Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.
Labour: lengthy transitional period post Brexit < will stay in single market if (🙄) special treatment on FoM. theguardian.com/global/2017/au…
I’m being thankful for a lot of small mercies this week, but FOM special treatment won’t happen. Make the case or gtfo.
Sat 26 Aug 2017 · on Twitter
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
Originally posted as a thread of 4 tweets on Twitter on 8 August 2017. View the original thread.
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.
Originally posted as a thread of 3 tweets on Twitter on 2 August 2017. View the original thread.
I have sympathy for the civil servants. As Juncker said, “Brexit cannot be a success” and it’s hard to choose what sort of failure you want. twitter.com/Usherwood/stat…
Brexit has been badly run politically, but when you’ve promised cake and eat it and have to negotiate from a starting point of less cake…
In twenty years this will be a case study of political systems failure, and I’d put money on the UK being in the EU and the Euro.
Originally posted as a thread of 3 tweets on Twitter on 1 August 2017. View the original thread.
Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.
Labour statements on Brexit should really be accompanied by frenetic piano music, Keystone Kops style uk.businessinsider.com/jeremy-corbyn-…
Tue 25 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
City of Brussels launching competition for “uniform iconic fritkot (frites stall) design for the city” rtl.be/info/regions/b… What a town!
Tue 25 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
EU official on chicken/trade: “It has been surprising to see how poor the understanding has been in the UK debate” gu.com/p/6qt36/stw
You, an EU official: I am surprised how poor UK debate has been
Me, someone who remembers the #EURef campaign: <heavy sigh of despair>
Tue 25 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
Today in ‘lunches you would love to be part of’: Isabelle Huppert at L’Arpège ft.com/content/73cc51…
Sat 29 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.
Brits bristle at accusations of slapdash Brexit politico.eu/article/britis… < either putting a very brave face on it or crazily optimistic
Thu 20 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
“Treachery” – and yet it feels like we have a long way down still to go. twitter.com/bbchelenalee/s…
The treason and betrayal narrative is starting before substantive negotiations have started. Given our hand, they will go badly. Then what?
It would be nice to believe, as UK Remainers do, that economic slump and political chaos will lead to repentance. At least as likely it
will lead to entrenchment in a Britain vs evil Europeans narrative – which will be assiduously pushed no matter what.
Originally posted as a thread of 4 tweets on Twitter on 16 July 2017. View the original thread.
I thought this might be an analysis of how, now A50 is triggered, cancelling Brexit is not easy. But no, just sneering and UK blinkers. twitter.com/iainmartin1/st…
If you haven’t got a pair of UK blinkers, you should. They’re passport-blue and prevent you from seeing any political argument that isn’t
based in London and occasionally Edinburgh. Optional ear muff attachments allow you block out anything that might suggest other European
countries are democracies with their own politics and politicians, rather than just pawns.
Originally posted as a thread of 4 tweets on Twitter on 6 July 2017. View the original thread.
The Brexit conversation seems to have settled on the idea that there’ll be a really long transition period. I seriously doubt it.
Even if the UK Gvt could get years more free movement and ECJ past their rabid wing (including press), which I think they can’t, the EU side
wants to get certainty quickly, and European Parlt has talked about three years maximum transition period. And this is best case,
if the UK doesn’t walk out or fail to reach agreement. 29 March 2019 is pretty soon.
Originally posted as a thread of 4 tweets on Twitter on 3 July 2017. View the original thread.
Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.
Yesterday the politicians leak “we’re planning to walk”, today the officials leak “realism breaking out”. 🙄 theguardian.com/politics/2017/…
Mon 3 Jul 2017 · on Twitter
It’s been clear for a while that the think tank concept is dead but rigor mortis might be setting in: irishtimes.com/news/politics/…
Mon 3 Jul 2017 · on Twitter