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
Since the white smoke emerged from the European Commission chimney on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, journalists, commentators and representatives of just about every conceivable interest have been crawling over it to work out what it means, who won or lost and how it will affect people on both sides [...]
This article was first published in The New European Free movement of people is one of the EU’s most celebrated achievements. According to the December Eurobarometer survey, 81% of Europeans think free movement has benefitted the economy. Yet in Britain, it is often cited as one of the main reasons [...]
by Richard Carden Richard Carden is a retired senior civil servant who has worked at top level in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Commission. Boris has done Brexit. We are out of the EU. We are at the start [...]
Jasper Fforde’s dystopian novel, “Shades of Grey”, set in a distant future where social class in the UK is determined by how many colours a person visually perceives, has certain uncanny parallels with today’s political and media class’s black and white perceptions of Brexit. This is most strikingly apparent in [...]
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 [...]
This article was first published by Scottish Centre on European Relations As the start of 2021 looms, the EU and UK have a new relationship underpinned by their new trade and cooperation agreement. This agreement fractures, damages and complicates economic, political and social links between the UK and EU. And, [...]
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 [...]
In 2001, the late, great former Labour Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, was President of the Party of European Socialists. The start of his period of office coincided with the heyday of British influence in Europe, a time when strong alliances were being built by Labour at every level - inter-governmental [...]
With Covid gridlock in Kent, chaotic borders have arrived earlier than expected, although stockpiling ahead of the end of the transition was already causing queues and a glimpse into the UK’s difficult post-Brexit future. As talks and haggling continue over fishing, one thing is clear: deal or no deal, four [...]
