Teaching Comparative

More confusion in Commons

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has quit the cabinet, saying she no longer believes the government's approach will deliver Brexit.

Her resignation comes amid a backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs…

[As Commons leader, she was in charge of organising government business and had been due to announce when the prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be introduced to Parliament.]

Her resignation is the 36th by a minister under Theresa May - 21 of them over Brexit…

The move came after a day of drama at Westminster in which anger grew at the prime minister's attempt to win backing for the bill - the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU on the terms of Brexit.

As part of it, Mrs May has offered a number of changes, including a chance for MPs to hold a vote on another referendum if they back the bill…

BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said… "It is an extraordinary sequence of events for a key member of the Cabinet to resign on the eve of elections.

"It is unlikely that we will see others follow her immediately, but getting into Friday and the weekend, things could move swiftly."…

Labels: Brexit, Commons, leadership, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Failed in place?

The whole world of Britain’s Parliament — its effete codes of conduct, its arcane and stilted language, its reunions of Oxbridge school chums — seemed impossibly remote from the real, unfolding national crisis of Brexit, the process of extricating the country from the European Union…

Over the past weeks, as factions within the British government have grappled for control over the country’s exit from the bloc, the mood among voters has become dark.

Those Britons who wished to remain are reminded, daily, that a risky and momentous national change is being initiated against their will and judgment. More striking is the deep cynicism among those who voted to leave, the group that Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to satisfy. They are now equally bitter and disillusioned, as the government’s paralysis has called into question whether Britain will ever leave.

Parliament’s rejection of Mrs. May’s withdrawal plan… — for the third time — means the turbulence will continue.

In interviews, many Britons expressed despair over the inability of the political system to produce a compromise. No one feels that the government has represented their interests. No one is satisfied. No one is hopeful.

It has amounted to a hollowing out of confidence in democracy itself…

“There’s a fin-de-siècle sense that modern British politics has run out of road,” said Mr. Davies, author of “Nervous States: Democracy and the Decline of Reason.” “Maybe the best thing to come out of this is the recognition that the political elites — people just want them to get off the stage. I don’t know who they want to replace them. But there’s a sense that a reboot would be something people would be in favor of.”…

The referendum question has divided Britain into warring tribes, unable to settle on any shared vision of the future. An ancient, robust democracy is groaning under the weight of conflicting demands — on the executive, to carry out the will of the people; and on the members of Parliament, to follow their conscience and to act in what they believe to be the people’s interest…

“I think people have totally lost confidence in democracy, in British democracy and the way it’s run,” said Tommy Turner, 32, a firefighter. He was perched on a stool at the Hare & Hounds, a working-class pub in Surrey, where nearly everyone voted to leave the European Union. Among his friends, he said, he sensed a profound sense of betrayal that Britain was not exiting on March 29, as promised.

“You’ve got egotistical people in politics, and they want to follow their own agenda,” he said. “They don’t want to follow what the people have voted for.”…

Polling has borne out his worry. Britons’ assessment of their leaders is scathing, with 81 percent saying that Britain has handled Brexit badly, and 7 percent saying it has handled it well, according to data released recently by NatCen Social Research, an independent agency…

Particularly drastic, researchers said, is the souring of Leave voters in the past six months, as Mrs. May concluded her negotiations on the withdrawal agreement and shared the terms of departure with the country. Expectations that Brexit would have concrete effects — by lifting the economy or slowing immigration — have diminished sharply, the data show…

[A]t The Highbury Barn, a pub in North London that offers haddock from the fishmonger across the street and provides pans of water for visiting dogs. In this neighborhood, Islington North, in the constituency of the opposition Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the number of signatories on a petition asking the government to revoke Article 50, the part of the European Union treaty that lays out the terms of Britain’s exit, reached one-quarter of the population.

But people here took an equally dismal view of the government’s performance…

Aidan Hughes, 58, who works in finance, was waiting for a cab in the back of the bar.

“What we’re seeing is that the process the government’s involved in has been effectively hijacked by an even smaller segment of the ruling government, the right-wing element of the party,” he said. He blamed the first-past-the-post voting system, which tends to increase polarization between two large parties and exaggerate geographical divides, setting up stark conflict between sections of society.

