Whereas 23rd June 2016 will be remembered as one of the blackest days of our lives, as EU citizens in the UK and Brits in the EU, the announcement of a last-minute agreement “securing” citizens’ rights, will probably rank as being “very dark grey”. Two things come to mind when analysing the outcome of this […]
Brexit
Brexit Musings (9): Catfight In Brussels – Seconds Out, Round 6
The sixth round of the Brexit negotiations took place on 9th and 10th November, and brought absolutely nothing new. Well, you didn’t really expect them to reach an agreement on something as trivial as citizens’ rights, did you? My advice for all Brits on the continent is, get a second nationality…and quick, because time […]
Two Of A Kind – Mutual Recognition Of Professional Qualifications Post-Brexit
One of the cornerstones of the European Union, concerns free movement of labour, and the freedom for the self-employed to establish themselves in other Member States. In both cases, the basic objective is that all EU nationals be treated equally. Article 57 of the Treaty on European Union empowers the Council of Ministers to issue […]
Brexit Musings (6) – Anyone For Tennis?
Game, set, and match First off, a dose of double-dutch. Incredibly enough, the Dutch have actually got a government, after how many days? 208 to be precise. And the Dutch economy was doing so well without one. Now, we have a four-party coalition ready to screw things up. That’s politics for you. The UK government’s […]
Brexit Musings (5) – Brexit In America And “Eggs Florentine”
I read an interesting piece in the Mail On Sunday, the other day. And there was I, thinking that the Mail On Sunday, like the Daily Mail, was as far anti-EU as you could get, until an erroneous comment of mine, posted on Facebook, got corrected by someone who’s more familiar with the antics of the […]
Utopia, Anno 2017 – Catalonia And Brexit
During the UK referendum campaign, the Leave camp’s arguments for leaving the European Union focused on, (i) a full economic recovery only made possible outside the EU, (ii) close to zero immigration and, (iii) a financed healthcare system. Whilst a non negligible proportion of the Brexit voters are clearly isolationist and/or xenophobic, I do […]
Mayhem in Florence
In the beginning, there was Rome – six paths leading away from the city, towards an ever closer union of six warring nations. Then, there was Maastricht, the symbol of a European treaty that no-one voted for. More recently, Lisbon, emblem of the same treaty that no-one got a chance to vote for. Now, there […]
Brexit Musings (4) – Brexiteers Should Be Treated, Not Opposed
The short interview given by David Davis to the BBC’s “Today” programme and his piece in The Sunday Times, really got me riveting with laughter. It’s not often in the last year that I have had something to laugh about concerning Brexit. The following three quotes may, on their own, make the whole Brexit saga […]
The Week When The UK Lost The Plot…And My Sympathy
When historians look back at Brexit, dates will be remembered for different reasons: the flawed referendum campaign, the death of Jo Cox, the result itself, triggering Article 50, and the general election that misfires, to name but a few. This week will be remembered as the week when the UK really lost the Brexit plot. […]
Brexit Musings (3) – Welcome To Amsterdam Schiphol
Well, not much to chew on this week, concerning Brexit. However, I do have an idea: with the tenors of the UK political landscape out of the country for the summer, maybe it is time to close the borders – before they get back. Wishful thinking I know, but it’s a nice thought. There is […]