I know it is Wolfgang Münchau’s job to be some sort of agent provocateur in the FT, and today he is true to form – arguing that it is now inevitable that the UK leaves the European Union, and that people who argued for Remain ought to now plan for […]
In the spring of 2017 the “Pulse of Europe” movement spread swiftly across Germany and into other EU countries as a response to rising Euroscepticism and perceived threats to liberal democracy in Europe. In Berlin for many consecutive weeks people would make their way to Gendarmenmarkt every Sunday to listen […]
“How do you feel after Brexit day?” a friend messaged me on Wednesday night. “You’ve closed that chapter already, haven’t you?” “I’m fine” was my response. The friend that sent me the message was right – I have closed that chapter. While the Article 50 notification was a significant and somehow […]
Time until Theresa May triggers Article 50 (announced it will be 29th March – we think it is to be 1130 BST / 1230 CET) Time until the UK crashes out of the European Union Time since polls closed in the UK’s EU Referendum […]
Ten days ago this tweet caught my eye: More @BritainThinks: public don't agree NHS will suffer without immigrants. It's a chance for British nurses! (This shocked me) — Antonia Bance (@antoniabance) March 9, 2017 (the tweet is part of a series from an event – see the rest here) Then yesterday […]
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David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, gave evidence to the Brexit Select Committee today. Right at the start Davis was asked by Hilary Benn what would happen to the European Health Insurance Card in the UK in the case of a no-deal Brexit (i.e. crashing out of the EU – more […]
Christian Allard, upon entering the Scottish Parliament after another MSP resigned in 2013, was sworn in to the Parliament in both English and French. Joanna, Polish in Scotland -"I feel like a patient on the operating table…and Scotland is holding my hand saying everything's gonna be OK" pic.twitter.com/NQUqtFd4iO — Leo […]
In mid January I was more or less offline for a fortnight as my laptop had a serious problem (more about that here). Yes, of course I have a smartphone, but I tend to access social media the old way through a web browser, and Twitter through Tweetbot on my Mac. […]
This week in the FT (€), Philip Stevens recalled the EU negotiation advice of Douglas Hurd, the UK’s Foreign Secretary under John Major. There is more to be gained from conciliation than from shouting argued Hurd, a sentiment I echo after years observing EU business. Yet this week something akin […]
So the House of Lords, with a pretty solid majority, voted to unilaterally protect the rights of EU citizens resident in the UK post-Brexit, passing an amendment to the Article 50 notification bill with a majority of 102. Even a few Tories voted for the amendment. But – surprise, surprise […]
What is going on in German politics, just 7 months ahead of the 24th September Bundestag election? How can a party, the SPD – that was consistently 10 points behind the CDU in the polls – suddenly be running neck and neck with Angela Merkel’s party? This graph from Wikipedia […]
