17 November 2016 Why 2016? What has triggered the “interesting times”? By John Watson Some children want to become engine drivers. Others want to become political pollsters. But those inclining to the latter career have traditionally been put off it by their parents. You need to be good at maths, for one thing. You need… Continue reading Issue 80: 2016 11 17: Why 2016? (John Watson)
Tag: Brexit
Issue 80: 2016 11 17: Week in Brief: UK
17 November 2016 Week in Brief: UK Government BREXIT STRATEGY: A memorandum leaked to The Times, and said to have been written by a consultant from the accountancy firm Deloittes, indicates that civil servants are struggling to produce an exit strategy in time for the giving of the Article 50 notice in March of next… Continue reading Issue 80: 2016 11 17: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 80: 2016 11 17: Nigel Farage (Lynda Goetz)
17 November 2016 Nigel Farage Fascist, racist, self-publicist or voice of the people? by Lynda Goetz In an interview with Henry Mance, political correspondent of the FT, back in April, in the different world we inhabited before Brexit, Nigel Farage, leader of the populist party UKIP, apart from being true to form in consuming vast… Continue reading Issue 80: 2016 11 17: Nigel Farage (Lynda Goetz)
Issue 79: 2016 11 10: Week in Brief: UK
10 November 2016 Week in Brief: UK Government BREXIT VOTE: The Government is to appeal against the High Court’s ruling that giving notice to leave the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon requires an Act of Parliament. The Attorney General’s argument that, because the action was under an international treaty it could… Continue reading Issue 79: 2016 11 10: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 78: 2016 11 03: The Nissan Deal (John Watson)
03 November 2016 The Nissan Deal Driven by the Devil. By John Watson It would be nice, of course, to be Jehovah but as vacancies do not often arise in the divine sector, perhaps it would be better to go for the rather more modest post of Business Secretary. Not quite as good in the… Continue reading Issue 78: 2016 11 03: The Nissan Deal (John Watson)
Issue 77: 2016 10 27: The Baleful Role of the SPAD (John Watson)
27 October 2017 The Baleful Role Of The SPAD An accelerant we cannot afford. By John Watson There has always been a tension between the needs of politics and the needs of good government. Faced with even the best plan, politicians will seek to make political capital and if that means having to choose between… Continue reading Issue 77: 2016 10 27: The Baleful Role of the SPAD (John Watson)
Issue 77: 2016 10 27: Week in Brief: UK
27 October 2016 Week in Brief: UK Britain and Europe BREXIT: As pressure builds up on the government to reveal its objectives in the Brexit negotiations, with Parliamentary debates promised before the Christmas recess, other parts of the UK take differing views. Wales (which backed leave) is, according to the first Minister, unwilling to accept… Continue reading Issue 77: 2016 10 27: Week in Brief: UK
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 76: 2016 10 20: Week in Brief: UK
20 October 2016 Week in Brief: UK Government BREXIT: In the course of litigation over whether Parliamentary approval is needed before giving notice under article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Government has said that Parliament will have to approve any deal when negotiations are complete. That is because the Constitutional Reform and Governance… Continue reading Issue 76: 2016 10 20: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 75:2016 10 13:Week In Brief UK
13 October 2016 Week In Brief: UK Government politics BREXIT TERMS: A cross party group of MPs including Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband, Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer, Nicky Morgan and Anne Soubry is pressing for Parliamentary scrutiny of the Brexit terms. This would be a practical problem for the government who are anxious to… Continue reading Issue 75:2016 10 13:Week In Brief UK
Issue75:2016 10 13:Damaging Britain’s trading position(John Watson)
13 October 2016 A shot in the foot? The proposals for penalising advisers by John Watson Ok, so what’s the big deal? Sure, Monday was the final day for responses to the HM Revenue and Customs Consultation Paper “Strengthening Tax Avoidance Sanctions and Deterrents”, but what has that got to do with the Shaw Sheet? … Continue reading Issue75:2016 10 13:Damaging Britain’s trading position(John Watson)
Issue 74: 2016 10 06: Week in Brief: UK
06 October 2016 Week in Brief: UK Government Policy BIRMINGHAM: Normally party conferences are for the benefit of activists, with back-slapping aplenty and occasionally some fancy oratory. The rest of the world raises a weary eyebrow and takes little notice. The Conservative party conference this year is different because it provides the first insights into… Continue reading Issue 74: 2016 10 06: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 74: 2016 10 06: The Horror At Versailles (John Watson)
06 October 2016 The Horror At Versailles Who desecrated the sculpture? By John Watson Maigret would have cracked it. Dupin would not have been far behind. Unfortunately however neither of these giants of detective fiction is available to solve the mystery of Versailles. Who painted neo-fascist slogans on the statue by Sir Anish Kapoor, a… Continue reading Issue 74: 2016 10 06: The Horror At Versailles (John Watson)
