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 [...]
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 [...]
The probable future of a no-deal UK is gloomy. The direct economic damages are only the beginning. A non-deal or inadequate deal with the EU, exacerbating the troubles in Scotland and Northern Ireland, will kill the prospects for a meaningful deal with the US; Congress has already laid down the [...]
While sounding more optimistic on how restarted talks were moving this week after last week’s showdown, the EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michael Barnier, tweeted on the 14th of December that ‘Never before has such a comprehensive agreement (trade, energy, fisheries, transport, police & judicial cooperation, etc) been negotiated so transparently [...]
One relief from the ongoing general uncertainty surrounding the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom on a post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement has been to study specifics, such as its likely regional impact. In pursuit of this I recently participated, by video, in an informal conference on [...]
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 [...]
Republished with kind permission by Jon Worth from his Euroblog. Image copyright: A nightmare before Brexit! by duncan c, licensed under creative commons licence CC BY-NC 2.0 OK, I might be jumping the gun – there may yet be a Deal between Britain and the EU – but as a result [...]
“The fabric of democracy is always fragile everywhere because it depends on the will of citizens to protect it, and when they become scared, when it becomes dangerous for them to defend it, it can go very quickly.” (Margaret Atwood) The deadline for ending the “transitional” arrangements for Britain’s relations [...]
17th December 2020 "Deal" or "No Deal"? A fortnight before the transition period comes to an end, there will be plenty to discuss on the topic of Brexit, in whichever situation the UK will find itself in. At this event our speakers took stock and offered their views and commentary [...]
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 [...]