He said it was time for Britain to move toward a system of proportional representation, common to democracies that evolved later than Britain’s, which allows smaller parties to enter Parliament more easily.

“We would then have people with different views coming together to compromise, to find a way forward,” he said. “Whereas whoever wins an election now can currently push their views, irrespective of support.”…

In a landscape of pervasive gloom, Mr. Hughes, the finance worker, did see one reason for hope: That Britons, young and old, were passionately engaged, as never before, in the inner workings of their own government. Even if it was because they were so angry.

“This is starting to drag people into an interest in what’s actually happening,” he said. “Clearly it’s a total mess and it’s been handled appallingly by the government. Be that as it may, at least it’s gotten people animated in talking about these topics.”

Labels: Brexit, politics, regime, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

What now?

In a night of high drama in the Commons, MPs surprised the government and voted by 312 to 308 to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances.

The vote is not binding - under current law the UK could still leave without a deal on 29 March.

On Thursday, MPs will vote on whether to ask the EU for permission to delay the date for departure.

There could be a short extension - or a much longer one - depending on whether MPs backed the prime minister's existing withdrawal deal that has been agreed with the EU by 20 March, the government says.

That means Theresa May could make a third attempt to get her deal through Parliament in the next few days…

Looking down from the press gallery, some ministers could be seen wrestling with their conscience: hating the idea of a no-deal Brexit, hating the idea of defying the government - and not quite clear if they'd lose their jobs if they did.

Thirteen ministers, including four in the cabinet, could not bring themselves to back the government.

Afterwards, some ministers were seen literally running away, such is the anger tonight has provoked.

So, "what's going to happen next?" seemed like a reasonable question to a minister.

"I've no idea. Find me someone who has and I'll find you a liar," came the reply…

Labels: Brexit, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:30 PM 0 comments

Another Brexit loss

Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs by an overwhelming majority for a second time, with just 17 days to go to Brexit.

MPs voted down the prime minister's deal by 149 - a smaller margin than when they rejected it in January.

Mrs May said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.

She said Tory MPs will get a free vote on a no-deal Brexit.

That means they can vote with their conscience rather than following the orders of party managers - an unusual move for a vote on a major policy, with Labour saying it showed she had "given up any pretence of leading the country"…

Setting out the next steps, she said that if the Commons declines to approve a no-deal Brexit in a vote on Wednesday, a vote on extending Article 50, the legal mechanism taking the UK out of the EU on 29 March, will take place on Thursday…

Mrs May said leaving without a deal remained the UK's default position but Downing Street said she will tell MPs whether she will vote for no-deal when she opens Wednesday's Commons debate on it.

The prime minister did not discuss resigning after her latest defeat because a government led by her had recently won a confidence vote in the Commons, added the PM's spokesman…

Labels: Brexit, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:56 PM 0 comments

More dissent in Commons

Three Tory MPs have resigned from the party to join an independent group, set up by former Labour MPs…

The PM said she was "saddened", but her party would "always offer... decent, moderate and patriotic politics".

The three criticised the government's "disastrous handling" of Brexit and said it had undone "all the efforts to modernise" the Conservatives.

The pro-Remain trio will join the new Independent Group - made up of eight Labour MPs who resigned from their party over its handling of Brexit and anti-Semitism - saying it represented "the centre ground of British politics"…

The departure of the three MPs has reduced the government's working majority to nine MPs, and Ms Allen claimed there were "absolutely" other colleagues "keen" to join the group.

The Independent Group now has more MPs in Parliament than the Democratic Unionist Party and equals the number of Liberal Democrats…

The three MPs said they will support the government on areas such as the economy, security and improvements to public services, but they felt "honour bound to put our constituents' and country's interests first" over Brexit. They told Mrs May in their letter: "We voted for you as leader because we believed you were committed to a moderate, open-hearted Conservative Party.

"Sadly, the Conservative Party has increasingly abandoned these principles and values with a shift to the right of British politics."…

Labels: Brexit, legislature, political parties, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Get ready, park, go?

