Tag Archives: EU
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Why Jeremy Corbyn may be the right Labour leader but at the wrong time
1May 28, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
When Corbyn was elected in September 2015 nobody could have known how much Brexit would matter. Corbyn’s indifference to it …
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How the Economics Profession got it wrong on Brexit
5July 29, 2018 by Paul Goldsmith
In today’s febrile political atmosphere, in which information that doesn’t fit a person’s bias is immediately discarded, it is refreshing …
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Is it time for Theresa May to call the DUP’s bluff on Brexit?
2December 5, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
In 1968, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson warned the trade unions that if they didn’t accept his relatively modest changes …
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Why the £50bn ‘divorce bill’ offer is a good move
Leave a commentDecember 4, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
People in the UK just don’t understand what negotiation is. Let me help them. In a negotiation, both sides go …
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Why the UK has no financial obligations to the EU legally, but they do politically
Leave a commentNovember 6, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
In the end it comes down to money and uncertainty. The one big card the UK has to play is …
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Does a ‘meaningful vote’ on the Brexit deal mean it can be amended and rejected?
Leave a commentOctober 30, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The Government has announced that the EU Withdrawal Bill will have its next appearance in Parliament on the 14th of …
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Why Ireland might have to leave the EU too
2October 29, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
At some point the people of Ireland are going to have to choose between Britain and the EU. There are …
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Theresa May’s Florence Speech – shared history, challenges and future
Leave a commentSeptember 22, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Theresa May’s appearance in the Church of Santa Maria Novello in Florence had much significance, not least because it is …
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Like Thatcher in Bruges, the stakes are high for Theresa May’s Florence speech
Leave a commentSeptember 22, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
As Theresa May prepares to make a speech in Florence setting out the UK’s position and offer on Brexit, she …
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A new political party doesn’t have to win seats in Parliament to be successful
Leave a commentSeptember 18, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
During the August political news ‘silly-season’, James Chapman, former Chief of Staff to Brexit Secretary David Davis, started a one-man …
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Explaining Tony Blair’s immigration proposals
Leave a commentSeptember 14, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The ad hominem attacks were quick in coming, but the political and economic arguments were much slower to arrive. Former …
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EU Withdrawal Bill: Is Henry VIII coming back?
Leave a commentSeptember 11, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
So today sees the big debate on the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This significant Act of …
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What if the EU made laws we didn’t like?
Leave a commentSeptember 7, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
It might surprise you that a speech by committed socialist Tony Benn was once identified by Conservative firebrand Norman Tebbit …
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The real Brexit Debate: Fairness between Consumers and Producers
1August 10, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Since the Brexit vote, there has been a lot of talk about effect of immigration controls on our public services …
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Russell Bretherton, Brussels 1955 – right place, wrong man. When we lost control.
Leave a commentAugust 1, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
As we enter August, it is worth reflecting on what Russell Bretherton was doing 62 years ago. He was a …
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Should we tie our own hands behind our back on free trade?
Leave a commentJuly 31, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Pro-Brexit politicians and activists will constantly invoke the benefits of lifting our eyes to distant horizons, of heading out into …
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Corbynism is impossible within the Single Market
Leave a commentJuly 27, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
In 1986, Jeremy Corbyn voted against the Act of Parliament that created the EU Single Market. He saw it as …
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Are some Brexiter politicians ignorant or are they lying?
Leave a commentJuly 24, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
You know that feeling you get when you can’t work out if a set of politicians are ignorant are lying? …
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Should we leave Euratom?
Leave a commentJuly 17, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The European Atomic Energy Community – commonly known as Euratom, was created in 1957. It established a single market for …
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The Reason the ‘Repeal Bill’ is so difficult to implement is why many wanted to Leave
Leave a commentJuly 14, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Like many things in politics these days, the response of the opposition parties to the publishing of the European Union …
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How a one-size-fits-all EU regulation caused one person to vote Leave
Leave a commentJune 30, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The other day I met a lady who used to work as a civil servant for the Department of Transport. …
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Why there is no simple answer for the ‘3 million’?
