by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 28th March 2019 At the time of writing it seems unlikely that the Withdrawal Agreement will be accepted by Parliament on 29th March, the day originally set for the UK to leave the EU. Parliament has decided that in these circumstances it will hold [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 18th March 2019 UPDATE 25/03/19:Last week the European Council gave the United Kingdom two further weeks to come up with a plan for avoiding a “no deal” Brexit. It is now up to Parliament to adopt such a plan and make the government adopt [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 20th February 2019 A frequent criticism of the Prime Minister is that she prematurely triggered the Article 50 negotiations in March 2017 and did so without a realistic plan for their conduct. If she had waited longer and planned better, her critics contend, she [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 1st February 2019 Four conclusions emerge from the series of votes on Brexit in the House of Commons this week (29th January): • First, this government is so paralysed by internal division that it is incapable of pursuing any coherent policy in the negotiations. [...]
by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 16th January 2019 A weakened Prime Minister It is significant and appropriate that the Conservative MPs who voted on 15th January against the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement from the European Union should have been drawn from opposing wings of her Party. While the [...]
Brexit: A national government or “no deal” by Brendan DonnellyDirector, The Federal Trust 18th December 2018 In a recent article for the New York Times, the distinguished historian of the Conservative Party, Professor Tim Bale, argued that the “will to power” of the Conservative Party would enable it in the [...]
Blame Brexit, not Theresa May 28th November 2018 by Brendan Donnelly Director, The Federal Trust In the confused discussion surrounding the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration negotiated by Mrs. May with the EU 27, two particular criticisms are frequently voiced. Mrs. May, we are told on all [...]
BREXIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END? 16th November 2018 by Brendan Donnelly Director, The Federal Trust In the documents released this week by the British government and the EU there is a striking contrast between the detailed and specific nature of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and [...]
BREXIT: THE POLITICAL DECLARATION MUST BE VAGUE AND PRECISE AT THE SAME TIME by Brendan Donnelly, Director, The Federal Trust 11th October 2018 The issues relating to the status of Northern Ireland after Brexit, and in particular the Irish “backstop,” have not yet been resolved. The major political [...]
by Brendan Donnelly, Director, The Federal Trust 18th July 2018 The Conservative MP, Anna Soubry, stunned the Commons and the media earlier this week by asking rhetorically whether it is the Prime Minister or her fellow backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg who “runs the country” when it comes to Brexit. The [...]