The government is to use up to 150 lorries in a major test of its plans to cope with border disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

A live test on Monday will examine the proposal to use Manston airfield near Ramsgate as a mass “HGV holding facility” to alleviate congestion on the roads leading to Channel ports, the Department for Transport has confirmed…

A DfT [Department for Transportation] spokeswoman said: “We do not want or expect a no-deal scenario and continue to work hard to deliver a deal with the EU. However, it is the duty of a responsible government to continue to prepare for all eventualities and contingencies, including a possible no deal…

Congestion at the Channel ports caused by the reintroduction of customs checks on goods has been one of the most commonly cited potential negative impacts of a no-deal withdrawal from the EU at the end of March.

Meanwhile, the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, said a second EU referendum would “trigger a very populist reaction” and would further divide the UK…

The comments echoed those of his cabinet colleague Jeremy Hunt, after the foreign secretary said this week the consequences for democracy of another referendum would be “devastating”.

Labels: Brexit, bureaucracy, EU, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Brexit explained for Americans

More than two years after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Brexit is almost here. Yet while the country is scheduled to depart on March 29, 2019, Britain is as divided over the issue as it ever has been.

Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed the terms of the ‘divorce’ with the leaders of the EU’s remaining member states, but lawmakers in the British parliament still have to approve the so-called Withdrawal Agreement.

In ordinary times, a Conservative government with a simple majority would be able to get the deal through the House of Commons with little fuss.

But these are extraordinary times. May cannot rely on the support from members of parliament in her own party – much less Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has been propping up May’s minority government since her disastrous general election last year.

As it stands, as May bizarrely takes her Brexit plan around the country as if on the election trail, no commentator in the country expects the prime minister to get enough support when MPs vote on December 11. The only question, it seems, is how heavily she is defeated.

Then what? That’s where things get more unpredictable, with the outcomes ranging wildly from the prospect of another general election to no Brexit at all…

On Tuesday, MPs began five days of debates…

The Withdrawal Agreement they are debating outlines the terms on which the UK will leave the EU and the desired future relationship…

Some 20 Conservative MPs have said publicly they will vote against May’s deal…

Given that May doesn’t have a majority in parliament, she will be relying on support from opposition parties. May’s minority government ally, the DUP, who usually vote with the government to help them pass legislation, has also expressed its own concerns with how the deal risks separating the island of Ireland from the mainland as a trading territory…

The bottom line is this: the chance of the deal being approved with the simple majority of 320 of the 639 MPs eligible to vote is highly unlikely…

In the unlikely event that scores of MPs from across the political spectrum swing behind the embattled prime minister, it will allow the government to introduce the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill to the Commons either before Christmas or after recess (the holiday for parliament), in January.

While no guarantee of the legislation passing, it would suggest an orderly procession towards the EU exit doors…

You would expect Theresa May’s premiership to be over, right? While that’s a likely outcome, it is not the only one…

[I]f faced with the threat of a calamitous no-deal Brexit and following a narrow Commons defeat, May might fancy testing [the EU's] resolve and seeing if she can get at least some cosmetic changes to appease enough MPs to win a second vote…

Yes, taking the deal to the public is an option. May has ruled it out, and Labour has backed the idea - but only if they do not get a general election…

The ‘Hail Mary’ pass. The Prime Minister could hope that voters will - via the ballot box - back her plan. Her fellow Conservatives are anxious to avoid this route after the 2017 election…

As the opposition, the Labour Party would have to win a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the prime minister in parliament. May would then be relying on the Conservatives to put together a government which could win a second vote of no confidence, and if not a general election would be called. It would mean the DUP and a clutch of Tory rebels would have to side with Corbyn, which seems unlikely.

A series of dire warnings, most grimly spelled out by the Bank of England, suggest the impact of leaving the EU without a deal on March 29 could be a disaster. Some Tory eurosceptics - dubbed the Brexiteers - say much of this is an exaggeration. But if everything else fails it’s possible that ‘crashing out’ could happen.

The most unlikely prospect, but one given fresh momentum after the European Court of Justice indicated on Tuesday that the UK could simply change its mind and abandon Brexit - without needing the approval of the 27 other EU states. It would be wise not to rule anything out.

Labels: Brexit, parliament, parties, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Brexit politics

Theresa May is renewing her efforts to sell her draft Brexit withdrawal agreement - saying it will stop EU migrants "jumping the queue".

