The Brexit General Election manifestos: Is this it?

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The manifestos of the Conservatives, Labour and UKIP set out radically different visions for Brexit Britain. But – a year on from the referendum – almost nothing in them of any significance is contingent on Brexit. Whether it is re-nationalisation or new arrangements for social care, pensions, tax rises or cuts, industrial strategy, “global Britain”, education or equalities  – all these […]

EU Successes: The Single Market

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May wants to sacrifice future British prosperity for a vague commitment to slash EU immigrant numbers I was tempted to say that Theresa May has got her knickers in a twist, but that is not very polite when talking of a Prime Minister. A more acceptable expression – and perhaps a more accurate one – […]

How EU agencies affect our lives – for the better!

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The EU referendum “leave” campaign spread the idea that our lives were increasingly falling under the dark influence of unaccountable and overpaid “bureaucrats in Brussels”. This conjured up a picture of hordes of faceless, most likely foreign, people in cavernous offices, beavering away to generate more and more ridiculous regulations through which to control the […]

Brexit: Final payment to the EU

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Keep calm: it’s a negotiation. They say €60bn or maybe €100bn. We say they owe us. In the end there will be a package with a figure we can all live with. Not everyone: UKIP made no-payment one of their six criteria for a successful Brexit. For the ideologues who positively desire a hard Brexit […]

Towards the End of May at the Beginning of June

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Now that the local elections are over and party manifestos will start to come out, the focus shifts to shaping the 8th June election outcome. It is not a normal election, but a referendum on Theresa May and her determination to pursue a super-hard Brexit. May is asking us for a blank cheque for her […]