1June 25, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The latest incident of Theresa May managing to snatch a worse defeat from an already pretty bad one has been …
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History put a gun to David Cameron’s head – but he decided to pull the trigger
Leave a commentJune 23, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Published today – available from here if you want a signed book and to donate to the Latymer Upper Bursaries appeal, …
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The death of a Helmut Kohl should remind us that Brexit negotiations will be political, not economic
Leave a commentJune 18, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Look at the picture above. When Margaret Thatcher saw it she allegedly exclaimed “Urgh, its two old men holding hands.” …
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Why we should spend that ‘£350m a week’ on education instead
2June 17, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Just after last year’s referendum, a friend of mine commented that the Leave campaign had ‘missed a trick’ with their …
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What kind of a Brexit compromise is possible now?
Leave a commentJune 14, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
There were two ways we might have got a soft-Brexit. The first was a massive majority for the Tories, which …
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Brexit – can we put together a cross-party negotiating team?
Leave a commentJune 13, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Theresa May went to the country to ask for a mandate for her vision of Brexit. Despite the referendum ballot …
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Should we ask for the Article 50 process to be delayed?
Leave a commentJune 9, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
When Article 50 was written, is was made deliberately vague, as it was never really intended to be used. It …
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UKIP’s Brexit tests – any negotiation is too much
Leave a commentMay 27, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The launch of the UKIP manifesto was a chance for us to see them put the details on what being …
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How the Lib Dems plan to make EU think again
1May 18, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Assessing this Liberal Democrat manifesto is an odd business. They aren’t even suggesting that it is a manifesto for Government, …
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Macron vs Le Pen is the first proper Internationalism vs Nationalism election
Leave a commentMay 7, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
One is a pro-European Liberal who has never been elected and only founded his party a year ago. The other …
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Why the #libdemfightback might not deliver more seats
Leave a commentMay 5, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Rumour has it there were high fives in Liberal Democrat headquarters when Theresa May announced she would be calling a …
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Analysing Labour’s Brexit Conundrum
3April 29, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
As an explanation for why Labour is finding it so difficult to work out their Brexit strategy goes, it takes …
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The falling pound has been good for British firms. Hasn’t it?
Leave a commentApril 24, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
The fall of the value of the pound, which has been about 20% against the Dollar and the Euro since …
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Four plus two reasons why Theresa May wants to hold the election on 8th June
2April 19, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
There are many good political and constitutional reasons for Theresa May to have an election right now. She was always …
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Why Parliament must have a say on Article 50 and Brexit
2November 5, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
It is no surprise that even though Steven Phillips voted for Brexit, he has resigned as an MP as a …
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The answer to “which EU law are you looking forward to losing”
2October 15, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
This blog is for all those who want to be able to explain why you wanted Britain to leave the EU …
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5 thoughts on one of the most momentous days in political history
Leave a commentJune 24, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
David Cameron did the right thing…this morning – Three and a half years’ ago, with Labour in the ascendancy under …
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It’s #Brexit – so what happens now?
2June 24, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
1. We don’t immediately leave the EU. This is an advisory vote to the government, who choice choose to ignore …
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Why I will be voting #Remain in the #EuRef – a guide for those on the fence
6June 21, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
This blog is quite long but if you stick with it you may find it useful, particularly if you are …
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Will Jo Cox’s assassination be the ultimate ‘Black Swan’ event?
Leave a commentJune 20, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
Arriving at Herne Hill Station yesterday on the way to a family event, we were accosted by some campaigners for …
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How I rate the #EuRef campaigns
2June 19, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
If it were based on the performance of the respective campaigns, I would be voting leave. They have managed …
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The chart that explains why Britain is about to #voteleave
1June 16, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
“Inside Labour’s London HQ, I joined young volunteers manning the “Labour In” phones with every fact at the ready. We …
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EU Referendum – How globalisation blurs the difference between Control and Sovereignty
2June 7, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
The key principle for many in the Vote Leave campaign is that of ‘sovereignty’, which is the right of a …
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EU Referendum – the two lies behind the ‘£350m a week’ claim
1June 6, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
If the central message of your referendum campaign consists of two lies you have a problem. The picture above shows …
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EU Referendum – How Damian McBride’s tweet suggests secret support of Labour leadership for Leave
2June 5, 2016 by Paul Goldsmith
One of the problems with tweeting on mobile phones is that you can make a slip with a tiny movement …
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