She said migration would become skills-based, with Europeans no longer prioritised over "engineers from Sydney or software developers from Delhi".

The PM also insisted to business leaders at the CBI that the withdrawal deal had been "agreed in full"…

There has been widespread criticism of the draft 585-page withdrawal agreement - and the short paper setting out what the UK and EU's future relationship could look like - which are set to be finalised and signed off at an EU summit this weekend.

Two of the prime minister's cabinet ministers resigned over the proposed deal, while others are believed to be trying to change its wording.

Speculation continues over whether the number of Tory MPs submitting letters of no-confidence in Mrs May will reach the 48 required to trigger a confidence vote on her leadership of the Conservative Party.

Why are people unhappy with the deal?

The draft document sets out the terms of the UK's departure, including how much money will be paid to the EU, details of the transition period, and citizens' rights.

The transition period - currently due to last until 31 December 2020 - will mean the UK is officially out of the EU, but still abiding by most of its rules. During this time, the two sides hope to negotiate a permanent trade deal.

The UK and the EU want to avoid a hard Northern Ireland border whatever happens, so they agreed to a "backstop" - described as an insurance policy by Mrs May - aimed at achieving this if the sides cannot agree a trade deal that avoids a physically visible border.

The backstop would mean Northern Ireland would stay more closely aligned to some EU rules, which critics say is unacceptable. And the whole of the UK would be in a single custom territory - effectively keeping the whole of the UK in the EU customs union.

The critics say that during the transition period, the UK will still abide by most of the EU's rules but have no power over setting them - and there is no system for the UK being able to leave any backstop deal without the EU's agreement, so it could become a permanent arrangement…

Labels: Brexit, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Brexit fears coming true

Dundee Michelin factory workers have spoken of their shock after the company announced its intention to close the plant, with the loss of all 845 jobs.

The tyre factory will close by mid-2020 after the French firm deemed it "unsuitable" in the current climate…

Michelin Dundee manager John Reid said… "Clearly we have been operating in a very difficult market context for more than a year.

"We've had our volume cut three times this year.

"This year we actually produced the lowest volume we've ever produced in the factory, so it was clear that something fairly fundamental was happening."…

The union Unite has said the closure would be a "hammer-blow" to the city.

Michelin said the Dundee site, which opened in 1971 and specialised in smaller tyres, has suffered because of a shift in the market towards low-cost products from Asia.

The trade union representing many of the Dundee workers said it had not given up the fight to keep the factory open.

Unite's Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: "Unite has been aware of the challenging market situation facing the Michelin Group…

He added: "The workforce can be assured Unite will fight tooth and nail to save our factory, we will leave no stone unturned to keep this factory open.

"Unite will work day and night to ensure that all options remain on the table."

Labels: Brexit, economy, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

An unscheduled election may be scheduled in the UK

British Prime Minister Theresa May is planning an early general election in November to save her leadership and to prevent the collapse of talks with European leaders over Britain's exit from the bloc, according to a report by the Sunday Times newspaper.

The report comes just days after EU leaders rejected the Conservative party leader's preferred plan for leaving the EU, the so-called Chequers agreement.

Under that plan, the United Kingdom would enter into a free trade area with the European Union, which would have common rules and standards in several major industries, and maintain customs duties regulations but end freedom of movement between EU member states and the UK.

EU leaders dismissed the proposals as unworkable at a meeting they attended with May in Salzburg earlier this week.

The Sunday Times spoke to two senior aides to May, who said they were planning to announce a new general election to secure public backing for a new negotiating platform with the EU.

Citing a member of her inner circle, the newspaper also said that May was planning to step down from her role next summer.

The prime minister has found herself politically boxed in by the EU abroad and at home by both opponents of Brexit who want a second referendum and 'hard Brexiteers' in her own party who want a clean break with the EU.

Her previous attempt at securing public support for her Brexit negotiating strategy fell flat when the Conservatives lost their majority in the 2017 election…

The UK has until March to secure a deal on the terms of its exit from the EU. Not doing so will result in a 'no deal' Brexit, in which the UK leaves the bloc without an agreement and reverts to World Trade Organisation rules on trade with the EU.

That could lead to a significant rise in prices and declining growth, according to economists.

