“The more Europe you build, the more detached our citizens feel.”
Advice to the Government’s transitional team.
Plus: Sorting out energy. Protection from Putin. And: furthering the single market.
Continuing our series on how the Prime Minister’s aim of a reformed Europe, claimed by him as the basis for a Remain vote, was not achieved by his renegotiation.
Meanwhile, and on a happier note, Timothy Kirkhope has finally steered the Passenger Name Records (PNR) legislation through the Parliament.
The leader of Britain’s Conservative MEPs reports from the European Parliament.
The balance of the safety argument is for leaving. But neither referendum outcome will dampen the fanaticism of our home-grown extremists.
One of my constituents asked me: what’s the point of having MPs if they can’t make this sort of decision? He was right.
There is an important campaigning role for his pro-Brexit views. Let’s hope that we see and hear a lot of him during the weeks ahead.
Twice the Government’s attempts to circumvent scrutiny by means of the European Scrutiny Committee have fallen – primarily because it feared defeat.
Too many in the EU are looking at solutions for next year or the year after, such as a European border guard – able to be deployed even if the country concerned objects.
Much of the debate will focus on jobs and prosperity. These are certainly important factors to bear in mind. But there is another more fundamental issue at stake here.
There’s a case for remaining in the EU. And a case for leaving. But there is no case for staying based on this shrunken and slippery negotiation.
As we enter a crucial month, a grim choice faces Conservative Eurosceptics.
As the coordinator on International Trade for the Conservatives in Brussels for many years, I have seen how difficult it can be to strike deals for 28 different nations.