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. [...]
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 [...]
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: [...]
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Watch our Director Brendan Donnelly discussing why the choice which Johnson now faces between a poor Brexit "deal" and "no deal" are a fitting climax to the chaotic and incoherent Brexit process: You can also read his blog on this topic here: Johnson’s Brexit Dilemma: No good outcome in sight [...]
Shortly after the EU referendum of 2016, a “former Conservative minister” supposedly remarked that Brexit would force the Conservative Party to choose between destroying the country and destroying itself. Both the attribution and exact wording of this epigram may be questioned, but precisely this choice is the dilemma with which [...]