Labels: Brexit, elections, leadership, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

A cleavage in the UK

Few issues divide opinions between different age groups quite as sharply as Brexit. And it could be that the differences are becoming even more pronounced…

If there were to be a second referendum now, 52% would vote Remain and 48% Leave, an average of polls over the past three months suggests…

So, it is a stable picture, albeit one that reverses the position in 2016.

But the opinions of voters vary dramatically across different groups - none more so than between young and old.

Just over 70% of 18 to 24-year-olds who voted in the referendum backed Remain, four major academic and commercial polls conducted shortly after the ballot agree, with just under 30% backing Leave.

In contrast, only 40% of those aged 65 and over supported Remain, while 60% placed their cross against Leave.

These younger and older voters may be even more polarised now.

A total of 82% of 18 to 24-year-olds with a voting preference say they would vote Remain in a second referendum… while only 18% of this age group say they would vote Leave.

In contrast, two-thirds of those aged 65 and over would back Leave, while only one-third would favour Remain…

As a result, the UK is divided into the under-45s who, on balance, favour staying in the EU, and the over-45s, who want to leave…

Younger people are much keener on the idea of revisiting the Brexit vote.

Asked whether there should be a referendum on whether to accept the terms of Britain's exit from the EU once they have been agreed, about half of 18 to 24 year-olds say they are in favour of another poll.

Only three in 10 of those aged 65 and over hold that view.

However, only half of 18 to 24-year-olds said that they would be certain to vote in a second EU referendum, according to recent polls by Survation. This compares with 84% of those aged 65 and over.

So if there were another ballot, it is far from certain that young people would necessarily take the opportunity to register their distinctive views.

Labels: Brexit, cleavage, political culture, public opinion, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

With a little help from your opposition

British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly avoided a defeat in parliament at the hands of pro-EU lawmakers from her own party on Tuesday, fending off a rebellion that had threatened to deepen a crisis over her Brexit strategy.

Parliament voted 307 to 301 against an amendment to trade legislation [that]… was seen as a test of May’s ability to deliver a smooth British exit from the European Union and keep her job…

One Conservative lawmaker present told Reuters that the party whips whose job it is to enforce discipline, desperate to win the vote, had threatened to call a confidence vote in May if she lost, a move that could bring down the government…

May is expected to face many more challenges to her strategy after a summer break as she works her way through a mountain of Brexit-related legislation. Any final deal with the EU will also require ratification by a bitterly split parliament.

Highlighting the fine margins May is dealing with, Tuesday’s victory required the votes of four pro-Brexit Labour opposition lawmakers who backed the government in defiance of their party’s instructions…

Labels: Brexit, legislature, parties, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Brexit in danger?

Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, on Tuesday promised greater control for Parliament over withdrawal from the European Union, after a threatened rebellion by lawmakers forced her into a new and potentially significant retreat in the country’s troubled exit from the bloc.

Brexit protesters in London

The day began on an ominous note with the resignation of one of Mrs. May’s ministers over her plans for withdrawal, known as Brexit, and got steadily worse for the prime minister when some of her rebel lawmakers combined with opposition parties, posing the threat of a damaging defeat.

The vote concerned an amendment that had been added by the House of Lords to Mrs. May’s main Brexit legislation. The amendment would have given lawmakers more control over the process…

Mrs. May had appealed to lawmakers not to support the amendment, arguing that it would weaken her negotiating hand with the European Union…

All this is before Mrs. May meets other European Union leaders at a summit this month for talks that are likely to be difficult…

Since losing her parliamentary majority last year, Mrs. May has been forced to adjudicate between warring factions within her Conservative Party, something that has led her to postpone a number of important decisions.

As a consequence, almost two years after the 2016 referendum that mandated British withdrawal, the British government has been unable to outline what type of economic relationship it wants with the European Union, which is its biggest trading partner.

Mrs. May’s cabinet is split between those who want to keep close ties, in order to protect the economy, and hard-line Brexit supporters who want to cut free in the hope of striking trade deals further afield.

A fierce dispute has also broken out over a British contingency plan to prevent the imposition of border checks between Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland which will remain in the European Union…

Labels: Brexit, legislature, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

British cheating on Brexit Vote?

