About Brendan Donnelly

Director, The Federal Trust; Former MEP (1994-1999)
20 09, 2021

Brexit: Rejoiners should learn from Remainers

By |2021-12-17T10:28:30+00:00September 20th, 2021|Categories: Brexit, September 2021|Tags: , , , |

Many hoping the United Kingdom will rejoin the European Union one day advocate a gradualist strategy. It is futile, they argue, to rail against the principle of Brexit itself. In time, the economic disadvantages of Brexit will reveal themselves ever more plainly. This in turn will lead to pressure from [...]

23 07, 2021

Video: “Freedom Day, Cummings and Brexit – That Was the Week That Was”

By |2021-07-23T12:33:12+00:00July 23rd, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Coronavirus, Europe, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , |

The week beginning 19th July was an eventful one in British politics. Our Director Brendan Donnelly discusses Freedom Day, Dominic Cummings and the Northern Ireland Protocol. He concludes that Boris Johnson’s position is shakier than it seems. So is the future of the UK under Johnson’s Premiership:   Watch previous [...]

30 06, 2021

Video: “Brexit – So little said, so much to say”

By |2021-06-30T13:10:44+00:00June 30th, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Europe, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In this video, our Director Brendan Donnelly criticises the main British political parties for their reluctance to talk about Brexit. He thinks this reluctance stems primarily from calculations of political advantage. These calculations may however be mistaken. The Labour Party in particular may end up alienating all its potential supporters. [...]

14 04, 2021

Book Review: A European giant little known in the UK

By |2021-04-16T09:06:47+00:00April 14th, 2021|Categories: EU Policies & Institutions, Europe, Federalism, Views from the Federal Trust|Tags: , , , , , , |

Book Review by Brendan Donnelly, Director of The Federal Trust, of “Hitler's Cosmopolitan Bastard" by Dr Martyn Bond   Martyn Bond’s fascinating biography of Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi (RCK) can be read and enjoyed on a number of levels, as a biography of its subject, as a history of European politics [...]

12 02, 2021

Video: The economic disruption of Brexit

By |2021-02-12T14:38:07+00:00February 12th, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Europe, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

In his latest video podcast, our Director Brendan Donnelly describes the economic disruption caused by Brexit, especially in Northern Ireland. He warns that attempts by the British government to divert attention from the economic problems of Brexit by stoking disputes with the EU about already signed treaties will be unsuccessful: [...]

22 01, 2021

Video podcast: Brexit can’t work

By |2021-01-22T13:59:50+00:00January 22nd, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Europe, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

In this new video, our director Brendan Donnelly discusses why Brexit cannot be made to “work” without considerable accompanying political and economic drawbacks. He argues that those who wish for the UK to rejoin the EU should start making the intellectual for this now:     Click here to read [...]

7 01, 2021

Video podcast: “Brexit: The “Deal” is less than it seems

By |2021-01-07T15:44:06+00:00January 7th, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Europe, Trade, Video|Tags: , , , , , , |

Watch the latest video podcast by our Director Brendan Donnelly, in which he discusses the Brexit deal and argues that there is less to it than meets the eye: You can also read Brendan's blog on this topic here: Brexit: The “Deal” is less than it seems

4 01, 2021

Brexit: The “Deal” is less than it seems

By |2021-01-04T16:26:59+00:00January 4th, 2021|Categories: Brexit, Europe, Europe, Trade|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Throughout the month of December commentators and politicians speculated tirelessly on the likelihood of a negotiated trade arrangement between the UK and EU before the end of the year. Many expected that the personal convictions of Boris Johnson and the intransigence of the Conservative Party would prevent the conclusion of [...]

23 12, 2020

Brexit and Covid-19: The year ends as it has taken place

By |2020-12-23T13:43:13+00:00December 23rd, 2020|Categories: Blog, Brexit, Coronavirus, Europe, Europe|Tags: , , , , , , , |

The last weeks of 2020 will provide a slew of illustrative material for future historians wishing to highlight the moral and administrative decline of the British state in face of the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19. Pride of place will go to the twin nominations to the House of Lords [...]

10 12, 2020

Brexit: No trade-offs means no deal

By |2020-12-11T16:13:07+00:00December 10th, 2020|Categories: Blog, Brexit, Europe, Europe|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The dinner between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen on 9th December seems to have done little to improve the chances of an agreement on EU/UK trading relations before the end of the transition period. Both sides have interest in achieving such an agreement and it would be premature [...]

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