“A week is a long time in politics” according to Harold Wilson, the first Labour Party prime minister to break 13 years of Conservative party rule. A year is an even longer time, and a very great deal can happen during that time, particularly to governments led by the Conservative [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 14th February 2020 Michael Gove’s acknowledgement that trade between the UK and the EU after 1st January 2021 will be far from frictionless is a watershed in the Brexit process. The claim that Brexit would not significantly impinge upon British trade with the European [...]
by Dr Andrew BlickReader in Politics and Contemporary History at King’s College London; Senior Research Fellow at the Federal Trust 22nd January 2020 In February 2018, when serving as Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson was reported telling journalists that ‘the particular problems around the Irish border are being used to drive the [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 26th November 2019 Jeremy Corbyn has rarely in recent decades feared political controversy. On issues such as Ireland, the Middle East, NATO, income redistribution and renationalisation, he has advocated with candour and persistence views that have been unattractive, even shocking to many electors. Many [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 23rd October 2019 At the weekend the former Home Secretary Amber Rudd gave an interview that will usefully epitomise for future historians the moral and intellectual confusion on European issues of the One Nation wing of the Conservative Party she represents. […]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 18th October 2019 This article was first published on Eurobabble. Editor’s note: As foreshadowed in this article, the House of Commonsdecided on 19th October to defer more detailed discussion of theWithdrawal Act until the following week. The votes of the DUP werecrucial in securing [...]
As the deadline of 31st October approaches, it becomes daily clearer that a plausible path exists for the prevention of a “no deal” Brexit and indeed for the prevention of any kind of Brexit. The dangerous incompetence of Boris Johnson’s government on the European issue has finally persuaded many, probably [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 30th July 2019 It was a disappointment to many that the Labour Party and those Conservative MPs opposed to a “no deal” Brexit did so little last week to oppose the installation of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. The summer recess will, however, allow [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 9th July 2019 Much justified criticism has been heaped upon Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt for the unrealistic European policies they have promised the Conservative membership in the current leadership contest. It is not however always sufficiently understood how necessary such unrealistic promises are [...]