Sanni

If he knocked on your door, Shahmir Sanni might not be what you would expect of a campaigner for Brexit…

Sanni is a young, hip, gay Muslim, a Pakistani Briton who studied economics at his university, loves fashion and is an American-style libertarian, a committed “euroskeptic.”…

Once an anonymous college-age volunteer, Sanni is now front-page news in Britain, as a whistleblower who alleges that pro-Brexit campaigners in 2016 “cheated” — specifically that a prominent group run by top Tories, including now-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, broke election law by coordinating campaigns among allied organizations to circumvent spending caps.

The political firm at the center of the controversy is Aggregate IQ, a tiny Canadian firm closely connected to Cambridge Analytica…

The week-long controversy over who did what and how in the 2016 Brexit vote quickly ensnared Prime Minister Theresa May and her inner circle.

One of May’s senior aides at 10 Downing Street, Stephen Parkinson, was a top Brexit campaigner. He is also Sanni’s former boyfriend…

The accusation of questionable campaign coordination and spending has been dismissed as a “lover’s quarrel” and a total nothingburger. It has also been hyped as a bombshell that calls into question not only the decision to leave the European Union, but Britain’s fair play and democratic values…

Although British law bans coordination between campaigns, Sanni said he… [was] based in the Vote Leave headquarters… advised by Vote Leave staffers, including May’s now-senior adviser, and relied on Vote Leave’s attorney, who helped… incorporate the BeLeave group.

Sanni said that after being instructed to set up a bank account, BeLeave learned it would be getting a donation of $878,000 via the Vote Leave organization, which was then running up against campaign spending limits. But the money never went into the BeLeave account… Instead… it went directly to Aggregate IQ to blast voters in the last week of the campaign with targeted social-media messages…

Christopher Wylie, a former research director for Cambridge Analytica… testified before the British Parliament’s media committee that he helped set up Aggregate IQ, and that it mixed funding and work for Vote Leave and BeLeave in violation of election laws…

[G]overnment minister Chloe Smith said she would not comment on allegations that are under investigation. She added that the Electoral Commission, the official watchdog, had concluded that the Brexit vote was delivered without any major issues and that the government would implement the results.

Labels: Brexit, political culture, UK, voting

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Politics within Labour

The Labour leader was in Coventry, declaring that under his radical left-wing government Britain would remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. The Confederation of British Industry, hardly a bastion of socialism, hailed the policy as a “real-world solution”. Rebellious Conservative MPs campaigning for a soft Brexit cheered it…

Two-and-a-half years into the job, Mr Corbyn has never been stronger. Once-mutinous MPs have fallen into line. Corbynites fill crucial positions in the party’s apparatus. Left-wingers dominate Labour councils in London. But Mr Corbyn’s rule is far from absolute…

In some local parties, by contrast, bloody intraparty battles rage. In Haringey, a Labour-run north-London borough, the controversial redevelopment of a run-down housing estate sparked a civil war from which the left wing of the local party emerged victorious. The result was the deselection or resignation of more than 20 Labour councillors…

Outside London… [the battle] has caused barely a ripple in the sea of red that is Labour’s northern urban territory. All 96 of Manchester’s council seats (of which Labour holds 94) are up for election in May…

Labour’s central party apparatus, by contrast, is increasingly stuffed with true believers [Corbyn loyalists]…

Yet although Mr Corbyn’s critics have surrendered control of the party bureaucracy, other battles are still under way… but the philosophical and policy fight is up for grabs”, says one senior Labour MP. The most important battleground is Brexit. This week Mr Corbyn reiterated that Britain “voted to leave the EU, that’s a done deal.” But Labour’s position on the manner of departure is still in flux, as shown by the customs-union shift…

The party’s members are solidly pro-EU: 89% voted to remain, as did 96% of Labour MPs. Among Labour voters, however, the figure was 64%…

Meanwhile, Labour’s softening line on Brexit creates the prospect of splitting the Conservatives, whose contingent of Remain voters is roughly equal to Labour’s Leave minority. Tory rebels have already proposed legislative amendments designed to keep Britain within a customs union, which could inflict a damaging defeat on Theresa May’s government if Labour supports them… Mr Corbyn’s new stance placates those Labour MPs who had demanded he come up with a softer Brexit policy, and creates a potential route to Downing Street should Brexit blow up for the Tories. The Labour leader may not have total control of his party, but he is moving closer to a bigger prize.

