Dennis Smith Brexit and the Beatles Meeting a man from the motor trade (original) (raw)

Campaigners for leave exuded immense confidence that pressure from German motor manufacturers would ensure tariff free trading arrangements with Britain after Brexit. No such luck. On 9th July 2017 two large German industrial groups insisted that protecting the integrity of the EU's single market was more important than protecting trade with Britain. The men from the German motor trade are not prepared to give Britain the freedom and fun the Brexiteers promised on their behalf. The voters who believed the Brexiteers' promises (eg £350 million a week extra for the NHS) are likely to be grievously disappointed. Brexit is beginning to feel like a foolish elopement engineered by plausible suitors, one that has gone badly wrong.

Brexiters: who, what and why

My aim is to help provide the Remain movement with a deeper background analysis of the players and forces behind Brexit – the people, their ideas and interests; of the tactics, strategies, tools and alliances they have been employing; and of the goals and targets they are seeking to attain or capture.

Labour and Brexit – three reasons not to despair

Argument: People in the Labour Conference are thinking outside the Brexit box. - Worries about freedom of movement don't necessarily mean an inevitable hard Brexit. - Owen Smith's pro-Remain campaigning merits respect and Jeremy Corbyn's supporters should not all be assumed to be dogmatic Lexiteers.

The prospect of a British exit from the EU

European View, 2014

A referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the EU is no longer science fiction. British Prime Minister David Cameron has committed to a referendum in 2017 if the Conservatives win the 2015 elections. Before that, Cameron wants to negotiate a ‘better deal’ with the EU. What is his understanding of this ‘deal’, and what would the prospects for Britain be if they fail to achieve this and vote for an exit from the Union? How should the EU react to this British challenge? Are there any areas that could be reformed in order to please the British, while avoiding a ‘Europe a la carte’? The article describes the political background and history that has led to the current situation and British prospects outside the EU. It concludes with Britain's demands for EU reform and a possible EU response.

A view on Brexit from abroad

2016

Promises of an extra £350m a week, posted on the side of a bus. Doomsday economic predictions from the Remain campaign; the reply, “We’ve had enough of experts!”. Jo Cox MP shot dead in the street, the same day that Nigel Farage unveils an anti-immigration poster which echoes propaganda images from 1930s Nazi Germany. The UK votes to Leave, and the pound collapses. Scotland votes differently, and claims new justification for independence. “What is the European Union?” the second most googled question on the day of the result. A marked increase in hate crimes reported. Boris Johnson calls for a new Royal Yacht. “Hard Brexit” and “Soft Brexit” new terms in public discourse. A country divided. Immigration at the heart of political debate in the UK. Our international reputation damaged, perhaps beyond repair.

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