Joe Biden’s visit is a reminder that slavish enthusiasts for the American alliance and the most splenetic critics of the President can be equally embarrassing. Is a little Gaullist self-respect too much to ask?
The current outrage can be written off as displacement activity by those shocked by a deal from Sunak that forces them to consider a compromise.
He says that the new framework will enhance the smooth flow of trade within the UK, protect Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and safeguard sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.
“We are allies, trading partners and friends…something that we’ve seen clearly as we joined with others to support Ukraine. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.”
Next, European policies towards China, both in the EU and in the UK, are likely to come under increased scrutiny.
Any liberal-minded person must reject the demonisation of the unvaccinated, who are free to make choices about their own health.
I’m more relaxed about the frontiers of the state rolling forward than some. But all the way into my bloodstream? Not without my say so.
The negative economic and political real-world consequences of implementing the Protocol cannot be what either intended.
A traffic light coalition? A Jamaica coalition? Who knows? What’s certain is that the CDU/CSU is struggling amidst a fragmenting landscape.
The British government has been commendably muted on the behaviour of von der Leyen and other politicians.
Some leaders realise the seriousness of the problem. Merkel’s spokesman has pleaded with Germans to take the “safe and highly effective” jab.
Johnson the politician laid an ambush for Starmer, inducing him to deny ever having wanted Britain to stay in the European Medicines Agency.
As Johnson put it yesterday: “we can’t think of this just as a project for us and us alone”.
With war ranging in Europe and the bulk of Russia’s fighting capacity deployed in a NATO-adjacent country, now is not the time for playing dated grievance politics with the transatlantic alliance.