Labels: Brexit, Labour Party, leadership, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Complications of Brexit

It's English law, in English - but the courtroom is in Paris.

According to French reports, the new "international chamber" is an attempt to capitalise on Brexit and steal London's crown as a global hub for lucrative commercial legal disputes.

Other English-language courts are popping up in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, with those behind them also talking about seizing opportunities from the UK's departure from the EU.

English courts have long been chosen by companies based all over the world to govern their contracts. So are these new rivals a threat to London's crown?

French justice minister Nicole Belloubet… said in December that the UK's exit from the EU could mean it losing access to a "common judicial space" with the attractiveness of London courts "replaced by other European jurisdictions"…

Key to the warnings about London losing its crown is an EU regulation that allows judgements in one member state to be enforced across the bloc…

Otherwise, rulings made in London may not be automatically recognised in the EU - there could be extra paperwork, confusion about which jurisdiction should hear a case, and an overall loss of certainty…

This will depend on the negotiations between the UK and the EU…

"Just having English language proceedings would not be enough to attract foreign litigants away from England and Wales," Mickaël Laurans, of the Law Society of England and Wales predicted.

However, the French court - which opens on Thursday - will go further than than those in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany by having the power to make rulings on English law…

Labels: Brexit, courts, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Banks on the move?

First it was banks; now Ireland is targeting television channels based in the UK who may need to relocate to an EU country after Brexit in order to continue broadcasting across the bloc.

Its foreign investment authority has launched a charm offensive in London with the aim of persuading channels to follow Bank of America and Barclays to locate their EU-regulated HQ in Dublin…

Under cross-frontier broadcasting licensing laws, broadcasters need just one “country of origin” licence in one EU state to be able to broadcast throughout the bloc.

The broadcasting business is, like banking, centred in London with as many as 1,400 channels licensed in the capital, 750 of them broadcasting to another EU country, ranging from Al Jazeera to Disney and Viacom.

And just as banks have had to relocate some of their operations to Frankfurt. Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris in order to retain their “passport” to operate across the EU, broadcasters are now being forced to look at moving in the absence of any Brexit deal to recognise the UK’s licensing system…

Ireland is facing stiff competition for the Brexit spoils. It is understood Belgian authorities have also held events in London for the broadcasting industry, and Luxembourg has been sending letters out to TV chiefs arguing it is a natural home for TV…

Ireland is also targeting the pharmaceutical sector and legal services. It recently secured a deal with Wasdell, a British pharmaceutical company to set up in Dundalk with the promise of 300 jobs over five years in a €30m investment…

Labels: Brexit, International Organizations, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Comments from the UK

He reminds us that the EU is a process, not a status quo.

"Two of the EU's  most basic principles: widening [adding more members]  and deepening [moving towards political union e.g. the Euro]." Both imply movement, not stasis.

On the deepening topic, Alan reminds us that some leaders in Europe, like Germany's Martin Schulz, have federation as a goal.

"This," Alan continues, "is the dilemma for those 'remainers' like me who opposed leaving. The situation pre-June 23rd 2016 doesn't exist anymore." What would we be remaining in?

He also reminds us that the Conservative Party seems to be coming apart over this issue. One of the possible successors to PM May might be someone like Jacob Rees-Mogg. He was described, in an opinion piece in The Independent, as "a controversial figure in British politics. He has been praised as a conviction politician whose upper-class mannerisms and consciously traditionalist attitudes are entertaining; he has been dubbed the "Honourable Member for the 18th century"

And no one knows where a Labour government might lead.

"It's not over yet." he reminds us.

Labels: Brexit, EU, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 11:02 AM 0 comments

Questions about Brexit

Here is an easy-to-understand guide to Brexit - beginning with the basics, then a look at the negotiations, followed by a selection of answers to questions we've been sent.

