Tag Archives: Euro

Brexit and the British Constitution: Part V. Modernisation or Vandalism?

This is the last in the series of articles on Brexit and the Constitution. It is based on four books which have dealt with the subject over the last twenty years: Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government at King’s College, London, … Continue reading

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Germany on top, Europe in trouble. Discuss. Part 2. European Disintegration?

Douglas Webber’s is a very different book, but it is also very complimentary to Bulmer’s and Paterson’s Germany and the European Union. Both hold a question mark in the title, and both place Germany centre stage, but Webber’s subject is … Continue reading

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Germany on top, Europe in trouble? Discuss. Part I.

A casual answer to the essay question in the title of this book review may suggest that the two statements are causal, and that the prime cause is that Germany is top dog. Both books under review do not rush … Continue reading

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British ideas of Europe: PART 4. The UK’s view of a sustainable regime for Europe.

From the perspective of 2016, British voters in the referendum could be forgiven for thinking that the EU was not very sustainable. The Euro crisis was in its sixth year; Chancellor Merkel’s decision to welcome mass immigration into Germany undermined … Continue reading

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British ideas of Europe: PART 3. The European Union in Crisis.

In his book, COLLAPSE : Europe after the European Union,(Biteback, 2018) Ian Kearns issues a warning to Euro-optimists to cease dreaming of a brighter future. Get real, learn about your continent’s history, and smell the coffee. The fate of the continent … Continue reading

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British ideas of Europe. PART 2. The UK as a champion of the Europe of states

Popular UK  views on Europe locate in the upper left quadrant, sketched in the introduction in Part 1 of this series on British ideas on Europe. The “Remainers”, and their predecessors never managed to win over the British electorate to … Continue reading

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America and the World: Part III. The Crash of 2008 and Eurotragedy.

The two books under review analyze the financial crash of 2008 from different perspectives. Adam Tooze, the historian and director of the Columbia University European Institute in New York, authors Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed The World, … Continue reading

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Europe’s revolution: the unintended consequences of good intentions

Europe’s revolution is special in the sense that the old regime is determined to overthrow itself without the consent of its peoples. This is the source of what European élites call the populist revolt. In the French, Russian or Chinese … Continue reading

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Whitehall and Westminster will not, do not want, and cannot deliver the result of the June 23, 2016 referendum.

The Brexit talks have been lumbering on, as the Prime Minister makes her oral commitments to the British public and then  proceeds to rescind them. The UK, she has reiterated, will be leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union, … Continue reading

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You’re wrong, Matthew Parris: sovereignty is worth more than a sneer.

In his usually witty manner, Matthew Parris, in The Times of February 24,  trashes “Hologram May” for leading “a hopeless mission”. “As obstacles appear on the route to Plateau Sovereignty, perhaps this illusory leader’s role is to make sure it’s … Continue reading

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