Concrete Achievements

Category: Twitter

  • Starting to wonder whether senior ministers literally do not understand the concept of…

    Starting to wonder whether senior ministers literally do not understand the concept of “negotiation”. The PM in Tokyo today:

    1. We won’t make the decisions about what’s in the trade deals. That’s what negotiation is for.

    2. We will have less power in those negotiations because as a smaller trade entity we have less to offer than the EU

    3. We also, in the EU, work alongside others to set the negotiating mandate for the Commission.

    4. So we already have a big voice in what is in bigger trade deals, negotiated by skilled professionals.

    5. But we’re going to give it up so we can write our own negotiating mandates – 90% the same – and be less able to benefit from them.

    6. Because, in the words of the Gvt, “it has sometimes seemed like the UK was not sovereign”. Brilliant.

  • Links from the week of 28 August 2017

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 21 August 2017

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Accompanying my mother around M&S like it’s 1982.

    Accompanying my mother around M&S like it’s 1982. At least this time I have a smartphone.

    Never, in the field of customer loyalty…

    Strange that the store illustrated on M&S wifi login page is the one in Brussels they’re about to shut.

  • I guess, but my problem is UK side has not really been fighting, or not well.

    I guess, but my problem is UK side has not really been fighting, or not well. No positive vision that isn’t froth and assertion, no serious twitter.com/bopanc/status/…

    attempts to answer the core tradeoff between “control” and market access, and no apparent urgency. It’s like they’re playing a football

    match where a draw will relegate them, but they’ve come out late, and put 11 men behind the ball.

  • Sounds like more unworkable proposals.

    Sounds like more unworkable proposals. (1) On European law issues there may be more than one other member state involved, so which sends a twitter.com/christopherhop…

    judge? (2) Those judges will be working within ECJ rules, interpretations and frameworks (3) thinking there will probably be a LOT of cases

    so “ad hoc” will probably become permanent; (4) sounds like individuals will lose right to bring claims, good old taking back control.

    (5) Interim period cannot be other than under ECJ, says EU neg mandate, and time to negotiate special transition arrangements isn’t there.

  • Links from the week of 7 August 2017

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • There is no reform of free movement involved in the EEA.

    There is no reform of free movement involved in the EEA. The UK cannot show harm from FM, it cannot invoke temporary restrictions. twitter.com/SKinnock/statu…

    Sick of UK pols STILL going on about “reform” (meaning, “Do what UK demands”). That’s over. Options are accept free movement or hard Brexit.

    If UK thinks massive economic harm is OK if they can get rid of some Poles, fine, their call. “Reform free movement” == “cake and eat it”.

    It’s not an option, it’s even less an option than before, and politicians who invoke it are painting themselves and UK further into a corner

  • Good on Corbynism and internationalism.

    Good thread on Corbynism and internationalism. Corbyn embodies for me the economic conservativism of the hard left. Nothing should change. twitter.com/JeremyCliffe/s…

    Unless it goes back to an idealised golden age of trade union power. It’s a sort of economic aspic – miles away from the automated leisure-

    rich visions of some of his supporters. On this and on Brexit they assume he agrees, but he doesn’t. He proudly does not evolve views.

  • Links from the week of 31 July 2017

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.