• What's happening now?
• What does Brexit mean?
• Why is Britain leaving the European Union?
• What changed in government after the referendum?
• Where does Theresa May stand on Brexit?
• How did the snap 2017 election change things?
• What has happened to the UK economy since the Brexit vote?
• Brexit negotiations
• What is the European Union?
• What is Article 50?
• What date will the UK will leave the EU?
• What's going to happen to all the EU laws in force in the UK?
• What is the Labour Party's position on Brexit?
• What is the single market?
• What's the difference between the single market and the customs union?
• How long will it take for Britain to leave the EU?
• Why might Brexit take so long?
• So why can't the UK just cut all ties in March 2019?
• What happens if there is no deal with the EU?
• What does the fall in the value of the pound mean for prices in the shops?
• Will immigration be cut?
• Could there be a second referendum?
• Will MPs get a vote on the final Brexit deal?
• Has any other member state ever left the EU?
• What does this mean for Scotland?
• What does it mean for Northern Ireland?
• How much has Brexit cost so far and how much will it cost by the end?
• How will pensions, savings, investments and mortgages be affected?
• Could MPs block an EU exit?
• Will leaving the EU mean we don't have to abide by the European Court of Human Rights?
• What about the European Court of Justice?
• Will the UK be able to rejoin the EU in the future?
• Who wanted the UK to leave the EU?
• What were their reasons for wanting the UK to leave?
• Who wanted the UK to stay in the EU?
• What were their reasons for wanting the UK to stay?
• How much does the UK contribute to the EU and how much do we get in return?
• What is the 'red tape' that opponents of the EU complain about?
• What impact will leaving the European Union have on the UK's long term political influence in Europe?

Labels: Brexit, EU, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 5:30 AM 0 comments

Brexit deals for N. Ireland, Scotland, and London?

Britain’s divorce negotiations with the European Union hit a major snag on Monday, when a hard-line Northern Ireland party that is a crucial ally of Prime Minister Theresa May pulled its support at the last minute from an agreement on the future of the border between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The abrupt decision, which appeared to take Mrs. May by surprise… derailed a draft deal between Britain and the European Union that is a prerequisite for moving on to the next stage of negotiations…

“Once again Theresa May has come out of Brexit talks with her tail between her legs,” said Tom Brake, a member of Parliament from the Liberal Democrats, an opposition party. “As each day goes by, it becomes clearer that the best deal for everyone is to stay in Europe. The people of the U.K. must be given a vote on the deal and an opportunity to exit from Brexit.”…

Mrs. May’s government appeared to have reached a compromise that would effectively allow Northern Ireland to behave as though it were to remain in the single market and customs union, while technically leaving, along with the rest of the United Kingdom…

The compromise was intended to help prevent the re-imposition of customs checks at the frontier, the land border between the United Kingdom and the European Union. That so-called “hard border” was once a major source of sectarian friction; it was dismantled after the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 that ended decades of violence known as the Troubles. Observers fear that reimposing border controls could revive tensions.

But on Monday the Democratic Unionist Party, a faction that is crucial to the ability of Mrs. May’s Conservatives to command a majority in Parliament, rejected that compromise.

Party members acknowledge the case for continued economic links with Ireland, but are deeply suspicious of any proposals that would confer a special status on Northern Ireland, for fear of eventually making it possible for a United Ireland to emerge…

If the party were to withdraw its support from Mrs. May’s Conservatives altogether, that could topple the government and bring the Labour Party into power…

If there is no agreement reached to start the next phase of the Brexit talks, it would be nearly impossible to achieve a trade deal by March 2019, the deadline for completion of the process…

The rumored deal on the border with Ireland immediately set off an outcry in Scotland and in London, where a majority of voters voted to remain in the European Union…

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, demanded treatment similar to that Mrs. May proposed for Northern Ireland. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, made the same case for his city, the majority of whose voters also opposed Brexit.

“Londoners overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU and a similar deal here could protect tens of thousands of jobs,” he wrote on Twitter.

In the referendum, Northern Ireland also narrowly voted to remain in the European Union, but the territory was sharply divided, with heavily Protestant areas generally favoring Brexit while predominantly Catholic areas voting to remain in the bloc…

The biggest beneficiary of the situation appears to be the main opposition, the Labour Party. Its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who has positioned himself as a prime minister in waiting, said the collapse of the draft agreement “provides further evidence that Theresa May’s government is completely ill-equipped to negotiate a successful deal for our country.”

Labels: Brexit, cleavages, politics, UK

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:09 AM 0 comments