Monthly Archives: December 2011

                We spend much of our time on this site discussing policies that could promote more growth, more jobs and greater prosperity.  Most agree that a growing economy can offer more opportunities, and can lift propsects and living standards for many.                There is a considerable effort put into the alternative debate, the discussion of [...]

             Today I will give my full support to David Cameron for using the UK veto. His requests were modest in return for accepting a new Treaty for the 27. Indeed I thought his offer was too generous, and I would have been very unhappy if France had accepted and we were lumbered with [...]

            The veto of a new EU Treaty was necessary ground clearing.           It has confirmed that the UK is different from the continent. We are not now in a two speed Europe . The UK has no intention of joining a later train to European integration. Changing the ever popular EU analogy, the [...]

             Mr Cameron did the right thing to veto the Treaty for 27. It was clear there was no wish on the part of our partners in the EU to take our growing frustration with the drift of the EU seriously, no wish to help the UK at all. Our demands were modest. They [...]

             The “debate” about the EU and Euro remains higgled by misunderstandings  that serious people peddle out. Let’s just deal with a few of them. 1. If the UK makes a stand or declines to support the Merkel plan, we could lose the 10% of our National Income based on exports to the EU. Response: [...]

              Mr Cameron has a simple choice. He can either go along with the plans for a German Europe, and be hailed by federalists as a good European, or he can call their bluff and speak for the UK.              The Merkel plan will not save the Euro. It does nothing to tackle the [...]

                The problem in Euroland is not just a problem of a few countries which are no longer competitive. There is a problem of too much government debt. The same issue haunts the US, where there is a poltical war over how to get the deficit down. The UK now has a government which [...]

            Owen Paterson from within the Cabinet has given a most encouraging interview to the Spectator. He tells us that the Euro area are now attempting to create a single country. That requires the UK to have a very different relationship with it. He says h”e wants to get the power to run our [...]

               Let us talk today about the German surplus. There it stands, enormous, giving Germany a great sense of achievement and power. No wonder so many Germans want to keep the Euro. They associate it with high levels of exports throughout  the EU, and rising cash balances as they seek payment for their goods. [...]

            The Euro fix is a proposal for a Treaty change to make Euro area countries borrow less. Apparently if they do not comply they will be fined. The fines, I assume, will be paid for out of extra loans advaced to these countries by the EU, or perhaps the IMF!          Are they [...]