. The numbers look impressive. The independent forecasts from the Office of Budget Responsibility show UK growth forecasts of 2.0% this year and, despite a dip,… Continue reading Issue 95: 2017 03 09: Budget 2017 (Frank O’Nomics)
Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Week in Brief: UK
02 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK WOOD PELLETS: A study just published has revealed that the UK pays millions of pounds in subsides to power stations to encourage them to burn American wood pellets. The report concludes that felling trees and transporting the pellets across the Atlantic to be burnt in the power stations… Continue reading Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Political Teflon (John Watson)
02 March 2017 Political Teflon The contribution Mr Blair ought to make. By John Watson A week is a long time in politics and, from the commentator’s point of view, things quickly move on. In this column, a week ago, I was talking about Mrs May’s good luck, instancing both her ascent to the leadership… Continue reading Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Political Teflon (John Watson)
