October 2019

In my recent article (29th August) on “The prorogation gambit”, I wrote: What could be the basis of a last minute agreement? a) The British Government agree to accept the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Theresa May unchanged except for: – Removing formally the “Irish backstop” (A big apparent win for BoJo!) – Agreeing that, should no acceptable “alternative arrangements” be found to maintain an open border in Ireland before the end of the transition period, Northern Ireland (at least) would remain within the EU customs union until such arrangements were agreed. The UK could end the arrangement unilaterally but only if it offered Northern Ireland the possibility of a Referendum on remaining in the UK or becoming part or the…

Brexit is doing untold harm to countless EU and UK citizens whose livelihood is – or will be – adversely affected, by prolonging unnecessarily the current destabilizing uncertainty. In addition, it makes Europe particularly vulnerable to the numerous geopolitical developments and/or external social, economic, or financial shocks lurking under the horizon. Rather than reveling in imagining various more or less credible scenarios that might unfold over the next few weeks, it is time to focus on a proposal that hopefully brings this tragic saga to a conclusion. Preempting the European Council meeting of October 17/18, the Prime Minister should send, by the end of this week, a letter to its President, Donald Tusk, requesting formally an extension beyond October 31st…

It is incumbent on both the EU and the UK to agree on an “Europe First” policy Brexit is becoming such an obsession in Europe that it obfuscates some of the wider geopolitical challenges that are confronting the world. It is in the light of the consequences of the marginalization of both the EU and the UK in world affairs, as a result of Brexit, that both parties should reconsider where the vital interests of their population lie. The introductory remarks of President Trump’s speech at the UN last September, in which he defended the virtues of putting national interests at the forefront of any self-respecting national government’s program, seems to have been fully reflected in the closing speech of PM…